Miami University's Student Counseling Service begins offering horse therapy service

Miami University is now offering horse therapy through its Student Counseling Service. The therapy allows students to groom horses while they work through a session with a counselor. There is no horse riding involved in the therapy program, but organizers say the simple act of grooming a horse alongside a counselor brings a special type of peace to the session.

According to an article on Miami University’s website, Jennifer Young, who is a licensed psychologist and the associate director for community engagement in the Student Counseling Service, explained what the horse therapy program is. She is quoted as saying, “We were offering it one hour a week just to see if anyone would come. We had to expand it to two hours a week, and we have people who are waiting now. It’s very cathartic for students, and they love it. It’s super unique that we are on campus, that we have horses, especially at this school that is not an agricultural school. The official term in our field is equine psychotherapy. A lot of students may not know what that means, so we’re calling it horse therapy for short."

The idea of doing horse therapy on campus at Miami University sprouted from Mary Beth Canfield, who graduated from the university in 1990 and is a former member of the equestrian team, began speaking with Steve Large, who serves as the assistant vice president for health and wellness, about the university’s dog therapy program, in November 2024. As the dog therapy program was proving to be successful, the idea of horse therapy began to be explored.

“I then took the idea to Heather Pinnick at the equestrian center and learned that she and her team had already done a little bit of this work at the facility. She was interested in doing more of it. I know many people in the field of equine therapy and have learned that it can be beneficial in reaching people in a deep and unique way,” said Canfield.

Four horses are in use as part of the university's horse therapy program: Lola, Carly, Fendy, and Gracie. At the beginning of a session with a student, a horse is selected, and the Young and the student begin in the horse’s stall, then lead the horse together to the area where the horse will be groomed during the session. Young and the student will comb and brush the horse, dentangle its tail, and pick its hooves to remove dirt. Throughout the whole process, the student and Young are having a talk therapy session, with working on the horse providing a buffer.

Pinnick said, “Horses are really intuitive of how you’re feeling. I think they’re offering a little buffer for the therapy sessions to the students who may feel comfortable because they are doing an activity and have the horse as that focus.”

The horse therapy sessions have been utilized by both male and female students and are useful for students who feel depressed or have anxiety. Students have told Young how much they enjoy the process.

“They say things like ‘I can’t believe you offer this’ and ‘I have to do this: Let me sign up.’ Afterwards, they’ll say things like ‘This was the best thing I’ve done all semester long.’ They look forward to it. It’s the highlight of their week — and mine, too,” said Young.

Horse therapy sessions are offered at the equestrian center between 12pm and 2pm, which is typically a quiet window at the center.

For more information about Miami University, visit the school’s website.