Guest: Jane Strong, Co-Founder of Equus Effect

Episode 1

Summary

Jane Strong, co-founder of The Equus Effect, leads a unique equine-assisted program designed to support veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, and others through therapeutic interaction with horses. The program leverages horses’ natural behaviors and presence to help participants manage trauma, PTSD, hypervigilance, and emotional exhaustion by fostering trust, vulnerability, and self-awareness. Jane shares her journey from competitive rider and cultural anthropologist to co-creator of this healing modality. The work emphasizes respectful, non-coercive relationships with horses, which serve as mirrors reflecting authentic emotional states without judgment. This approach helps participants expand the critical space between stimulus and response, promoting emotional regulation and improved relationships in everyday life. The Equus Effect also addresses broader societal issues, such as loneliness, mistrust, and disconnection, which are exacerbated by modern technology and pandemic isolation. The program’s impact ripples beyond individuals to families and communities, offering a model of trust-based leadership and compassionate communication.

Highlights

• 🐴 Horses provide a calming, trust-building experience crucial for veterans and first responders.

• 🌿 The Equus Effect combines nature, horses, and emotional healing to address trauma.

• 💡 Horses act as honest, nonjudgmental mirrors reflecting participants’ authentic states.

• 🤝 The program teaches vulnerability and congruence, essential for emotional regulation.

• 🌍 It responds to societal loneliness and disconnection amplified by technology and the pandemic.

• 👨‍👩‍👧 Families notice improved communication and emotional availability in participants.

• 🦸‍♂️ Trust-based leadership, as modeled by horses, parallels the qualities needed in human relationships.

Key Insights

• 🧠 Neurobiological Impact of Horses: Physical contact with horses releases oxytocin, promoting calmness and reducing hypervigilance common in PTSD, allowing participants to reconnect with their bodies and surroundings in a grounded way.

• 🐎 Respectful Partnership Model: Moving away from traditional “breaking” of horses to a relationship based on mutual respect and choice encourages participants to embrace vulnerability and authenticity, shifting their internal narratives from a focus on control to one of connection.

• ⏳ Creating Space Between Stimulus and Response: The program emphasizes expanding the moment of choice between emotional trigger and reaction, a practice aligned with Viktor Frankl’s philosophy, which empowers participants to regain agency over their responses.

• 🔄 Ripple Effect on Families and Communities: Improved emotional regulation and communication skills learned through horse interaction translate into better relationships at home and work, demonstrating the broad societal value of equine-assisted therapy.

• 🧩 Addressing Loneliness and Mistrust: In an age of technological disconnection and pandemic-induced isolation, horses provide a nonverbal, embodied form of interaction that rebuilds trust and counters the loneliness epidemic.

• 🐴 Horses as Metaphors for Leadership: Horses operate in heterarchies where leadership is earned through competence and trust, providing a living example of effective, compassionate leadership that resonates with veterans accustomed to hierarchical but often flawed systems.

• 💪 Overcoming Exhaustion from Hypervigilance: Veterans and first responders often live in ‘all on or all off’ modes, leading to chronic exhaustion and health issues; working with horses teaches them to find a sustainable middle ground of grounded presence and emotional availability.

FAQs

• Q1: What is the primary mission of The Equus Effect?
  A1: The primary mission is to support veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, and others in healing trauma and emotional challenges through therapeutic interactions with horses.

• Q2: How do horses help individuals dealing with PTSD and hypervigilance?
  A2: Horses help by providing a calming presence that releases oxytocin, reducing stress and hypervigilance, and by modeling trust and nonjudgmental feedback that encourages emotional regulation.

• Q3: How is the relationship with horses different in The Equus Effect compared to traditional horsemanship?
  A3: The Equus Effect emphasizes respectful, choice-based partnerships with horses rather than dominance or control, fostering vulnerability and authentic connection.

• Q4: Can the benefits gained from working with horses translate to everyday life?
  A4: Yes, participants often report improved communication, emotional regulation, and relationships with family and coworkers as a result of their work with horses.

• Q5: Does The Equus Effect work with populations other than veterans and first responders?
  A5: Yes, while their main focus is veterans and first responders, they are expanding to include children and others interested in developing emotional awareness and connection.