I was very fortunate as a child to have an abundance of horses and freedom. The first 19 years as an owner caretaker were spent on my families farmland located in the suburbs of Long Island NY. My youth was spent riding to and from parks and beaches, pleasure riding.Backyard  horses are commonplace in the suburbs. Having relocated to East Hampton with two horses in 1987, I have witnessed the steady decline of Pleasure Horses here. I attribute this to second home owners choosing the services of Boarding Stables, which are all strictly sport horse facilities here. The riding of Sport Horses is contained within an arena. Pleasure riding or carriage driving is about going places , to take in the scenery, and relaxing for both the horses and the people.I consider it a moving meditation.Long before animal therapy was commonplace I realized the value of sharing my horses with others, even if only for a few moments during a ride through a neighborhood.During the 90's I became a student of a Medicine Woman, and dedicated myself to the healing of the "Two Leggeds"through the way of the Horse Nation. When I created Stable Environment Equine Rehabilitation in 1999  Promoting the Horse Medicine , sharing it with people free of charge and rehabilitating horses and humans became the Mission. Although it has been through great personal sacrifice, keeping the family of Four White Shire Horses here in East Hampton instead of sending them off to a rescue farm has brought me, the public and the horses a lot of joy.They have such a majestic presence that they cause people to stop what they are doing just to approach the fence and be in their energy. People are literally taking a time out and connecting to Spirit because of these Noble beings. I am honored to be their caretaker. 

 Studies conducted by the Institute of HeartMath provide a clue to explain the bidirectional "healing" that happens when we are near horses. According to researchers, the heart has a larger electromagnetic field and higher level of intelligence than the brain: A magnetometer can measure the heart's energy field radiating up to 8 to 10 feet around the human body. While this is certainly significant it is perhaps more impressive that the electromagnetic field projected by the horse's heart is five times larger than the human one (imagine a sphere-shaped field that completely surrounds you). The horse's electromagnetic field is also stronger than ours and can actually directly influence our own heart rhythm!
Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a "coherent" heart rhythm (heart rate pattern) which explains why we may "feel better" when we are around them. . . .studies have found that a coherent heart pattern or HRV is a robust measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy--that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adjust to stressful situations very efficiently. Often times, we only need to be in a horses presence to feel a sense of wellness and peace. In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased levels of beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters that serve as pain surppressors), decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, improved social functioning; and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience and self-efficacy."