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Florida Veterans Multi-Purpose Center’s
Equine Assisted Therapy Program -
The natural senses of horses as
prey animals and how they compare to veterans
exposed to the trauma of war. Keen senses allow
horses (and traumatized veterans) to pick up
very slight changes in the environment. Often
more sensitive to subtle movements, far-off
sounds or vibrations, and smells than you are,
horses (and traumatized veterans) are frequently
alerted to imagined potential danger (mountain
lion enemy) while you notice nothing out of the
ordinary.
When a horse (or a traumatized
veteran) is convinced that danger is imminent,
his reaction is (flight or fight) to flee or if
restrained in any way, to break loose. It is the
rare horse (or traumatized veteran) that on its
own will calmly re-assess the situation in the
event that he might be imagining things.
If a horse (or traumatized
veteran) lacks confidence or has received poor
handling (or the veteran has experienced trauma)
they both can spook with the slightest
provocation. Horses (and traumatized
veterans) have excellent memories; they remember
events from the past vividly, especially if they
relate to danger, whether it was imagined or
real. It is thought that horses (and traumatized
veterans) never quite forget their fears.
Suppose a horse or the veteran
once had a very frightening experience and now
something spooks them, what do you think is
happening inside the biological organism of the
horse and veteran? Their sense of smell, sight,
and hearing are understandably put on red alert.
Gut motility increases to prepare for fight or
flight.
In working with the horse, the
veteran’s higher intellect makes it possible to
understand the horse is not thinking things out
as the two go along in their routine. The horse
acts according to inherited instincts and
precepts of behavior and reacts to your
movements and touch with deeply ingrained
reflexes. A reflex is an automatic, unconscious
response of a muscle (or a gland) to a stimulus.
Even though the modern horse
is relatively safe from predators, his long
evolutionary struggle for survival has resulted
in an innate suspicion of anything unusual or
unfamiliar. Because of this, the modern horse is
one of the few domestic animals that still
retain the capacity to revert to a wild state.
That is why the vet often tranquilizes the
horse. (Or a doctor tranquilizes the traumatized
veteran)
The good news is the veteran
and horse working together can create a special
bond of understanding between them. From there a
sense of trust can develop for both. With trust
and bonding both can learn to see their
environment in a different light. An environment
that is not as hostel or threatening as once
perceived. |
