How Connection With Horses Supports Our Wellbeing
At Standfast, we see it every day: someone walks into the paddock holding tension they didn’t even know they were carrying and a horse helps them let it go.
Horses have a way of helping us return to ourselves. Not through talking. Not through effort. But through presence.
You don’t have to ride to feel it. You don’t have to say a word. Simply being with a horse, breathing near them, observing, moving slowly begins to shift something in us. And science is starting to catch up with what horse people have known for generations: horses regulate us.
The Nervous System & Why Horses Help
Our bodies are wired to survive. When we feel overwhelmed, unsafe, or under pressure, even in ways we might not be conscious of our nervous system kicks into a stress response: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
When these states become chronic, they show up as:
Anxiety or shutdown
Burnout
Difficulty sleeping or focusing
Emotional disconnection
Physical tension or illness
Horses, through their biology, help us shift out of these survival states.
As prey animals, they are hyper-aware of energetic shifts but they also co-regulate. This means their calm, rhythmic breath and grounded awareness can help us move from sympathetic (activated) states into a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state where healing, digestion, emotional processing, and social connection become possible.
Just being near a calm horse can slow your heart rate, deepen your breath, and reduce levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). This isn't just “nice,” it’s neurological.
Somatic Connection - Healing Without Words
Somatic therapy focuses on the body as a gateway to healing, rather than the mind alone. Horses naturally support this because:
They respond to what your body is saying, not just your words.
They provide immediate feedback without judgment.
They teach you to notice your own internal cues: breath, posture, tension, grounding.
Many people don’t realise they’ve left their body; disconnected due to trauma, stress, or survival patterns. Horses gently invite us back into the present moment, into awareness, and into authentic, embodied connection.
You Don’t Have to Be a Horse Person
You don’t have to know how to ride. You don’t need to be confident around animals. You just need to come with an open heart or at least a willingness to show up.
Our horses won’t ask you for anything more than your honesty.
What We Offer at Standfast
Through our Healing With Horses workshops, we create space for people to reconnect with the land, with their body, and with something instinctive and ancient.
We use gentle, trauma-informed practices such as:
Grounding and orientation (to help the body feel safe)
Horse-led observation (watching how the horse responds to your state)
Grooming with consent (noticing how it feels to connect through touch)
Somatic awareness exercises (like body scanning and breathwork)
Space to reflect (in journal time or quiet conversation)
These sessions are suitable for adults of all backgrounds especially those seeking calm, clarity, or reconnection.
Whether you’re healing from trauma, burnout, anxiety, or just a fast-paced life, the horses meet you where you are.
Come Walk With Us
You don’t need to explain your pain.
You don’t need to push yourself to open up.
Just show up and let the horse do what they’ve always done:
mirror you, regulate you, walk with you.
To learn more or book your place click on the link
