Courses with horses are used to help children with learning difficulties, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON.
‘I FELT I could be more myself around the horses,” says one child who took part in the Equine Assisted Learning programme at the Festina Lente riding centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, while another found that, “I’ve learned to keep my anger under control if I can’t do something.”
The programme, which was set up one and a half years ago, works with about 200 children between six and 17. “We get children who are at risk of being excluded from their peers or children with behaviour problems. The referrals come from social workers, psychiatrists and special schools,” explains Jill Carey, the chief executive of the Festina Lente Foundation.
Former business consultant Kevin Smith believes the potential for both equine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted learning is huge in this country. So much so that in 2005 he founded the non-profit organisation HEALS (Horse Energy Alleviates Living Scars) to promote the use of horses to help people with various forms of disability.
“The horse is a very sensitive and emotionally intelligent animal that is capable of being an effective partner in providing therapy and rehabilitation to people with mental and physical disabilities,” says Smith.
Much of this therapy involves being with the horse on the ground or in a field and doesn’t have to involve riding the horse at all.
Lesley Jones is the welfare officer of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT). She sees equine-assisted therapy and equine assisted learning as an opportunity for using horses that are no longer able to compete in races or show-jumping competitions.
The IHWT has also brought horses to schools in disadvantaged areas with the dual aim of improving the welfare of horses and providing the children with opportunities for informal learning.
“We started off by bringing horses into schools in Moyross and Ballinanty in Limerick city,” says Jones. “There is a culture of loose wandering horses there and tips on how to handle horses are passed on from father to son.
“We decided to bring a horse into the schools with a local horse owner to get the younger children to empathise with the horses.
“We brought the grooming equipment so that they could brush and groom the horse. It was a great experience. Families who hadn’t been in one school in years came down and the teachers were also out with the horse.”
This approach to equine-assisted learning is also used in St Peter’s Special School in Rathgar, Dublin. “We worked with the children in the classroom, first to build up their trust in us and then they came to visit the farm in Aughrim, Co Wicklow where we have some Shetland ponies, some bigger horses and a donkey,” says Jones.
Even watching and learning how to interact with horses of different temperament offers great learning, she says.
“It’s important that children are not pushed into situations they are not happy with. Some of them may want to walk with the horse while others will want to groom a horse or feed and bed them down.”
International instructor and examiner for Riding for the Disabled, Sue Adams Wheeler, was in Ireland recently to speak at a seminar on equine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted learning. “Horses are naturally prey and herd animals so if they are away from the group, they are looking for a leader. If you assume the role of a leader , you need to show responsibility and leadership which in turn teaches people to lead and learn to control situations,” she says.
Riding for the Disabled has been running therapeutic riding sessions for 40 years in the State. While not defined as equine-assisted therapy per se, the organisation has worked with people with intellectual and physical disabilities over the years.
“About 1,000 people ride with us every week. We have 80 groups with 1,000 volunteers who work with us in riding schools at off-peak times,” says Mary Walsh, national field officer with the Riding for the Disabled Association.
Walsh cites examples of how a woman with spina bifida learned to use muscles she never used before through horse riding and how another young man with autism gained in confidence through his interaction with horses.
“Horses recognise when a person has a disability and they will accommodate their differences,” she explains.
One of the biggest challenges for those keen to work in equine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted learning is getting adequate training. Kevin Smith has approached various third-level colleges to encourage them to establish courses in equine-assisted therapy but hasn’t been successful to date.
Sue Adams Wheeler and Jill Carey from Festina Lente also stress the importance of having established qualifications for equine therapists.
Before such a course is set up, Jill Carey believes people with little or no qualifications should not describe themselves as equine-assisted therapists.
“I think it’s very important that people are well qualified to do this kind of work because you are dealing with people who can be in a fragile state.
“It’s disingenuous to think that you can become an equine-assisted therapist after a four- or five-day training course,” says Carey.
More details on the equine-assisted learning programme are available at the Festina Lente Foundation on tel: 01-272 0704 and www.festinalente.ie
For more about HEALS (Horse Energy Alleviates Living Scars) phone: 045 435791