One of the things we often explore on the blog is how the presence of horses has a calming and often healing influence on people. Here is some common research exploring this topic.
An often-cited example of the tangible calming effects that horses have on humans’ autonomic nervous systems when they spend time together is the research completed by Dr. Gehrke, in collaboration with the Heart Math institute. The autonomic nervous system mediates a human being’s degree of arousal or tension in a situation; it is linked with the so-called flight or fight response, triggered in situations a person perceives as dangerous or stressful. Notably, horses’ hearts are anatomically about five times larger than those of humans, and these studies describe how tracking variations in heart rates between humans and horses can be used to determine stress levels and well-being during interactions. The Gehrke study suggests that the well-being that many people experience when they are near horses is tied to their calming effect on human physiological states. People’s stress levels tend to reduce in the presence of horses.
Does this fit for you? While horses can occasionally induce panic or related emotions, do you generally find their presence calming? Reflect on this the next time you are at the stable.
Reference: Gehrke, E.K. (2013). The horse-human heart connection. Results of studies using heart rate variability. Retrieved from www.mindfulhorsemindfulleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Research_The-Horse-Human-Heart-Connection-1.pdf