Horse Time Helps Heal the Hearts of Families
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“At first, when kids asked why I wasn’t at school I didn’t want to tell them I was at Equine Therapy or why.
But as the weeks passed my confidence grew and I realized how privileged I was to be in the program,
so I told them all they should be doing Equine Therapy, too.”
But as the weeks passed my confidence grew and I realized how privileged I was to be in the program,
so I told them all they should be doing Equine Therapy, too.”
Towards the end of the program, one young female participant announced she loved Equine Therapy so much she was telling her school friends the truth about where she was going rather than hiding it, and having honest conversations about what she was dealing with, and how much confidence and self-belief she had gained from the horses. Her mother stood beside her with relief clearly showing on her face. Our mother-daughter horse combination in a nearby paddock then put on quite a show in setting boundaries. The women and her child laughed together for the first time in a long time, as they reflected on how similar their own mother-daughter dynamics were.
Proactive policing, whole-of-family support and equine facilitated learning (EFL) formed the foundation of this progressive pilot program developed in the Yarra Valley in Australia, for ‘at-risk’ young people, to address family violence. Participants had had some police involvement due to violent behaviours, but had the support of family, school and the intervention service that recommended their participation in this first-of-its -kind program titled Rein It In.
A joint initiative between a regional community mental health and wellbeing service called EACH, the Victorian Police and the therapeutic team at Wedgetail Rides, the program included an 8-week educational component for twenty young people, a parent education program (based on the Step Up early intervention Adolescent Family Violence Program), wilderness activities and EFL sessions.
With an emphasis on mental health, which can often coincide with at-risk behaviours, the program was attended by both young men and women aged 12 -15 years, and facilitated by a team of five EFL practitioners (including a registered psychologist). The interaction ratio was one horse, two participants and one practitioner, so participants also had the opportunity to observe one another.
Experiential activities
During the program, young people participated in experiential activities such as grooming, leading and agility type activities (all ground based), through to an experience of liberty work in their final session, during which the young people experienced firsthand the connection they had with their horse by moving them with ‘energy’ and intention in the round pen. Topics covered included: ‘Breathing and Body Awareness’; ‘Trust and Communication’; ‘Boundaries and Confidence’; ‘Emotional Regulation and Connection’; ‘Empowerment and Communication’ and ‘Self-esteem and Celebration’.
Skills were built sequentially each week and the EFL activities consciously provided embodied experiences of the program content that had been taught in the education session. This proved to be a highly effective means by which the young people could test their understanding of the material and provided another learning pathway, which was especially important for those with learning challenges or more kinetic learning styles. There was also a week where parents and siblings attended and the young people ‘taught’ their family what they had learned. This proved to be of enormous value in terms of communication, power and mutual respect.
While the longer-term outcomes (six months and twelve months) of this program are still being assessed, there have been some more immediate and self-reported benefits provided by participants and their families. The Rein It In program was successful for many reasons.
The overall retention of participants in the program was well above expectations. The EFL sessions were so well anticipated by the young people, there was increased participation in the educational component as a lead in to the EFL sessions.
The horse as ‘therapist’ was also of key importance with many young people weary of therapy with humans.
The herd created a different space for self-expression, and our practitioners regularly experienced an open level of sharing and self-awareness by participants, that was considered helpful.
As a practitioner, I observed that many of the behavioural issues that bought these young people to the program were minimised, if not absent, during their time in EFL sessions. Horses modelled a way of being that provided these young people with new ways of experiencing themselves and managing reactions. Participants self-reported they were experiencing greater levels of happiness, less conflict and the value of mindfulness in their lives between sessions. We saw visual improvement both in individuals and in the group dynamic.
The horses reflected these felt changes in the participants, showing us they had developed trust in their young handlers, particularly when playing at liberty or moving through more challenging agility activities with softness and willingness.
“EFL is truly present when we create a space for the horses to
enact the teaching they are so profoundly good at.”
It was perhaps the final session that truly evidenced the powerful and subtle influence of EFL and the herd. One young man with ADHD was unable to focus in our group activity. He had gravitated towards 17 hand Clydesdale ‘Diesel’ in prior sessions ignoring the smaller horses.
It was, of course, 7 hand Shetland ‘Noddie’ who reached out to him, appearing from behind a tree to put his muzzle in the young man’s hand and nudge him towards the group. The smallest healer can be the most insightful sometimes, and the power of EFL is truly present when we create a space for the horses to enact the teaching they are so profoundly good at.
