Horses are excellent at reading our body language, and will respond to it honestly, which makes them powerful messengers. They are able to read and mirror body language. This creates a situation that requires us as humans to rethink our approach with them and try to communicate in a different manner.

"Horses are one of the world's best-kept secrets. We come to them tired, discouraged, ill, and confused; they send us home refreshed, renewed, and full of life and hope for tomorrow. By just being themselves, they can bring an emotional and mental healing that other forms of therapy cannot." Resa Nilson, BS, Animal Science, Univ. of Vermont, Executive Director of ChAMP, South Hero, VT Certified NARHA instructor.

"Horses help people find their own answers, to solve a problem themselves . . . The very makeup of horses makes them effective treatment partners. For one thing, their size and power make them intimadating to many people . . . horse-related exercises help clients learn to solve their own problems or discover their own truths." EAGALA co-founder Lynn Thomas.

"Horses are not concerned with the niceties of human convention -- they don't worry about hurting your feelings, or lie awake at night pondering just the right way to break the hard truth . . . The skills of communication are the same, whether you are relating to person or equine . . . Horses will not hesitate to challenge us if what we're doing is not clear to them." Discover Your Inner Equine, by April Clay, Horse Illustrated, April 2004