Pride • Strength • Confidence • Patience • Respect
For at-risk youth, riding lessons
mean much more than riding
Reaching an at-risk child can be quite a challenge.
But a horse can bridge the gap.
At Hope Springs Equestrian Therapy, at-risk youth and their therapists find that working with horses opens new doors for learning healthy behaviors and ways of coping with difficult emotional or domestic situations.
How can a horse do that?
Horses are large and powerful.
They provide a natural opportunity for young people to overcome fear and develop courage, confidence, respect, and assertiveness.
Horses have independent, idiosyncratic personalities.
They encourage youth to learn anger management and impulse control, as well as patience, flexibility, and problem-solving skills.
Horses require care.
They provide opportunities for learning about hard work, teamwork, responsibility, and communication.
Perhaps most importantly, horses take no notice of a child's problems, background, or perceived shortcomings.
They offer the unconditional positive regard that encourages a child to feel safe enough to explore painful feelings and destructive behavior patterns.
In short, equine-assisted therapy provides powerful metaphors for at-risk youth and their therapists to work through challenging situations at school, home, and elsewhere.
Equestrian-assisted therapy has
been found
effective in the treatment of issues such as:
- attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- substance abuse
- eating disorders
- sexual and physical abuse issues
- depression
- anxiety
- relationship problems
- poor communication, socialization,
and/or anger management skills
It's not all about the horse:
It's intensive, integrated, experiential therapy
Our integrated team approach incorporates the client, counselor, volunteers, horses, and certified equine-therapy professionals.
Staff members work closely with the therapist to identify treatment goals and develop activities designed to challenge and develop the client's creative problem-solving abilities.
Processing of behaviors, feelings, and attitudes with staff and therapist is encouraged both during and at the end of each session.
Regular progress reports keep the team informed. Reports are based on input from the instructor, volunteers, classroom teachers, caseworkers, therapists, and other team members.
- Pre- and post-intervention testing is encouraged
- Sessions last about one hour
- Equine therapy is typically utilized as short-term,
experiential therapy
Originally founded in 1997 to reach out to disabled children and adults, Hope Springs Equestrian Therapy works in conjunction with area referral programs to serve Delaware Valley children ages 8 through 18 who are coping with potentially damaging socio-economic or environmental issues.
In addition to its regular therapy sessions, Hope Springs offers a special summer camp for at-risk youth.
For more information, call (610) 827-0931
