Equine therapy uses horses’ movement and presence to support people’s physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. Photo courtesy of High Horses.
Hannah Judd is gaining confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging with the help of horses.
Hannah, who is 25 and has autism, started coming to High Horses Center for Equine-Assisted Services more than ten years ago. “When Hannah is here with the horses, she’s a different person,” says her mother, Marjorie Aubin. “The horses are her people, and this is her place.”
High Horses offers horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities to support people of all ages with physical, emotional, or developmental challenges. Clients take part in guided sessions with trained staff and volunteers at a 38-acre hilltop horse farm in Sharon.
Equine therapy uses horses’ movement and presence to support people’s physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. Because a horse’s gait mirrors how people walk, riding can support balance, strength, and coordination. It also stimulates neurological pathways, offering benefits to people with cerebral palsy, anxiety, and autism.
“One of the things that makes horses unique is that they don’t judge or expect anything beyond what you bring in the moment,” says High Horses Executive Director Alex Keats. “That’s incredibly freeing for people who may feel misunderstood or limited elsewhere.”
Photo courtesy of High Horses.
Why horses make a difference
Horses are prey animals, and their instincts help them notice even subtle changes in their surroundings.
Highly sensitive and intuitive, horses also easily notice small cues such as body language, tone of voice, and emotional states. This kind of instant, nonjudgmental feedback helps people notice their own feelings and actions. Spending time with horses can boost neurotransmitters that help lower stress and blood pressure.
At High Horses, people have regained physical abilities after a stroke. Children have overcome severe anxiety or fear. Many have found a sense of belonging.
“Horses tend to be cautious at first, so it takes patience and openness to build a true connection with them. But once that bond is formed, the experience is unlike anything else,” says Amanda Grigsby, director of volunteer programs and barn operations.
Hannah Judd grooms Sadie, a Belgian draft horse who used to work on an Amish farm. Photo by Erica Houskeeper
‘The horses didn’t change, you did’
Spending time with horses nurtures emotional growth and builds social skills. Increased self-confidence, trust, and communication often follow. Some people also find relief from anxiety and depression. “I tell clients, ‘The horses didn’t change, you did,’” says Allison Moskow, an instructor and equine specialist in mental health and learning at High Horses.
Clients at High Horses interact with horses in many ways, both while riding and on the ground. This spring, nurses from Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., participated in a program at High Horses to focus on communication, stress management, and emotional awareness. The aim was to help participants develop these skills through work with horses, supporting the hospital’s efforts for frontline caregivers.
During the six-week pilot, participants groomed horses and kept journals to encourage mindfulness and lower stress. “It gives (the nurses) a sense that they're the leader that the horse is looking for, and that they’re in control, and responsible for the horse in this relationship,” Moskow explains. “So, when the nurses are back at the hospital and in a stressful situation, this work can help them find that baseline.”
Volunteers and instructors often see clear changes in clients’ faces and body language while they are with the horses. “You see it in someone’s face, their eyes, and their face, and just the energy in their body goes from tense to much more relaxed and present,” Keats says.
Volunteer Alex Arnold of Montpelier grooms a 10-year-old gray Percheron gelding named Stan. Photo by Erica Houskeeper
From Client to Team Member
Hannah and her 23-year-old brother Wyatt, who also has autism, both come to High Horses regularly. One sunny Friday in April, Hannah brushed a Belgian mare named Sadie before Wyatt’s lesson. Soon after, she led her brother around the indoor ring with help from a therapeutic instructor.
“The environment and the staff make this place special. And I think friendliness and acceptance are the things that really drive this place,” Aubin says while watching her son and daughter together.
The program has helped Wyatt get stronger, improve his posture, and support his overall physical development. Meanwhile, Hannah has taken on a volunteer role at High Horses and is working toward becoming the first client to join the staff through HireAbility Vermont.
Watching from the sidelines, Aubin beams with pride. “When Hannah is at High Horses, she lights up,” Aubin says. “She’s confident and engaged. This is a place where she’s completely in her element.”
Erica Houskeeper is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Burlington, Vermont. She publishes Happy Vermont, a website, newsletter, and podcast about exploring the Green Mountain State.
