Shalom Ranch Ministries

Equine Therapy

What can horses teach us?

Many people are aware that animals help with overall well-being. Most people do not realize the extent to which this is true. Children and youth who have never been able to trust, learn how faithful and predictable horses are. This knowledge is then transferred into their relationship with people. Teens and adults realize that a bad hair day or not having the right clothes does not matter to their equine friends. Horses teach them that the true basis of friendship lies in their dependability and trust. They apply this new knowledge in search of new human friends.

Equine therapy at Shalom Ranch

Equine "Therapy" is beneficial for many conditions and/or issues. It helps recovering addicts find a healthy "high" and unconditional love and support. Equine Therapy helps families improve their communication by developing a team spirit.

At Shalom Ranch we teach our clients on an individual basis, allowing each Life Lesson to present itself. Every time we work with an individual, the horses guide the work and we follow their leadership to facilitate growth, learning, health and well being. Our goal is to assist each client to find his own personal strength and beauty and to help foster wellness and healing through horses.

Our first priority at Shalom Ranch is safety. At no time is a client left feeling unsafe or insecure. We don't push; we pull. We ask, guide and help. We never embarrass or berate. Every person working here is trustworthy, mature and wise, and is seriously committed to our clients well being.

Many of the skills learned are proven to the learner through the two intrinsic values of the horse - the existence of visual feedback and the opportunity to feel. This begins to build self-confidence and the learner becomes more able to learn much-needed life skills through the medium of the horse. For many people, if traditional methods of teaching and learning have failed to make sufficient impact, and if the individual is motivated by horses, to use the horse as a learning-teaching medium is both logical and effective.

Seeing leads to understanding. As people develop their ability, they can begin to respond to that ability by taking responsibility. If looking after oneself has lost a point - or perhaps it's a skill that has never been developed - learning to care for a horse first can provide an incentive that becomes a personal achievement. Learning to wash a horse's mane has encouraged many young people to become independent in their own hair washing. And grooming horses leads to a new foothold for discussing personal care.

People motivated by horses benefit positively from building upon the stimulation they derive from the sight, smell, sound and touch of a horse. It's easier to see, understand, hear and feel things from the horse than from other people. The demands and reactions of the horses used to provide riding therapy make sense and are straightforward. The consequences of an action or behavior are honestly reflected by the horse.

Horses do not respond to mixed messages; communication must be clear and considered. To be successful with the horse, one must be committed and prepared to complete a task. The horse is often the one from whom an individual accepts a message, as it is delivered without bias. Mounted sessions in the context of riding therapy enable people to experience situations that would not be possible without the medium of the horse.

Contact with the warmth of the horse enables relaxation for those that find it difficult. Caring for and riding horses involves consistent exercise and working in a healthy environment. Improved physical fitness leads to clearer thinking and positive self-image.

This program is designed to work with all people who want to improve their quality of life and benefit from the unique relationship between the human and the horse.

"In equine therapy, horses serve as the role of the eye in the sky; the powerful, all-seeing witnesses that bring light into the darkness. They reflect back our fear and anxiety, which can ultimately stimulate development of an internalized sense of accountability and conscience. This comes about through the transformation of our perceptions of the horse into a creature with extraordinary teaching power. Horses have the power to see through us. We are only and completely human in their presence- nothing more and nothing less. They accept us as we are even when our fellow humans do not."

Two branches of Equine Therapy

Equine Therapy has two basic branches. The first and most common involves working with the physically handicapped. Our division works instead with the emotional, psychological, behavioral, and educational side. The two divisions are very separate and, in our opinion, should not be mixed. Shalom Ranch employs people who are experts in their field of handling these complex difficulties. Our approach to helping our clients, in relationship with the proper counseling, brings amazing results.

The organization NARHA is the governing body for the first division. Our area, being newer, offers a number of avenues. As previously mentioned we work with an organization called Families by Design. Their Equine Therapy program is by far more developed than any we have seen. In using a program that is soundly proven, we are seeing similar results.

EAGALA is an organization specializing in our division of Equine Therapy. In addition to the EAGALA program we will work through Not Just Horsing Around with Defiant Kids. With Nancy Thomas scheduled to do personal training with our organization, we know that our success rate will approach hers. Please see www.attachment.org for more details on this innovative and internationally successful program.