It is often difficult for people (clinicians, parents, equestrians, etc.) to picture the way I use horses and ponies as co-therapists to help children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems. Here is one example of how riding, when guided by a therapeutic process, can help children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

While I work with people suffering from a wide range of psychological issues, I picked ADHD as an example because it is very common and most of us have an idea, whether firsthand or through someone close, how difficult the disorder makes navigating the day to day.

Recently, I began work with “Angie”, a 10-year-old child struggling with ADHD. ADHD is diagnosed when a child or adolescent has trouble with attention (focusing on details, sustaining attention, listening and organization) and impulsive behavior (difficulty sitting still and waiting, or acts as if “driven by a motor”).

Angie is a lovely, thoughtful girl who adores animals. She does well in school, is respectful and very likeable, but at times needs the guidance of her teachers to help her stay on task. At home she is a loving big sister and daughter, but her ADHD sometimes creates painful conflicts in her relationships.

Angie’s mother explained to me that it is often difficult for Angie to listen to directions at home and school. When she is asked to do something she rarely does it in response to the first request...