EQUINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
At Risk Kids & Equine Assisted Psychology
At Risk Kids is a scholarship fund that was founded in May 2007 in memory of Richard Lee Roche.
Studies have shown that at risk youth respond well to therapy that facilitates horses in therapy,
also known as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). The goal is to help high risk youth to change
negative and unproductive behaviors and attitudes, build confidence and begin the process
of self-discovery. This is done by placing them in an unfamiliar environment where they must
maintain attention and face new challenges.
The children do not always ride the horses, often grooming, learning
equine care,
doing individual or group activities in the ground with the horses, and sometimes games.
Through these activities with horses the youth are forced to remain totally present and
focus on the task at hand. Horses have their own language and the participants learn the
body language of the horses. They learn to build trust, self-confidence, and relationship
skills. By interacting with the horses, they learn that aggression, indifference and
inconsistency will not get them the results they are looking for. These lessons
learned then translate into their relationships at home, school and the community.
Because horses are judgment free the client and the “therapist” remain as equals,
each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Participants are able to learn in ways
that many of them thrive in (active, tactile, and kinesthetic). Many of these youth
typically resist instructions from authority figures but are more than willing to accept
the same instructions from a horse, opening the lines for communication. Horses personalities
differ much like humans, but they all have total honesty in their personality as well as
forgiveness, making them great instructors.
EAP uses horses to bring about positive changes in areas such as:
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Enhanced social skills
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Increased understanding of trust and respect
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Improvements in self-discipline, self-control, and patience
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Responsible use of power and control
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Improvements in responsibility and cooperation
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Improvements problem solving and leadership skills
EAP helps these disadvantaged youth to learn responsibility for their actions through the horses. It helps clients visually see how their behaviors effect both themselves and others as well as alternative options for changing those patterns.
At Risk Kids
ARK
Goals and Objectives
Goals
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To encourage memory and sequential thinking.
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To build confidence and self-esteem.
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To build trust.
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To encourage cooperation with others.
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To help the kids follow rules and instruction.
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To increase understanding of how behavior choices effect others in their community.
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To instill a sense of pride in their work.
Objectives
While participating in ARK School at the Barn, each child will:
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Independently groom a horse, thereby helping them understand what equipment is used for and the order to use tools properly.
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Independently halter, lead, and groom a horse.
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Participate in horse handling and problem solving exercises with other children.
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Achieve competence in job skills learned.
For more information on EAP and how to sign up, please email us at EdenFarms@nuvox.net or call (864) 898-0043.
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