What Horses Teach Us About Regulation, Trauma, and the Limits of Endurance

In both mental health and equine spaces, there is a familiar refrain:

Build more resilience.
Increase capacity.
Learn to stay calm.

At first glance, these ideas sound supportive—empowering, even. But when we look more closely, especially in the context of our current political, social, and environmental realities, this language begins to fracture.

Many trauma-informed practices emphasize bringing the nervous system into a regulated state, but what happens when "regulation" is defined through the dominant culture-centered or for horses a human-centered lens? In predominantly white and western spaces, practitioners are often trained to view intensity—such as a raised voice, passionate speech, or expressive movement—as a sign that someone is dysregulated. While excitement and activation share physiological similarities (increased energy, faster speech, etc.), they are not the same. The key difference is whether the activation feels expansive and life-affirming (excitement, engagement, passion) or overwhelming and chaotic (dysregulation, fight/flight).

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system is crucial in the science of self care. Together these two systems control internal body processes. This regulatory system determines whether we will survive or thrive

What will it take to allow time for play..

Horses have to feel safe to roll around on the ground within the herd or with humans around. It can be a vulnerable move for them. Whenever I am able to witness this it makes my heart tingle and I feel the energy of laughter and playfulness. Its infectious!