10/06/2026
What Do We Really Mean by Connection?
Connection is a word often used in equine-assisted therapy to describe the relationship between a person and a horse. It can refer to bonding, attachment, trust, co-regulation, or feeling calm and steady in the presence of a horse.
While these can all be aspects of connection, I wanna expand it.
Someone once shared an analogy with me about connection and disconnection that has stayed with me. Imagine a lamp plugged into a powerpoint. When the plug is removed, the lamp becomes disconnected from the power source. However, the power itself has not disappeared. The powerpoint is still there. The possibility for connection remains.
Applied to people, this suggests that connection is not necessarily something we either have or don’t have. We may become disconnected from ourselves, others, nature, meaning, or a sense of belonging, but the potential for connection remains. Sometimes life experiences can lead us to pull the plug.
What I appreciate about this analogy is that it does not view disconnection as failure or something that is wrong with us. Instead, it recognises that disconnection can be protective. Sometimes we disconnect because remaining connected feels too painful, overwhelming, or unsafe.
This is where connection can become something more than interaction, proximity, or even attachment to a horse or another person. As human beings, we long to be seen, understood, valued, accepted, and to experience a sense of belonging.
From this lens, connection becomes less about simply being close to someone and more about being in meaningful relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us. It is about being able to show up as we are and be met where we are. It is about finding our place within something larger than ourselves.
When we work with horses, they don’t create connection. Instead, they offer a space where connection becomes possible again. A space where people can rediscover relationship with themselves, another living being, the natural world, and often a deeper sense of meaning and belonging. A safe space to plug in again.🌱🐴
