Horses have strong social bonds and herd behaviour is based on a co-operative form of living, with each horse having a ‘place’ which provides safety and maintains relationships within the herd (Burgon, 2011). Clients may be able to identify with herd and individual horse’s behaviours such as the horse’s security and safety seeking, leading to recognising an experiential metaphor for their own thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Horses share a unique, predator-prey relationship with humans forged over millennia. As prey animals, horses are hyper-vigilant until they evaluate that they are not in danger. Unlike dogs that trust unconditionally, horses require humans to work to gain their trust. They are highly perceptive to human emotions and understand human behaviour predominantly through non-verbal signals.

Horses are adept at identifying incongruence, that is, when what is happening on the inside does not match what is happening on the outside, and will become confused, jittery and uncertain (Kirby, 2010).

Due to this heightened perception, the horse’s responses act as feedback for the client and provide a rich opportunity for the child or young person to increase their self-awareness, choice and responses.