The Children Hope and Horses Program: Florida Nonprofit Equine Therapy For Children

An Effective Approach
Children come to each program activity session accompanied by a parent or guardian. We begin by introducing the children to the staff, acquainting them with the facilities and gradually introducing them to the horses. No timetables or benchmarks are set because the child must be free to control the pace at his or her own comfort level.Once children become comfortable in the new surroundings, safety issues are reviewed and discussed. They are then taught basic rules of conduct around a horse so they can learn to groom them.

At this point, bonding begins; special attention is given to the pace and the rate of acceptance. When a child is ready, he or she learns how to lead and handle a horse. The children continue to form a bond with the horse and learn how to trust not only the horse, but, more importantly, themselves. It is at this point that the child's self-confidence and self-esteem begins to develop.

Having reached a comfort level working around and with the horse, the child is encouraged to begin mounted exercises. Beginning with bareback riding while the horse is being led by an instructor, the child's ability to trust takes on a new dimension. The child learns to start trusting in people - and the cycle begins. With each personal victory, the sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem grows. Soon, the children are riding on their own.

In this phase, the children encounter new challenges that mus be overcome while riding. By bringing out the feelings and emotions they can expect to experience in daily life - frustration, anger, distraction, and impatience - these challenges help them to discover that the horse will react to their attitudes.

They learn that if the horse is not responding as they expect them to, they must look to themselves for the answer. Once they learn to control themselves and focus on the goal, they find the horse will relax and begin to work with them again.

The challenge is met. Learning that their attitudes and actions affect the outcome with horses can then be transferred to their interpersonal relationships.

Benefits experienced from the Children, Hope, and Horses (CHH) Program (from a client)

"Having adopted three children from the Florida State Foster Care system my wife and I have experienced first hand the full effect of children in need of special attention. Children who have experienced traumatic and neglected starts in life have overdeveloped survival instincts replacing what should be age appropriate normal cognitive behavior patterns. As a result,development of the children’s ability and desire to make the mental connections necessary to adapt as a normal healthy child is very difficult for both the child and for the care givers who are trying to help make these behavioral adjustments. These are children who have learned to be untrusting of other humans and often need help beyond what any human can give.

This is an illness that requires healing or it will compound on the development of the child until there is little to no hope of recovery and the life of this innocent child has been placed on a path of self deprivation and destruction for the rest of their lives. What is available to help these children make the mental connections necessary to begin the process of once again trusting people and opening themselves up to the monumental task of attaching to another human believing that they will not again be hurt or neglected? The cure begins with the child making the move to trust in something and understand that there is something that they are capable of achieving through the establishment of building trust and self worth in something good.

Children, Hope, and Horses is that beginning link. This is the perfect mix of offering a child the opportunity to begin building of trust, responsibility, and open hearted bonding. Laura, the trainer/therapist has a wealth of exposure to and experience with kids in need, combined with the responsibilities shared for the grooming and caring for the horses, and finally the horses themselves create an atmosphere that starts and nurtures the process of utilizing their underdeveloped brain functions, while establishing initial levels of responsibility, and most importantly begins opening the hearts of these previously abused children.

These horses are motivated by and closely mimic the level of focus and attention exhibited through the personality and behavioral traits of their handler. Over time a child begins to see this connection and starts making the adjustments in their heads that when they focus so does the horse, when they do not focus, neither does the horse. During this learning process, the children begin opening their hearts and building a bond with the horse that they currently have trouble doing with other humans. This event teaches them they can trust, they can love, and they can bond for the first time in their healing process. All of the while this is also beginning to build a level of confidence in themselves with each successful interaction with a horse.

Miss Laura, Brag, Dakota, Cooper, Teddy, Max, and Peggy Lee Dee are now household names with our family. The bonds being developed with our children have been truly impacted by their learned abilities from this program. Our children’s journey to recovering from what was a difficult start has been jumpstarted and is continually improved on by the Children, Hope, and Horses program and for that we will be eternally grateful.

With all of our love and appreciation to Laura, the horses and the entire CHH program,
A Happy Family (The Family's Name will not be published to preserve the privacy of the children)"