While the word “authentic” has been tossed around the self help channels as easily and loosely as the concept itself is purported to be, the world of equine therapy has not been an exception. Instead, horses are said to help people become more authentic, and indeed, true to themselves. Yet, becoming more real is something that people struggle mightily with. In fact, for many people the manufacturing and maintaining of a false self occupies so much time and energy, that their real essence is all but lost, and deceptively difficult to identify. So how is it that under this circumstance, horse can be helpful?

To answer this question we must first understand the mechanics of a false self. When a person spends an inordinate amount of time creating an ideal, yet unrealistic portrayal to the outside world, he/she resides almost entirely in memory and anticipation. Thoughts about past negative events may pervade his/her attention and cause him/her to overcompensate through behaviors that are an exaggerated opposite of the negative behavior. Also called reaction formation, an example of this is the mother who shames herself for her private abusive behavior toward her child, then publicly becomes overly gentile toward children.

Alternatively, the person may anticipate future events, interpreting them as potentially threatening to the ego. Here a person might fear rejection so much so that he/she is unable to decipher his/her behavior, or the behavior of others in the present moment. Much like a deer in the headlights, this person simply becomes stuck in fear and anticipation.

Maintaining a false self is also the habit of projection. By assigning his/her own negative traits onto others, a person seeks to divorce himself of them, and in the process, be rid of any flaws or faults that, again, may threaten the fragile ego. Here again, however, the person’s attention is overly focused on others (particularly on their faults) and not at all oriented in the present moment.

As you might imagine, all of the mental gymnastics described above remove the person from the present moment, causing disorientation to self, others, and place. The person’s attention is simply somewhere else, and the internal workings — which is really “who” they are — are missed.

And here is where horses can be helpful. For one thing, horses have no false self. Because their minds are unable to hold consciousness toward the self, the manufacturing of a false self is not possible. While they think in terms of safety, pleasure, pain, and joy, horses attention is directed toward the world around them, absorbing what may or may not bring these results. In this way, they are open to the environment, without the obstruction of needing to appear a certain way, or achieve a certain result, as people are.

Sure, a horse may want something to happen, however, his/her sense of self is not linked to it. This is because, to a horse, there really is no sense of self beyond the present physical experience. Therefore, there is nothing else to maintain but the now. They may anticipate events, but horses do not anticipate their own actions. For example, a person might say “I’m going to screw up,” drawing a conclusion on their own behavior. A horse, on the other hand, may fear pain, punishment, or look forward to feed, but is not able to make future judgments on his/her behavior. Instead, a horse makes decisions based on what is happening, not what might happen.

These actions and behaviors are a true portrayal of the horse, and unlike with people, the absence of the need to present a false image, allows the horse to simply be. In doing so, horses respond to what is in people, not what they may want to be, and in this way, help bring a person back to his/her most real self.

Photo by Stephanie, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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    Last reviewed: 21 Aug 2011