It's Not about the Horse

If you can't meet Wyatt in person, then reading his book is the next best thing! Learn about The Equine Experience, developed by Wyatt Webb, it's a new form of therapy that blends horse sense with common sense. Even though Wyatt has been a practicing therapist for a number of years, his tools don’t involve a leather couch, and his helpers don’t arrive in suits or high heels. Of course, they wear shoes—but not the kind they sell at Bloomingdale’s. “You’re going to clean some hooves,” he tells the group, “and you’re going to groom the horse. How you relate to this animal will tell us what you’ve learned over the course of your lifetime concerning how you relate to all living things. Your basic training has come from learning how to treat people.” He pauses and adds, “Remember one thing: It’s not about the horse.”

About the Author

Who is Wyatt Webb? He is a native of a 250-person town in rural Georgia who survived two decades in the music industry as a country singer who toured the country 50 weeks a year. Realizing that he was practically killing himself due to a drug-and-alcohol abuse problem, Webb sought therapy, which led him to quit the entertainment industry to study methods of therapy. A job at his original rehab center in Nashville led him to become the head of the juvenile treatment program at Arizona’s famed Sierra Tucson facility. Eventually Webb would become one of the most creative, unconventional, and sought-after therapists in the country. He is a man whom people flock to see, and one whom corporations hire to solve their people problems. People are connected to the tall, gray-haired man, and through this bond, they start to reclaim parts of themselves at his (very) OK-Corral. For Webb, it’s all about making a connection and getting rid of self-doubt and fear. Those who want to connect have issues that include mental, physical, and emotional abuse related to marriages on the rocks; parent-child relationships gone bad; and much worse concerns, including rape and abandonment. The first step to healing is connecting with that large, furry beast called the horse. But how can a horse help you find comfort, happiness, and yourself? A horse can help a rape victim find peace. It can teach a power-hungry Wall Street executive how to relax. It can nudge a middle-aged women who curls up each night with a TV and a few forgotten dreams into opening her heart and finding love again. For Webb’s patients, it’s not about the horse. It’s about the man. Wyatt is currently the founder and leader of the Equine Experience at Miraval, one of the nation's top resorts, which is located in Tucson, Arizona.