"The Equine Connection: How Horses Aid in Developing Emotional Regulation"

Horses are highly attuned to human emotions, thanks in part to their abundance of mirror neurons.  When you're in the presence of a horse, their mirror neurons are activated, picking up on your emotional state and reflecting it back to you. If you're feeling anxious, agitated, or stressed, a horse may respond by becoming skittish or standoffish. Conversely, if you're calm, relaxed, and confident, a horse is more likely to respond positively and approach you. It’s this feedback that helps us develop awareness of our emotions and physiological responses. Once we learn to recognise these physiological cues we can become more aware of our emotional state and learn to regulate it more effectively.