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Horses' innate environmental sensitivity offers benefits for those who gain their trust.

Multiple types of therapeutic programs employ them.

Besides hippotherapy, a horse can just be a friend.

I’ve been giving talks lately about the research I’ve done over the past 30 years on serial killers. At the end, I take questions. Generally, people ask how I deal with so much immersion in the vile things some people do. My response is that I do volunteer work on a horse farm. This puzzles people, but the healing effect of horses is well researched.

The most popular image of hippotherapy is the use of horses for special needs kids, especially those on the autism spectrum. I’ve witnessed its benefits. I once encouraged my undergraduate psychology students to apply for internships in a local equine therapy program, and we all saw how well the kids responded. The horse’s rhythmic motion had a soothing effect, and staying balanced brought confidence, but more important was the bonding experience. These kids were often isolated at school. The horses became their........

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