Like humans, horses are social mammals and share an innate understanding of the roles of social structure and leadership in providing mental, emotional, and physical safety. Horses, however, do not tolerate dysfunction in their social circles or their leaders. Their lives depend on living in cohesive groups that trust and support one another.

Horses possess distinct individual personalities, complete with moods, preferences, emotions, and coping mechanisms. This provides a multitude of opportunities for learning about relationships.

Horses are masters of body language and non-verbal communication. They read and respond to a person’s intentions, whether those intentions match what is ‘said’ on the outside or not. They are powerful teachers of authenticity.

Horses don’t lie, have ulterior motives, hold grudges, or have a vested interest in a person’s success or failure. Their feedback is always spot-on, and the horse will change his response to a person as quickly as the person changes their behavior. …Instant, honest, unbiased feedback. It's rare to get from another human, because people tend to project their perceptions and desires onto one another.

Horses and humans both possess innate 'fight and flight' responses to pressure and pain, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Observing the horses can give us valuable insight into how appropriate and healthy our responses may be in various situations.

There is something about a horse that grabs our attention. It's perhaps a respect for their physical power, coupled with an indescribable sensitivity and inner stillness. No matter what it is, it's hard to share the same space with a horse and not get taken by a certain sense of awe. They draw us away from our ingrained patterns of thought and behavior, even if only for a short while. This is the first step to new perspective.