The Benefits of Equine Therapy

Margie Duey leads DJ, a gentle Icelandic horse, while volunteer Minta Leslie helps make rider Keallan Caton feel safe and secure.

Triple Creek Ranch and the Benefits of Equine Therapy

Equine therapy is a treatment that incorporates horses into the therapeutic process. Along with riding, people who partake in equine therapy engage in grooming, feeding, and leading a horse. This type of treatment promotes emotional regulation, self-confidence, and responsibility in individuals with a wide range of developmental and behavioral diagnoses.

One such program in the North State is Triple Creek Ranch in Red Bluff, CA. The ranch is home to 14 horses who freely roam the 40-acre property. The horses, which include seven miniatures, have all been rescued or donated, and once they come to Triple Creek, they live out their lives there. The ranch is also home to rescued sheep and goats.

Volunteers Eileen Reese(left) and Minta Leslie (right) with Uno the horse.

Riding has physical, emotional, and mental rewards

“Research shows that many students who participate in therapeutic riding have experienced physical, emotional, and mental rewards. That unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience, self-esteem, and a sense of independence,” says Eileen Reese, director of the equine therapy program at Triple Creek Ranch.

The benefits of equine therapy are multifaceted. Being on a horse can help kids with limited mobility in learning how to walk. “Horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait,” Eileen explains. Many of the students ride bareback, and some prefer lying down on the horse’s back while the horse is led around. This type of motion can be soothing to people with sensory issues because it gives them the input they seek. Equine therapy can also help regulate sleep as it is emotionally calming and can be physically demanding.

(left to right) Janet, Jamie on Uno the horse, Wayne Miles, and owner Eileen Reese.

Building a relationship with the horses

Horses used for therapy need to handle unexpected noise and movement calmly. Training the horses at Triple Creek Ranch involves exposing and desensitizing them to all kinds of noise and to the playful nature of the children that visit the ranch, including Eileen’s grandchildren. The trainers and volunteers who work with the horses also become very tuned in to their behavior. Eileen explains that, like people, horses have their own unique body language. For example, Eileen knows that a swish of the tail from one particular horse means that horse is getting agitated.

Lessons always go at the student’s pace at Triple Creek Ranch. Eileen explains, “It’s about building a relationship with the horse.” Equine therapy is more than just riding, she says. It is also a whole ranch experience. The ranch is a place where the students can run and climb trees. “Many times,” Eileen says happily, “just watching the horses run free on the property can be healing.”

The riding program is free of charge to families, but there is an application process, and there is currently a waiting list. Triple Creek Ranch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is open to volunteers. For more information on Triple Creek Ranch or how you can volunteer, you can visit their website or call (530) 527-9394.