Elisha’s Wedding

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

Georgia Mountain Psychological Associates, Inc.

By Dr. Mandy Pileski , PHD Photos by Beth Loveland

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Winston S. Churchill

As a kid growing up in Rabun, I loved attending the rodeo and watching my friends (the Beck girls) barrel race at the old arena by the rec field. I just knew I could not go an entire lifetime without having a horse of my own, but my dad was/is a cattle farmer with the belief that horses cost too much and bring too little profit.

I guess the flashy lights of the big city and a desire for independence redirected my goals as a young adult away from the simple pleasures of farm life and the satisfying smell of horses. It was not until 2012 when I was at a professional onsite visit for an eating disorder treatment center outside of Chicago that I was introduced to EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) and developed a plan to merge my two great loves in the service of helping others. At the time I lived in Baltimore, so this probably seemed a longshot, but I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to make it happen. After several moves, job changes, and successfully establishing a psychotherapy practice in Rabun, I decided to begin taking steps toward certification. I purchased a horse and signed up for EAGALA training because

these seemed like logical steps toward my dream, and I could figure the rest out later. I learn by doing rather than seeking understanding in advance. It’s like being told directions to a game, something in my brain just shuts off because I would rather learn by seeing the process unfold and practicing some trial and error. Is this not how we do most things in life, if we are honest – Marriage? Parenting? Career? In training to be a psychologist, they don’t wait until you complete 5 years of graduate school. You are thrown in with clients 2nd semester…So yes, you read and gain the proper education and supervision along the way, but experience is your best teacher. Why would entrepreneurial endeavors be any different? Pursuing a business dream is not like putting a puzzle together – we don’t need all the pieces to get started. Also, if we hesitate too long, the opportunities and/or challenges that provide THE path to our dreams may no longer be available. A lot of things happened in my life in 2020 (as I’m sure was the case for most), and it looked a whole lot more like a challenge than an opportunity…but I kept my Faith that if you work hard to reach your destination (even when you don’t know the route or the specifics of how it will unfold), you will be successful. It’s now Summer 2021, and my equine therapy farm has been open seven months. I knew this form of psychotherapy had potential, but I am amazed at the opportunity for growth these magnificent animals provide.

Effective Progress Quickly Individuals who may not feel comfortable with the thought of traditional talk therapy (e.g. adolescents, trauma survivors, military veterans) may find equine assisted psychotherapy less threatening and more inviting. Even individuals open to therapy oftentimes carry protective human defenses that make deep therapeutic work challenging. The horses and everything else in