MINDEMOYA—Imagine this: two teams of four girls; two haltered horses. One team are the ‘Explorers’ and the other team are the ‘Snakes.’ The Explorers are trying to bring the horses and their belongings across a fast flowing “river” (in this case about 10 feet wide path of sand). The Snakes are trying to stop the Explorers and grab the horses and the belongings. All this happening in a time limit!
“This is the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning activity know as Raging River,” said Janyn Towns, of Hidden Creek Ranch. “Yes, there was chaos and confusion but there was also laughter, ingenuity and most of all, learning. Learning about teamwork and empowerment. This is the crux of Equine Assisted Growth and Learning or EAGL for short: learning, growth and fun.”
Hidden Creek Ranch in Mindemoya recently hosted a five day program called Fierce Fillies. Eight 10- to 12-year-old girls joined the equine team of three horses and two mini-donkeys for a week of learning about perceptions; problem-solving; communication; positive body image; challenges; their strengths; empathy and so much more.
“There was also time for personal journaling, crafting and climbing the old apple tree,” said Ms. Towns. “There were of course snacks and goodies (provided with help from mom Jacqui Gordon), playing with the pup Daisy and just to ‘be’.”
So what is this Equine Assisted Growth and Learning? Ms. Towns explained EAGL is a form of personal coaching, or when facilitated with a mental health specialist, a form of psychotherapy, using horses as part of the team. Horses are large and unpredictable (and the donkeys are small and just as unpredictable!) prey animals which makes using them beneficial because they cannot be easily manipulated as they are often loose in the arena with the clients. They are thought of as beautiful and are somehow magnetic to people yet because of their size, they are often intimidating.
Therefore working with them can help create confidence. They often provide rich metaphors for what is going on, and often going wrong, in our lives, she continued. They are helpful in therapy and coaching settings as they are social animals with distinct personalities and places within the herd. As prey animals, they are keenly aware of their surroundings and the non-verbal aspects of communication, which can in turn encourage the participants to look more closely at their own non-verbal communication and how this impacts relationships and progress in attaining goals. Some of the issues that benefit from working with horses include : trust, respect, boundaries, affection, non-verbal communication, leadership, teamwork, patience, assertiveness and many others.
“Let’s think about teamwork,” continued Ms. Towns. “Horses are very much like people in that they are social animals. They have defined roles with their herds and a strict social hierarchy. They have distinct personalities, attitudes, and moods. They would rather be with the herd than solo. An approach that works for one horse may not work for another. They can be stubborn, defiant, and playful just like people. Imagine the thrill of accomplishment of getting a horse that is untethered to do something you want while you may not touch, bribe or scare it. When you see a group of people work together to accomplish this type of mission, you see the ‘lightbulb’ moments for them as they learn key aspects of the value of teamwork.”
Horses require work, time and attention, whether in caring for them or working with them. In this era of instant gratification, taking the ‘easy way’ is the norm, she continued. However, working with horses requires people to be engaged in physical and mental work to be successful-a valuable characteristic in all aspects of life.
Mirroring. Metaphors. Tools. All these words are associated with this work yet using horses in this modality is so much more. Because they are pros at all the nuances of body language, horses do have the ability to mirror exactly what the human body language is telling them or they may provide metaphors for our lives and yes, they are definitely tools in this, said Ms. Towns. Clients may complain that “the horse is stubborn, or mean or reminds me of……..” etc., but the lesson to be learned is that if the participants change themselves, the horses respond differently. This lesson can then be applied to their personal life. Horses are honest and non-judgmental, which makes them especially powerful messengers.
Fierce Fillies was the recent program Hidden Creek Ranch presented for young girls but this work is open to all from 10- to 99-years-old: solo, couple, family or groups. And it is available in a series of sessions weekly or workshop format as well. “We are currently working on a program for young boys and for women similar to the fillies program. From our evaluation forms we heard feedback such as ‘I learned that you have to accept yourself and others.’ Also, ‘how to communicate and make new friends’ and, ‘I learned that it’s important to communicate and work together.”
“And when asked, ‘What did you like about Fierce Fillies?’ we heard, ‘Everything,’ and ‘I like the whole week’,” said Ms. Towns.
For more information visit www.hiddencreek ranch.ca or on Facebook at Hidden Creek Ranch.
