Horsemanship Program
My horses not only taught me riding,
but they also made me understand
many a wisdom of life besides.
~ Alois Podhajsky
HPS Horsemanship Program
The Issue: Many people purchase horses with good intentions but with very little knowledge of the responsibility involved. Often people have taken riding lessons for a while and believe that they have a basis of knowledge of horse care. However, horse care is very complex and involved. In order for people to make more informed and educated choices they need hands on experience, not just in riding but in horsemanship. Whether people ultimately look after their own horses, or board them out, they should be well aware of the physical and psychological needs of the horse, and how to see if those needs are not being met.
Our Solution: We have developed a program where people can come for riding lessons using some of the horses we find in need of a home. Our riding program is more comprehensive than the usual school can offer. We have guest presenters and hands on barn experience, including the following programs:
a. Barn management
b. Feed programs/nutritional needs
c. Hoof and dental care
d. Basic medical issues/first aid
e. Safe handling
f. Trailer loading/hauling
g. Purchasing suitable mounts, and planning for their future
h. Tack fitting and cleaning
Benefits: By offering a more comprehensive horsemanship program we hope to eliminate some of the “impulse” buying of horses that often turns out for the worst – for horse and rider. It is our hope that this level of horsemanship education will also help to reduce indiscriminate backyard breeding and unintentional abuse through ignorance.
Benefits to the Community: Our program is 1. Helping people by providing them with an outlet to deal with a myriad of social or mental health problems. (See information below on Hippotherapy and Equine Facilitated Learning.) We are also teaching people to properly care for their horses and offering the option to lease horses on an ongoing basis. 2. Helping the horses by providing them with a home and a job. And finally 3. Helping the community by offering some solutions to their equine problems, as there are no programs in place or agencies able to adequately address the growing issue of abandoned, neglected and abused horses.
Our instuctor, Ian Veenendaal, has years of international competition behind him. He is not only knowledgeable, but has just the right approach to introduce new riders, or to coach higher level riders; inspiring confidence and giving his students encouragement all the way, Ian's riders leave their lesson with a smile every time!
Cheryl's first lesson! She had fun riding Charlotte and learned alot from Ian.
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Safety's always first!
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Horse Therapy - Changing Lives
As published in 'Your Horse Magazine'
A Special Report by Julie Brown
In the US, bringing horses together with children who have mental or emotional disorders has had startling results. Julie Brown talks to Franklin Levinson who's bringing this kind of therapy to the UK
"It's been clinically proven that just being in the vicinity of horses changes our brainwave patterns", says Franklin. "They have a calming effect which helps stop people becoming fixated on past or negative events - giving them a really positive experience".
EFL [Equine Facilitated Learning] has proven to be particularly useful for children with autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and bipolar disorders - all of whom may find it difficult to communicate, interact with other people and carry out instructions.
The results are startling. Even those showing severe anti-social and aggressive behavior become calmer and more communicative.
How it works
"Horses react as a mirror to the person who's with him" says Franklin. "He's a prey animal so he wants to feel safe and is always on the lookout for predators. A horse will become very fearful if he's with someone who's aggressive, noisy, disrespectful or too controlling. On the other hand, if the person makes requests rather than demands the horse will begin to cooperate. He is always looking for a leader."
A horse is looking for simple and clear commands, and a child, with the right encouragement and in the right situation, can carry these out very effectively. "Go, stop, back up, turn this way or that way" is all that's needed.
"For children with mental and emotional disorders the positive benefits of getting a horse to carry out these commands are often profound." Says Franklin.
"Once children realize what they can achieve their self-esteem increases in leaps and bounds.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is defined as a form of experiential psychotherapy that includes equine(s). It may include, but is not limited to, a number of mutually beneficial equine activities such as handling, grooming, longeing, riding, driving, and vaulting. Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is a treatment approach within the classification of Equine Assisted Therapy that provides the client with opportunities to enhance self-awareness and re-pattern maladaptive behaviors, feelings and attitudes.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy both promotes personal exploration of feelings and behaviors, and allows for clinical interpretation of these feelings and behaviors. EFP denotes an ongoing therapeutic relationship with clearly established treatment goals and objectives developed by the therapist in conjunction with the client. The therapist must be an appropriately credentialed mental health professional to legally practice psychotherapy and have additional training in EFP.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy may be used for people with psycho-social issues and mental health needs that result in any significant variation in cognition, mood, judgment, insight, anxiety level, perception, social skills, communication, behavior, or learning.
Examples include but are not limited to: • Anxiety Disorders • Psychotic Disorders • Mood Disorders • Behavioral Difficulties • Other Mental Illness, such as Schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, Receptive or Expressive Language Disorders, Personality Disorders, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc. • Major Life Changes such as environmental trauma, divorce, grief and loss, etc
