What is Equine Assisted Therapy/Learning (EAT/EAL)
Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) has several names that describes what is quite simply the use of animals, specifically horses, to “assist” therapy in humans. Equine Assisted Learning (EAL), Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Psychotherapy are also commonly used to describe this same process of using horses to assist in the application of behavioural therapy.
For the sake of consistency we will use Equine Assisted Therapy or EAT for short where possible. In Equine Assisted Therapy the client (sometimes referred to as a patient) spends a significant amount of time bonding with the horse.
EAT and EAL therapy is increasingly used and recognised as benefiting the communication, motor skills, and social skills of an autistic person.
It also causes improvement in responses to verbal and external stimuli and relaxation.
Clients are usually referred for Equine Assisted Therapy from a wide range of health professionals including GP’s, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychiatric Doctors and Nurses, Occupational Therapists and private clinics.