Open Letter To Parents, Care-Givers & Participants
The following information is to assist you to understand this program involving horses.
Firstly, it is not a traditional horse riding program as all the activities are unmounted or “on the ground”.
The “rules” are To Have Fun and Be Safe and the activities focus on these “rules”.
It is also a relatively new intervention program in Australia for children, youth and adults and is seen as an exciting and innovative one with positive outcomes.
Basically the program is all about a relationship with a horse. The activities involved encourage and enhance the following:
All this happens outdoors in nature and in safe facilities. The Centre’s facilities include:
Participants are asked to wear sturdy, closed in shoes and suitable sunhat.
Sunscreen and insect repellent is supplied. A work book will be provided and an album of photos will be presented at the conclusion of the sessions.
In this program the horses are regarded as the teachers – the learning aspect is what we can learn about the horses and then what we can learn about ourselves.
There are many characteristics of horses which make them so “powerful and special” in this work as they offer their unique gifts to us.
Prey -vs- Predator
Horses are prey animals and even though the time has passed since the lions and tigers were the predators and hunted them horses have retained the abilities and senses which allowed them to survive.
Horses use their senses to keep themselves safe – here we have a living example of looking after one self. He is fine tuned and is able to read others giving instant feedback.
His inherited behaviour traits have given him the instinct to flee, to be perceptive and to respond quickly. His instinct to flee when uncertain gives instant visual feedback.
His first priority is survival then comfort then play or food.
Communication
Horses use non verbal language in the form of body language – ears, eyes, mouth, body movement to communicate. This form of language is clearly communicated and understood by the other horses. A twitch of the ears /change in posture can energise the other members of the herd.
Sentient Beings
Horses are sentient beings – sharing the same sensory abilities as us. One sense horses use very effectively is intuition – they seem to know just what we need.
Horses are clean listeners and are not distracted by our outward appearance or the mask we may wear. They can listen to us at a much different and often deeper level to the point when they “attune’’ to us.
Living in the Present
Horses live in the moment – unlike humans they don’t fret about yesterday or worry about tomorrow. They are not interested or bothered by things that sometimes matter to us – what is your job? Where do you live? What school did you go to?
As they don’t think about the past or the future there is no disappointment or expectation to cloud the relationship with us.
Horses don’t know how to lie, cheat or deceive and they react to what is in our heart and not what is in our heads. They are not interested in what humans are often interested in – praise, recognition and material possessions. They just care that you are safe to connect with – that is their first priority.
Science
Horses have a lower heart rate than humans and research has confirmed that humans involved in grooming or simply being with the horses will experience a sense of calm and well being.
It has also been found that oxytocin, which is released by all mammals in physical contact with each other, has been linked to our ability to make social connections, to bond and to reduce anxiety and fear.
Horses have a huge electromagnetic field surrounding them. It is five times larger than ours, stronger and can act directly influencing our own heart rhythm. This feature offers awareness of boundary setting and respectful approach.
Herd Life
Horses need to live in a herd – when we are with a horse we are part of that herd. There needs to be a leader in this herd as horses look for a leader to keep themselves safe.
In the relationship between horse and human, the human learns to assume this responsibility. Horses seek four qualities in their leader – command, control, compassion, communication.
In closing I wish to say that horses are very gracious to allow us into their herd – at weights from 200-700kg with four legs able to run at a speed of 40-50kms per hour we would have little chance of interacting with them if they choose not to accept us.
However they do accept us with no judgement and with unconditional love and that is their gift to us.
Horses provide us with the integration of thought, feeling and senses.
Kerry Johnston
Equine Experiential Educator
Firstly, it is not a traditional horse riding program as all the activities are unmounted or “on the ground”.
The “rules” are To Have Fun and Be Safe and the activities focus on these “rules”.
It is also a relatively new intervention program in Australia for children, youth and adults and is seen as an exciting and innovative one with positive outcomes.
Basically the program is all about a relationship with a horse. The activities involved encourage and enhance the following:
- Trust
- Confidence
- Self esteem
- Self responsibility
- Respect
- Patience
- Safety
- Skill acquisition
- Boundary setting
All this happens outdoors in nature and in safe facilities. The Centre’s facilities include:
- Outdoor Arena
- Indoor Arena – no need for sessions to be cancelled due to bad weather
- Round yard, Labyrinth
- Meeting room, feed shed
- Toilets
Participants are asked to wear sturdy, closed in shoes and suitable sunhat.
Sunscreen and insect repellent is supplied. A work book will be provided and an album of photos will be presented at the conclusion of the sessions.
In this program the horses are regarded as the teachers – the learning aspect is what we can learn about the horses and then what we can learn about ourselves.
There are many characteristics of horses which make them so “powerful and special” in this work as they offer their unique gifts to us.
Prey -vs- Predator
Horses are prey animals and even though the time has passed since the lions and tigers were the predators and hunted them horses have retained the abilities and senses which allowed them to survive.
Horses use their senses to keep themselves safe – here we have a living example of looking after one self. He is fine tuned and is able to read others giving instant feedback.
His inherited behaviour traits have given him the instinct to flee, to be perceptive and to respond quickly. His instinct to flee when uncertain gives instant visual feedback.
His first priority is survival then comfort then play or food.
Communication
Horses use non verbal language in the form of body language – ears, eyes, mouth, body movement to communicate. This form of language is clearly communicated and understood by the other horses. A twitch of the ears /change in posture can energise the other members of the herd.
Sentient Beings
Horses are sentient beings – sharing the same sensory abilities as us. One sense horses use very effectively is intuition – they seem to know just what we need.
Horses are clean listeners and are not distracted by our outward appearance or the mask we may wear. They can listen to us at a much different and often deeper level to the point when they “attune’’ to us.
Living in the Present
Horses live in the moment – unlike humans they don’t fret about yesterday or worry about tomorrow. They are not interested or bothered by things that sometimes matter to us – what is your job? Where do you live? What school did you go to?
As they don’t think about the past or the future there is no disappointment or expectation to cloud the relationship with us.
Horses don’t know how to lie, cheat or deceive and they react to what is in our heart and not what is in our heads. They are not interested in what humans are often interested in – praise, recognition and material possessions. They just care that you are safe to connect with – that is their first priority.
Science
Horses have a lower heart rate than humans and research has confirmed that humans involved in grooming or simply being with the horses will experience a sense of calm and well being.
It has also been found that oxytocin, which is released by all mammals in physical contact with each other, has been linked to our ability to make social connections, to bond and to reduce anxiety and fear.
Horses have a huge electromagnetic field surrounding them. It is five times larger than ours, stronger and can act directly influencing our own heart rhythm. This feature offers awareness of boundary setting and respectful approach.
Herd Life
Horses need to live in a herd – when we are with a horse we are part of that herd. There needs to be a leader in this herd as horses look for a leader to keep themselves safe.
In the relationship between horse and human, the human learns to assume this responsibility. Horses seek four qualities in their leader – command, control, compassion, communication.
In closing I wish to say that horses are very gracious to allow us into their herd – at weights from 200-700kg with four legs able to run at a speed of 40-50kms per hour we would have little chance of interacting with them if they choose not to accept us.
However they do accept us with no judgement and with unconditional love and that is their gift to us.
Horses provide us with the integration of thought, feeling and senses.
Kerry Johnston
Equine Experiential Educator
