Did you know you can lower your heart rate by spending time with horses?
Garth Homer community members involved in a new equine-assisted learning program can tell you how they develop leadership and teamwork skills while feeling calm and joyful around horses.
Thanks to the support of generous donors, a new partnership with Together in Stride offers clients guided, non-riding interactions with horses. The program facilitates leadership, teamwork, and relationship building through leading, brushing, observing horse behaviour, and more.
“We see if the horse’s ears go to the front or to the back, and we get to know how the horses are feeling and what they like and don’t like,” says Violet Gao, program participant.
“As herd animals, horses are highly sensitive to their environment. This natural ability is a key element of equine-assisted learning,” says Together in Stride Program Coordinator Melissa Flagg.
“Horses rely on each other and are attuned to members of the community they are in. Before we’re even next to them, they can get a read on our physiological state; they can read our heart rate from five feet away,” she says. “They’re always tuning into what’s happening around them. That’s just how their nervous system is built.”
Wired for connection
Humans are social animals too with nervous systems wired to co-regulate with others.
“That’s one of the things that is so special about working with horses. We can learn to regulate our own body and our own state and become aware of how we are impacting the horse,” Melissa says.
“As a facilitator, I see such a desire in people to connect with the horse. We seem to call on more of our senses and maybe open different pathways in our brain and body to communicate with and understand the animal.”
The program is geared for participants with a range of abilities and uses illustrated cards with horses in various actions as reference points.
“At every session we get a chance to say how we feel using pictures of horses,” Violet says.
The Together in Stride equine-assisted learning program takes place at the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association [VTRA] facility with VTRA horses, like Cherry and Vala—two of Violet’s favourites. Both horses like carrots, apples, and special horse cookies made by Community Access Team members at Garth Homer, Violet reports.
For program participant Meagan Burrows, Trigger and Lady are favourites “because they are gentle,” she says. “When I’m with the horses, I feel calm because they are calm as well.”
Program facilitators and community support workers are there to support participants all along the way. But teamwork and leadership are big parts of the experience.
“It was beautiful to see Violet and Meagan shine in different ways,” Melissa says. “I saw the connection they developed with each other and the horse as part of their team and their confidence increase from being unsure how to get the horse to move, to walking around the arena, weaving around cones, and completing tasks together—that was really great.”
Developing those leadership skills and walking alongside the horses is Violet’s favourite part of the experience, she says. “Working with the horses makes me feel very, very happy.”
Community support makes it possible
Donor support has enabled the Garth Homer Society to offer on-the ground horse experiences through Together in Stride in addition to the popular riding programs at VTRA, says Chief Advancement Officer Yvette Guigueno. “The ongoing riding programs are so beneficial and we’re delighted to open up equine experiences to more clients with different levels of support needs thanks to generous donors.”
Learn how you can create opportunities for clients like Violet and Meagan by contacting Yvette at yguigueno@garthhomersociety.org or donate here.
