Equine-assisted programming is offered at numerous facilities across the state. Several sites are located in Rapid City and across the Black Hills

RAPID VALLEY, S.D. – Bridget Williams gathered a group of children together in her barn to show them how to safely give a horse a treat.

Williams told them not to hold the treat near the horse’s mouth because it can’t see the snack and could mistakenly bite a finger. Instead, she said, show the horse the treat and then lower it for gentle chomping by the appreciative animal.

The brief lesson was intended to build trust between the humans and the horses that were gathered on a recent Saturday morning in the barn at Red Horse Healing, the equine therapy practice run by Williams on a rural site in Rapid Valley, a neighborhood on the east side of Rapid City.

Animal-assisted psychotherapy is a form of mental and behavioral health treatment that uses horses and other animals to help adults, children and families to heal from trauma, to manage autism or to overcome anxiety, depression, grief or other emotional problems.

The therapy can help anyone but has been particularly effective in aiding Native Americans, who have a deep historical connection to horses as both working animals and companions.

Williams, a licensed professional counselor, has employed horses in her practice for 15 years, the past 10 at Red Horse Healing. She said the treatment works because horses – despite their imposing height and weight over 1,000 pounds – are gentle, intuitive creatures that create a sense of calm comfort and mutual understanding for people suffering from emotional or physical ailments.

“Horses hear what is not spoken,” she said. “They help create and maintain non-judgmental relationships.”

In recent years, equine-assisted therapy has become increasingly established as a bonafide therapeutic modality, with certification offered by several U.S. therapy organizations, including the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.

The modality is supported by the National Association of Social Workers, and some U.S. colleges offer training in the practice, including through a graduate certificate offered at Colorado State University.

Equine-assisted programming is offered at numerous facilities across the state. Several sites are located in Rapid City and across the Black Hills. The therapy is also offered at several East River locations, including at Gentle Spirit sanctuary in Scotland, Helping with Horsepower in Mitchell, HorsePower in Baltic and at McCrossan Boys Ranch in Sioux Falls.

Williams said equine therapy is covered by most health insurers and by Medicaid, the federal insurance program for low-income adults and children, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities.

The horses can simply be present to create a calm, safe space for deep issues to be explored. Clients can pet or ride the horses in the barn as part of connection building. Horses can also be part of activities that build trust and the ability to form relationships.

Michel Melvin of Wounded Knee brought three of her grandchildren to the session to bond with horses and find strength through interaction with Williams and her staff.

Melvin, 69, has been around horses all her life, and her family has raced horses in South Dakota in the past.

“I share a lot of love with my grandchildren, but I think there’s a lot of children out there who don’t get the love they need,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for these children to see something more than they usually see in the home setting where they are glued onto electronic devices.”

Williams often incorporates elements of Lakota culture into her sessions. She provides placards with Lakota words and their meaning to create connections between clients and their culture. Clients sometimes use non-toxic paints to illustrate the horses, just as Native Americans used to do.

Williams has frequently brought her therapy horses to community events and gatherings to help people find solace.

Tyler Read, community engagement specialist for the Rapid City Police Department, said the equine therapy Williams provided made a noticeable impact on some of the children who attended the day camps and neighborhood outings. Several children who had impulse control, hyperactivity or anger issues changed their behaviors after riding or painting the horses.

“They’ve got those huge eyes and they’re very quiet and it’s kind of like they can look into a person’s soul,” he said. “When you see the impact it creates, it’s special. It truly is a beautiful thing.”