Introduction to Equine-Assisted Therapy

[Tammy Schamuhn] Hello everyone and welcome to the Child Psych Podcast. My name is Tammy Schamuhn and I am the co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology. I’m a registered psychologist, a registered play therapist, and most importantly, I’m a mom to three incredible kids. Today we have with us a mentor of mine, a former supervisor, and someone I did training with—Sue McIntosh, founder and lead counselor and trainer at Healing Hooves, an animal-assisted therapy program in Cremona, Alberta. We’ll be discussing her incredible work with horses and children in mental health. Welcome, Sue!

[Sue McIntosh] Thank you, Tammy. It’s lovely to be here.

[Tammy Schamuhn] As always, if you enjoy our podcast, please leave us a review and check out our bonus content on Patreon. Now, I’ll give Sue a more formal introduction, share some of my experience with her work, and then we’ll dive into her clinical practice, her trainings, and her wonderful children’s books.

Sue McIntosh’s Professional Background

[Tammy Schamuhn] Sue is a certified Canadian counselor with a master’s degree in counseling. She also has specialized training in animal-assisted therapy, equine therapy, EMDR, emotionally focused therapy, and attachment and developmental psychology with Dr. Gordon Neufeld. She’s spent her life around horses—training, competing, coaching—and has been a leader in developing professional standards for equine-facilitated wellness in Canada.

She’s also a certified parenting educator with the Neufeld Institute and has presented at our conferences in the past. Sue is actually who got me into the Neufeld attachment paradigm, which we’ve since integrated throughout the Institute of Child Psychology.

Sue’s Journey into Equine Therapy

[Tammy Schamuhn] I can’t quite remember how you got into this field. I think you trained with Eileen, but what’s the story? How did it all begin?

[Sue McIntosh] It was actually the other way around—Eileen attended one of the first trainings I hosted back in 2000. I’ve always had horses in my life, and I think they were a key part of my own wellness growing up. As a teen, I didn’t even know what counseling was, but my horse was the one I cried with, felt safe with.

I started off in a completely different career path and didn’t thrive, so it made sense to combine my love for animals with my desire to help people. Back in the 90s, before Google, I thought I had invented the idea of equine therapy. I slowly built it up by finding like-minded people, getting training and education, and growing the practice from there.

Transformative Impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy

[Tammy Schamuhn] It’s such a dynamic and growing field. I provide AAT training myself and often refer people who want to specialize in horses directly to you. In my own practice, I’ve seen the most profound transformations in kids who haven’t responded well to traditional therapy. They often come from very hard places, and they just don’t feel safe talking to adults.

[Sue McIntosh] Absolutely. Early on, that was 100% of our practice—working through social services with kids who weren’t engaging anywhere else. We became kind of a last resort, especially with children’s services in Calgary and central Alberta. Some counselors would even “fire” their clients and send them to me. Now our practice is broader—we still see kids with extreme trauma, but we also work with a wider range of clients.

Working with Parents and Families

[Tammy Schamuhn] We see a similar mix here. It’s helpful for divorce, grief, ADHD, anxiety—you name it.

[Sue McIntosh] I really love working with parents too. When I started, I was mostly focused on teens, and the parents would just drop them off. But as I began training with Gordon Neufeld, I realized if we’re doing attachment work, we have to include caregivers. Horses are relational animals, but they can’t be the only attachment figure. So I started doing joint sessions and found them incredibly powerful, especially with kids aged five to ten.

What Equine Therapy Looks Like in Practice

[Tammy Schamuhn] Let’s paint a picture. A lot of people think “equine therapy” means therapeutic riding or something similar. Can you explain what it actually looks like?

[Sue McIntosh] It depends on the child and their needs, but we are not doing therapeutic riding. That requires specialized training and equipment. Occasionally, I may do a riding session, but our focus is really on slow, relational work.

In the early days, we used to do more active sessions—leading horses, obstacle courses—but I found that wasn’t necessary. My horses told me they didn’t like that work. Now, we focus on getting “on horse time”—grounding, regulating, being in the moment. We might groom the horses, just sit near them, or observe their interactions.

Sometimes this leads to conversations, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s always about helping the client find a new place in their nervous system—one that feels safe.

Using Story and Animal Behavior for Emotional Insight

[Tammy Schamuhn] That’s such a rich process. We also use story a lot in our work—telling stories about animals helps children externalize their experiences and feel seen.

[Sue McIntosh] Yes, stories are powerful. Many of ours are based on real client situations and feature our actual horses. For example, we have a pony named Pickle who has big feelings. He chews on ropes when he’s anxious. We use that as a jumping-off point to talk about coping strategies and boundaries.

[Tammy Schamuhn] We do similar work with goats. Many of ours were bottle-fed and don’t have typical goat social skills. Kids connect deeply with their behavior—feeling different, adjusting to tough situations—and they feel less alone.

Regulating the Nervous System with Animals

[Tammy Schamuhn] You also mentioned nervous system regulation. What’s happening in equine therapy that’s different from traditional talk therapy?

[Sue McIntosh] When facilitated well, horses and humans co-regulate. A calm horse can help calm a child’s nervous system. There’s research now—like HeartMath—showing that human-animal connection has real physiological effects: lowered heart rate, increased oxytocin, improved immune function.

Of course, things don’t always go perfectly. Sometimes animals get startled or two cats fight in the barn. But even those moments can be therapeutic—clients learn that big feelings need to move, and that’s okay. It helps normalize the stress response.

Conflict and Social Behavior in Animal Groups

[Tammy Schamuhn] That’s something we see too. We have animals that live in groups—horses, goats, cats—and conflict is natural. Watching how a client interprets conflict among animals gives us insight into how they view relationships in their own life.

[Sue McIntosh] Exactly. Some kids see a nip between horses as bullying, others as normal jostling. It tells us how they perceive safety and connection. Those interpretations are very helpful therapeutically.

The Role of Attachment in Equine Therapy

[Tammy Schamuhn] Before we wrap up, let’s talk a bit about attachment. You’ve trained extensively with Gordon Neufeld. How does attachment theory inform your work?

[Sue McIntosh] It’s foundational. Attachment is just another word for relationship, and horses are inherently relational. They’re herd animals, and like us, they prioritize connection over everything—even food.

Everything I do, from how I care for my horses to how I train them to how I conduct sessions, is grounded in attachment science. It helps us assess where a client is and gently guide them toward safe, secure connections. A lot of our clients struggle with significance—one of Neufeld’s six roots of attachment. The animals meet them with unconditional regard, and kids feel it deeply. They often say, “This horse likes me.” That’s huge.

Bridging Animal Attachment to Human Relationships

[Tammy Schamuhn] And eventually we want to bridge that attachment to the people in their lives.

[Sue McIntosh] Exactly. It’s powerful to have a healthy bond with an animal, but the ultimate goal is to support healthy attachments with caregivers. Kids who have been hurt are understandably guarded. Horses help them thaw slowly. But then we help them bring that openness into relationships with parents, teachers, and others.

Training Opportunities and Resources

[Tammy Schamuhn] If someone wants to train with you, where can they find you?

[Sue McIntosh] We offer on-site training in Alberta and Nova Scotia, and now in Scotland too. We also have online courses, including our Equine Neuroscience course that’s open to anyone. Our website is healinghooves.ca, where you’ll find blogs, resources, and free PDFs of our children’s books. You can email me directly if you’re interested in purchasing physical copies.

[Tammy Schamuhn] The photography in your books is just beautiful—such a gift. Thank you, Sue, for everything. You’ve been such an important mentor and part of my journey into this work.

[Sue McIntosh] Thank you for having me, Tammy. It’s been a joy.