Frequently Asked Questions

No. Equine-assisted therapy is optional. You can receive services through in-office or telehealth sessions without participating in equine-assisted therapy. We meet you where you are and tailor our available mental health services to best support your goals-whether that’s in-office, telehealth, equine-assisted therapy--or a personalized combination.

Equine-assisted therapy is a mental health service that incorporates horses into therapy sessions to support emotional growth, self-awareness, and healing. Children, teens and adults can all benefit from this experiential treatment option. 

Clients engage in structured activities with horses (such as grooming, leading exercises, observing herd behavior, overcoming obstacles) while processing their thoughts, emotions, and patterns with a licensed therapist. The focus of each equine-assisted therapy session is on awareness, connection, and insight rather than on performance or perfecting horsemanship skills. Similar, to traditional therapy options each session is approximately 1 hour in duration. 

No, prior horse experience is necessary. Sessions are thoughtfully designed and activities are beneficial for every Client. All activities are ground based, guided interactions. There is no horseback riding involved. 

Equine-assisted therapy builds on the timeless bond between people and animals to foster connection, promote healing and encourage self-reflection. Horses are highly sensitive to human emotions and body language. Their immediate, honest feedback can increase self-awareness, improve communication skills and build confidence in a non-judgmental manner. 

All our services are billed as mental health visits to insurance plans. 

Horse & Soul currently accepts the following health insurance plans:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas

Aetna

Luminare (CoreSource KC)

United Healthcare

We encourage you to speak with your insurance provider to be sure they cover mental health visits. (If you ask if they cover equine-assisted therapy services, often the answer will be "no." Remember, we are offering mental health care; we just happen to have the ability to meet in multiple treatment settings including an arena and use an equine partner(s), if clinically appropriate.

If your insurance plan is not listed-give us a call, we are here to help. 

We serve a range of ages, offering traditional in office appointments, telehealth and equine-assisted therapy services.  Both individual and family therapy sessions are available for children, adolescents, and adults. 

Yes. We provide group and team experiences focused on communication, leadership, and team building. These experiences are not therapeutically focused and are not billed to medical insurance plans. Please contact us if your business or community group would like to discuss pricing and scheduling options. 

Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes are recommended. You’ll be spending time inside an indoor horse arena or outdoors, so layers are helpful.

All sessions take place inside an indoor horse arena located in Hays, Kansas, so equine-assisted therapy appointments continue rain or shine. When the weather is nice, we may choose to move the session outdoors. We will contact you if sessions need to be rescheduled due to inclement weather conditions. 

The first step is to reach out through the Contact / Start Your Journey page. From there, we’ll connect, learn more about what you’re looking for, and explore next steps together.