CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — Hugging a horse can do wonders for the body. Grace Gannon is 14 years old and hugs horses often.

What You Need To Know

  • In Step With Horses is a nonprofit in Chagrin Falls that helps people cope with or manage their mental health issues through experiential horse therapy 

  • Sessions are tailored to each client's unique needs

  • They work with people in many different areas of emotional health including PTSD, sexual trauma, domestic violence, addiction, anxiety and depression

  • They use a variety of methods to support clients’ therapeutic goals including Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, the EAGALA model, natural horsemanship, equine assisted learning and support groups

“If you get close enough you can match your breathing with theirs,” said Gannon. “Their breathing is a lot less frequent than ours so just taking slower and deeper breaths with them, it's really a calming thing, and they kind of almost suck out all that negative energy. That’s what it feels like. You know, I could be feeling stressed and then go spend time with a horse and I feel fine. It's really incredible," Gannon said.

Gannon struggles with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. She’s been in therapy since 4th grade. 

“This has definitely been the most beneficial,” said Gannon. “Being out in the open space is a lot nicer than being confined in a room with someone maybe you don’t trust that well.”

The experiential therapy she's talking about is led by the nonprofit In Step With Horses in Chagrin Falls. President and co-founder Melissa Hauserman started the organization in 2017.

“We work with veterans, first responders, people that need some help processing trauma and other experiences that they've had, or maybe they have a chronic mental health condition that they're trying to manage,” said Hauserman. “We have a menu of services and we work with them based on their goals to determine where they want to start. And then we allow them to kind of self-direct what kind of activities they choose to do while they're here.”

Gannon’s been coming to In Step With Horses for about a year. She prefers to groom and ride the horses. Some clients enjoy just being with the animals or watching them in their natural habitat. The sessions are tailored to each client’s individual needs. The clients and horses have a partnership; the clients take care of the horses, and in turn, the horses take care of the clients. 

“Working with the horses, I've definitely gained a lot of confidence in myself. They’re such big creatures that you really have to have a lot of confidence in yourself to be able to direct them and tell them what to do,” said Gannon. “Even with confidence in school, now I have, I’m much more able to sit down and say you have this, you can do this and get the work done.”

Hauserman is an equine specialist and said horses are prey animals that are innately wired to protect themselves.

“If you are all animated and upset and disconnected in your own body, you are unsafe to a horse and they will choose to not interact with you. They will protect their own safety by either walking away from you, turning their head, or moving away from you,” said Hauserman.   

Yet, they’re also a herd animal and are wired to bond. They are very good at mirroring client's emotions and body language, which helps the client understand when they need to calm down or relax. 

“As soon as we receneter ourselves, come back into the moment, get our heads into the space that we are in and calm ourselves they will immediately come back and re engage with us,” said Hauserman. “As soon as you start to recognize those changes in your body and start to take control over them and lower your breathing rate, lower your heart rate, feel your feet, relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and reframe all those negative voices in your head. The horse wants to interact with you and they will openly, willingly engage.”

These gentle giants are helping people uncover their strengths, and re-balance their lives, helping them take strides into wellness one horse at a time.

“It's nice, after a stressful day, I feel really relaxed after riding,” said Gannon. 

To learn more about in step with horses and if experiential therapy might be right for you visit instepwithhorses.org.