Establishing Therapeutic Rapport Within Equine-Assisted Therapies 2006

Establishing therapeutic rapport in the equine therapy environment requires more than just therapist-client relationships. The therapist must also initiate and support rapport between themselves and the horse as well as the client and the horse. Although much has been written on establishing rapport in the clinical environment, there is a paucity of writings on establishing rapport within this trichotomy (therapist-client-horse). The purpose of this paper is to highlight variables associated with establishing good therapeutic rapport within equine therapy (hippotherapy, equine-facilitated psychotherapy).