Overview

This book examines what it means to bring horses into therapeutic contexts without reducing them to instruments, metaphors, or extensions of human needs. At its core is the insistence that the horse is a subject, an autonomous being whose agency and integrity must be respected. The text unfolds as both critique and proposal: it questions the assumptions and practices that have long shaped equine-assisted work, while offering a different way of seeing, observing, and relating. Early chapters establish the ethical stance that underlies the whole project. Horses are not there to heal or to reflect, but to be met as independent others. From this foundation, the book turns to a critical look at research, showing how anthropocentric methods and language have shaped what is known and overlooked about horses. The discussion then moves to practice, where observation, movement, and the nervous system become central. Trauma is explored in its effects on body, mind, and relationship, and the importance of boundaries and presence emerges as a guiding thread. In the later chapters, the focus shifts to reflection. The limits of language in trauma therapy are considered, as are the implicit inequalities in therapeutic relationships, the risks of well-meaning co-regulation, and the parallels between human care and equine welfare. The book closes with an emphasis on integrity: the alignment of words and actions, the capacity to remain present without overriding, and the possibility of coexistence rather than control. Taken together, these chapters form a coherent argument for a paradigm shift. They invite professionals in psychotherapy, education, and equine practice to rethink not only the role of horses, but also the deeper dynamics of relationship, responsibility, and respect in therapeutic work.

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