By Jeanette Sanchez

 When Natalie was born, it was the happiest day of her parents life. The doctors said she was a healthy baby and they couldn’t have asked for a bigger blessing. As Natalie grew older, her mom noticed she wasn’t like all the other children. Her husband Richard said she was just shy and she shouldn’t worry. However, Susan did not believe him and she took Natalie to the doctor.

At the age of three Natalie was diagnosed with autism. Her parents happy days soon turned upside down. Natalie was very quiet. As much as her parents tried to talk to her, they couldn’t find something that seemed to work. She always isolated herself from all the other children. At the age of four, she started going to a speech and language therapy, but her parents didn’t notice any sort of change.

Natalie’s parents hated seeing her that way. They believed she was missing out on having a normal childhood. Susan was not going to give up. When she heard about HOPE therapeutic equestrian center, she decided to give it a try. When Natalie began going to the therapy sessions, it still didn’t seem to make a difference. Then one day when she was feeding the horse, her parents watched her bond with Charlie, (the horse). They noticed she was laughing and she leaned in to hug him. They finally saw her happy. After a couple sessions into the therapy, Natalie began to ride Charlie.

A couple weeks later right before going to a session Natalie turned to her mom and said “go see charlie”. Susan couldn’t do anything more but burst in tears and hug Natalie. “ Yes! We’re gonna go see Charlie!” she responed. At the age of five, Natalie spoke her first words. This is just an example of many life changing stories about equine assisted therapy.

Problem??  Many children today are suffering from different types of adversity. Kids who have been traumatized by physical mental or emotion abuse find it very hard to trust people.

What is it?  “Equine psychotherapy is a type of animal assisted therapy, a field of mental health that recognizes the bond between the animal and the humans and the potential for emotional healing that can occur when a relationship is formed between the two.

Who Does it Benefit?  Equine Therapy addresses a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral issues, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs.

 There are many people born with physical disabilities, or have developed some from a car accident or any other injury. Hippotherapy helps these people gain/ regain the physical mobility that they didn't have before.

How Does it Work?  A horse's pelvic bones are structured just like a humans. When a person rides a horse, the movement of a horse and the person are moving in the same way, which relaxes the body.

Why horses?  Horses are actually very shy animals. They tend to search for safety and comfort as much as possible. For this reason, horses tend to grow attached to humans if they see they are good people. Its easier for the child to interact with the horse this way.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy builds skills in the following areas:  Problem Solving  Work Ethic  Personal Responsibility  Teamwork  Confidence  Attitude  Emotional Growth  Relationship Building

Video!

Spread the Word!  Right now, not that much people are aware of equine therapy  It is actually one of the best working types of therapy.

sources  -Natural Horsemanship Training with Franklin Levinson. Web. 24 Mar  -"Therapy/Respite Camps: Kids with Autism and Other Special Needs." Will Moore / Willy Moore. Web. 27 Mar  -"Equine-Assisted Therapy Programs." UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Web. 26 Mar

Questions????