ABSTRACT
The horse in equine assisted psychotherapy is the equivalent of the Lady of Shalott's mirror, in which people can see "shadows of the world" – projections of their own inner struggle. Add to that the de-centring of the therapist, and we have placed the horse in the centre in three ways: beyond the focus on the human subject, beyond the speaking subject, beyond the subject of the therapist. By de-centring the human and placing the horse central, we can remove the veil of anthropomorphism and experience the relationship in a different way. While observing the participants with the horses, the observer develops hypotheses following an examination of the unconscious mental phenomena observed during the period of observation. In psychoanalytic observation, the connection between individuals in the group and their connection to figures of authority and leadership and to visitors to the group are scrutinised.
