Efmha
 

What is EFMHA?
What is EFP?



Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA)

EFMHA is a globally recognized organization that promotes health by bringing people and equines together in mutually beneficial ways.

We are a section of NARHA, a membership organization that for over 30 years has fostered safe, professional, and ethical therapeutic equine activities. This is accomplished through education, communication, and standards of practice and research for people with and without disabilities.

EFMHA is an active membership organization serving the needs of its members, mental health, education, and equine professionals.

Our Mission

To promote professionally facilitated equine experiences designed to enhance psychosocial development, growth and education.
To educate others to work with the horse in the treatment of people with emotional, behavioral, social, mental, physical and/or spiritual needs.
To establish a library of instructional, certification, research, diagnostic and safety materials supporting all aspects of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy.
To set standards of horse knowledge, including selection, training and stable management, pertaining directly to Equine Facilitated Mental Health programs.
To provide a foundation to see Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) into the future.



What Is Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP)?
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is experiential psychotherapy that includes equine(s). It may include, but is not limited to, a number of mutually respectful equine activities such as handling, grooming, longeing, riding, driving, and vaulting. EFP is facilitated by a licensed, credentialed mental health professional working with an appropriately credentialed equine professional. EFP may be facilitated by a mental health professional who is dually credentialed as an equine professional.

Arab Morning and my Katherine
 

Horses for Children with Special Needs -- I had actually forgotten about these. There aren't a lot of them, they are very expensive to fund thru donations, and they can take the parents an hour or more to drive to.... but they are worth it.

My younger daughter, we bought a horse (for "me" or for "us") when she was 7 years old, in first grade. He was only 2 years old, an Arabian - smart as a whip and, descended from a line of Polish racing stallions, he was as fast as the wind. And he ADORED HER beyond all all other life on the planet.

They played "Chicken".... He would race full speed at her and she would stand quietly gazing at him in perfect calm, total peacefulness, pacifier in her mouth, and at the VERY LAST SECOND he would divert his stride JUST ENOUGH to not touch her - but where she could feel the wind stir her hair...

And they played racing games ---- she would take off running full speed and he would give her a head start --- then he would burst off and race after her, passing her in a blur .... but then she would slow down, reverse course, and begin running like mad in the opposite direction. when he finally slowed enough to toss his head and look over his shoulder, he would see that he was ONCE AGAIN second in the race --- and he would put on the brakes, hunker down, chew up the earth with his hooves as he struggled to whip around --- then would come thundering after her, her grinning like mad around her pacifier, it's long yarn ties blowing over her shoulder, as she kept the game going and going.....

They had an incredibly special bond that lasted until he died of oak leaf poisoning about the time she got out of school.

She most often rode without a saddle or reins - RACING across fields and pastures - a team. He was one of the most important factors in her identity and self esteem as a child. She has a gift for working with horses.... but never will any probably be as special to her as Arab Morning was.

She rode him under English saddle and took him over jumps --- and her instructer told me that my daughter (fourth grade, she was) was the BOLDEST young rider she had ever seen. Later, her teacher asked if she could lease him part time for her younger students. I told her she could try him out. I didn't hear from her, so after several weeks, I called her. Her voice was strangely tight as she told me that the horse was too dangerous for any but an advanced rider to use. Your daughter's horse, she told me, loves her and does everything to protect her and keep her safe. They have a special bond based on love and understanding, she told me.

Kat has a large tattoo of him on her lower back, taken from a photograph of him when she rode him in a parade.

Teri