What Research Says About Dreams and Equine Work

Recent studies are confirming what equine practitioners have observed for years: horse-facilitated experiences profoundly affect the emotional brain and the body’s stress regulation systems.

• A 2022 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that equine-assisted interventions significantly reduced emotional suppression, anxiety, and depression in trauma survivors.

• Research in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health showed that during equine sessions, a person’s nervous system synchronizes with the horse’s—measured through heart rate variability. This state of co-regulation supports emotional safety and deep integration.

• A 2019 meta-analysis reported that many equine therapy clients described feeling “seen for the first time”—not by a human, but by the horse.

When the nervous system relaxes and the emotional body feels safe, the dream body activates—bringing up buried emotions, intuitive messages, and symbols in the form of dreams.

Why Are the Dreams So Vivid?

After a powerful session with a horse, it’s common for both clients and facilitators to experience:

• Vivid symbolic dreams

• Recurring imagery (such as animals, childhood places, or water)

• Emotional dreams involving release, healing, or transformation

• “Shared dreams” or similar themes among participants

These dreams aren’t random—they are your unconscious mind processing, integrating, and communicating. The horses help unlock what words cannot reach.

How to Work With These Dreams

If you or someone in your care is experiencing vivid dreams after equine therapy, consider the following:

• Journal your dreams the moment you wake up—especially emotions and symbols.

• Notice patterns: recurring themes often point to unresolved areas ready for healing.

• Approach the dream as a message, not a puzzle. Ask, What is this part of me trying to say?

• Trust the process. Even if a dream is uncomfortable or strange, it may be releasing stored emotional tension.

A Personal Reflection

As a former professional jockey, I lived most of my life focused on performance, control, and results. It was only later—through deeply personal work with horses—that I began to reconnect with parts of myself I had buried for years.

Some of my most profound moments of insight didn’t happen in therapy rooms. They happened alone in a barn, in the presence of a quiet horse, and often… in my dreams that night.

Final Thoughts

Experiential Equine Therapy is not just about learning to lead a horse—it’s about learning to lead ourselves, from a place of authenticity, emotional awareness, and presence.

The vivid dreams that often follow these sessions are not side effects. They are evidencethat something powerful is unfolding. A deeper part of you is awakening. And in the silent wisdom of the horse, that part finally feels safe enough to speak.

If you’ve experienced something similar through equine work, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your dream stories or reflections below.

Let the horses—and your dreams—guide the way.