Proactive policing, whole-of-family support and equine facilitated learning (EFL) formed the foundation of this progressive pilot program developed in the Yarra Valley in Australia, for ‘at-risk’ young people, to address family violence. Participants had had some police involvement due to violent behaviours, but had the support of family, school and the intervention service that recommended their participation in this first-of-its -kind program titled Rein It In.
A joint initiative between a regional community mental health and wellbeing service called EACH, the Victorian Police and the therapeutic team at Wedgetail Rides, the program included an 8-week educational component for twenty young people, a parent education program (based on the Step Up early intervention Adolescent Family Violence Program), wilderness activities and EFL sessions.
With an emphasis on mental health, which can often coincide with at-risk behaviours, the program was attended by both young men and women aged 12 -15 years, and facilitated by a team of five EFL practitioners (including a registered psychologist). The interaction ratio was one horse, two participants and one practitioner, so participants also had the opportunity to observe one another.
Experiential activities
During the program, young people participated in experiential activities such as grooming, leading and agility type activities (all ground based), through to an experience of liberty work in their final session, during which the young people experienced firsthand the connection they had with their horse by moving them with ‘energy’ and intention in the round pen. Topics covered included: ‘Breathing and Body Awareness’; ‘Trust and Communication’; ‘Boundaries and Confidence’; ‘Emotional Regulation and Connection’; ‘Empowerment and Communication’ and ‘Self-esteem and Celebration’.
Skills were built sequentially each week and the EFL activities consciously provided embodied experiences of the program content that had been taught in the education session. This proved to be a highly effective means by which the young people could test their understanding of the material and provided another learning pathway, which was especially important for those with learning challenges or more kinetic learning styles. There was also a week where parents and siblings attended and the young people ‘taught’ their family what they had learned. This proved to be of enormous value in terms of communication, power and mutual respect.
While the longer-term outcomes (six months and twelve months) of this program are still being assessed, there have been some more immediate and self-reported benefits provided by participants and their families. The Rein It In program was successful for many reasons.
The overall retention of participants in the program was well above expectations. The EFL sessions were so well anticipated by the young people, there was increased participation in the educational component as a lead in to the EFL sessions.
The horse as ‘therapist’ was also of key importance with many young people weary of therapy with humans.
The herd created a different space for self-expression, and our practitioners regularly experienced an open level of sharing and self-awareness by participants, that was considered helpful.
As a practitioner, I observed that many of the behavioural issues that bought these young people to the program were minimised, if not absent, during their time in EFL sessions. Horses modelled a way of being that provided these young people with new ways of experiencing themselves and managing reactions. Participants self-reported they were experiencing greater levels of happiness, less conflict and the value of mindfulness in their lives between sessions. We saw visual improvement both in individuals and in the group dynamic.
The horses reflected these felt changes in the participants, showing us they had developed trust in their young handlers, particularly when playing at liberty or moving through more challenging agility activities with softness and willingness.
“EFL is truly present when we create a space for the horses to
enact the teaching they are so profoundly good at.”
It was perhaps the final session that truly evidenced the powerful and subtle influence of EFL and the herd. One young man with ADHD was unable to focus in our group activity. He had gravitated towards 17 hand Clydesdale ‘Diesel’ in prior sessions ignoring the smaller horses.
It was, of course, 7 hand Shetland ‘Noddie’ who reached out to him, appearing from behind a tree to put his muzzle in the young man’s hand and nudge him towards the group. The smallest healer can be the most insightful sometimes, and the power of EFL is truly present when we create a space for the horses to enact the teaching they are so profoundly good at.
"The horse becomes a bridge between the client and the therapist.
A mediator of emotions and feelings. Through the horse we are able to enter the client’s world more fully.”
Lindy Schneider
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Lindy Schneider Bio Lindy Schneider first knew how much she needed horses in her life at age five, but it has taken forty years for her to have her first horse and find the solace and deep commitment of building an equine relationship every day. On reflection, life has long been preparing her for this grand passion in equine therapy and she draws on her background in Marketing and Human Resource Management and as a Counsellor and Art Therapist in clinical practice (and tutoring) and a post-graduate qualification in writing. She is a published author and has a keen interest in weaving together experiences for people that connects them with equine partners in the natural world to facilitate health, healing and a deeper sense of self and human potential. Her greatest lessons in life have come from her equine relationships. She is a Level 2 instructor in Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) and enjoys supporting others to explore the same power and grace that she has come to know as essential to ‘being’ with horses. www.lindyschneider.com.au. She also supports Kim Wren and the Wedgetail Rides herd of wonderful equine teachers. For more info www.wedgetailrides.com.au |