Painted Desert Recovery

Discover What Makes Paint Desert Recovery Unique

/Therapy is an essential part of any kind of recovery journey. Methods of therapy vary from one treatment facility to another. Some treatment facilities have the same five forms of therapy for all of their clients, no matter what their treatment needs are.

The truth of the matter is that conventional methods of therapy don’t work for everybody. At Painted Desert Recovery, we understand that therapy should be tailored to the individual needs of each person enrolled in our treatment programs. We proudly provide a wide array of therapeutic programs for our clients. One of the more unorthodox therapy programs that we offer is our equine therapy program.

What Is an Equine Therapy Program?

Simply put, an equine therapy program is an outdoor therapy program that uses horseback riding. The guiding principle behind our equine therapy program is that caring for another living creature allows people in treatment to focus on something other than themselves.

Further, horses are very sensitive animals who form a bond with the humans who provide their care. This bond allows the horse to “sense” how people are feeling through body language and verbal cues. This, in turn, provides our clients personal insight into how they present themselves to other living creatures, including people.

In other words, the equine therapy program at Painted Desert Recovery can be an effective method for our clients to feel connected to something that is bigger and more important than themselves.

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Benefits of an Equine Therapy Program

An equine therapy program can be beneficial to people who are in recovery and can strengthen concepts learned in other therapeutic programs.

Some of the benefits of “horseback therapy” include:

  • Enhances mindfulness – When clients are taking care of or are riding horses, they enjoy what they are doing at that moment. This is a concept known as mindfulness. Mindfulness emphasizes the benefits of paying close but nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. Practicing mindfulness allows the brain to operate more efficiently, which can create a greater sense of creativity, curiosity, and overall well-being.
  • Develops perseverance – Horses can be stubborn, so clients working with them can’t give up when the horses don’t comply with directions.
  • Increases respect and empathy for living beings – To properly care for horses or any other living being, you must be respectful of their needs.
  • Requires a positive attitude – Horses don’t really care if clients taking care of them are annoyed or grumpy. This gently pushes people to come to the stables in a positive state of mind.
  • Improves overall well-being – By properly caring for horses, clients feel a rise in self-esteem and self-confidence.
  • Provides a new sober activity – Equine therapy programs are a perfect way to show people in recovery that there are activities that they can do without drugs or alcohol that are enjoyable.

Perhaps most importantly, being around horses makes people feel content and peaceful. Horses truly are incredibly majestic creatures that remind us of how beautiful nature can be.

Explore Painted Desert Recovery’s Equine Therapy Program Today

For some people in treatment, typical therapy programs don’t have the same impact as more unusual forms of therapeutic treatment. The mission at Painted Desert Recovery is to provide the exact treatment that each client needs for long-lasting recovery. That’s why we give our clients the opportunity to use horseback riding as part of their treatment.

If you would like to learn more about our equine therapy program or any of our other therapeutic treatment programs, call 844.540.0357 or complete our convenient online form today.