Fear of horses or hypophobia

Being afraid is a natural response that, in an evolutionary sense, has helped save us from certain dangers. Thus, It is common to feel respect for some animals. Fear of horses does not seem very common, but there are people who feel an intense fear of these creatures that can even end in an anxiety crisis. In the latter case, we would speak of hypophobia.

These animals, which for many are beautiful, noble beings and symbols of strength, do not usually surround us on a daily basis. Thus, the lack of predictability and knowledge about them can generate intense fear. However, phobias are irrational fears that have nothing to do with a real threat.

What are the symptoms?

As with any phobia, fear of horses generates an anxiety response. The most common symptoms are sweating, tremor, headache, nausea, dizziness, tachycardia, hyperventilation or even vomiting. For a person to be considered to have hypophobia, these symptoms, in addition to exaggerated fear, must have been experienced for at least six months.

These symptoms usually occur in the presence of the animal, or just by thinking about them. That is to say, It may be that a person with an intense fear of horses will be very affected just by looking at an image of horses. And even hearing a story about someone they know interacting with them. Depending on each person’s experience, fear will be greater or less to different stimuli.

As it is not common to find horses on a daily basis, This phobia does not usually influence the life of the person who suffers from it too much.. However, the person will try to avoid all circumstances in which he might encounter a horse. For example, fear can extend to other experiences, such as seeing a figure of a horse on a merry-go-round and, therefore, not going to an amusement park.

The origin

As a rule, phobias they develop from related traumatic experiences with the object of fear. In this case, for example, it could be due to a fall or blow from a horse. This experience does not have to have been lived in the first person. Fear can have its origin in the story of the event or in one’s own presence as an observer of it.

As happens in other phobias, maybe the fear of horses is inherited. This means that a person may suffer from hypophobia because he learned from his father or mother that horses represented a danger. Thus, from a young age they would have developed avoidance behavior and an idea of ​​danger from horses.

Sometimes phobias They also arise from a previous anxiety problem or disorder that can generalize fear and the feeling of danger to other stimuli. Another hypothesis is that, in a phylogenetic sense, fear of certain animals for survival has been inherited, despite the fact that many other people do not perceive it that way.

How is fear of horses treated?

As in any other phobia, three lines of action are usually implemented in the intervention. Cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization and relaxation techniques. The first is focused on configuring beliefs about horses in a more adaptive and, sometimes, realistic way.

On the other hand, Systematic desensitization focuses on exposing the person to the stimulus of the phobia little by little.. First, a list would be made of all the possible events related to horses that scare the patient. Subsequently, it is ordered according to the degree of anxiety it generates. Once finished, accompanied by training in relaxation techniques, the person will be exposed to the stimuli depending on how they are located on a scale of emotional intensity.

Thus, if the last thing on the list was thinking about a stable full of horses, this thought will be worked on while relaxing to reduce anxiety. Once it is overcome and the patient can think about it without feeling afraid, they will move on to the next one. So on.

This technique It is very effective since it is based on elements that the patient himself has chosen and you may eventually be able to approach a horse and touch it, or even ride it.

In any case, to overcome the fear of horses or other animals, The best thing to do is to go to a psychology professional.. The intervention will not only considerably reduce or end the fear, but will also provide the patient with resources against other phobias.

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