Horse Powered Reading | Bigskyshires

Horse Powered
Reading & Math

Lead Changes Recovery and Equine Assisted Learning & Therapy Center

During sessions, students are given the opportunity to…

Identify

Issues affecting learning are identified and made visible by the client, through the use of obstacles (toys and props), which symbolize stumbling blocks that get in the way of understanding.

Connect

Students are allowed to choose their own horse to work with, just as they would choose a book to read

Students are then given an opportunity to connect with their chosen “book”

Experience

Memory retention and recall improve dramatically when movement anchors learning

Issues getting in the way of academic and social emotional growth are addressed by our expert team in the moment.

Reflect

Sessions allow students a chance to reflect on what they are experiencing and provide an opportunity to create new patterns of learning in a supported environment.

Powering through challenges

Horse Powered Reading® focuses on the learning process for the individual and builds upon children’s natural curiosity and determination.

During sessions, students are allowed to make discoveries and experiment with knowledge firsthand.

Our facilitators are trained to see what tools (toys and props) the child uses to choose and connect with their book (horse) and how that connection is made.

The interaction between client and horse gives the facilitator insight into what the client is experiencing inside and what patterns are working or not working for them. That interplay allows for profound learning to take place.

Through this process, the horse creates an opportunity for immediate feedback and experiential learning to take place.

Skills addressed

Decoding - building phonics skills and sight word recognition
Vocabulary enhancement
Fluency development - reading quickly, accurately and with expression
Overcome barriers blocking comprehension
Practice study skills
Comprehend textbooks
Learn new, unfamiliar, and multi-syllable words
Achieve higher order thinking
Use critical and creative thinking

Much of the equine therapy is facilitated by non-verbal communication skills. Horses, like many other animals, communicate non-verbally. They use body language and often mirror the emotions and behaviors of the participants that surround them. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy builds skills in the following areas:

Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Personal Responsibility
Teamwork
Confidence
Attitude
Emotional Growth
Relationship Building

We track measurable results

Our research has discovered it only takes a few key reading skills combined with motivation, self-efficacy/confidence, and persistence, all of which are taught by the horses, to create an exponential growth in learning.

Pre- & Post- Assessments
QRI-5 Word List Assessment
QRI-5 Graded Paragraph Assessment
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey

Motivations for Reading Questionnaire
The Reader Self-Perception Scale
Parent Interviews Six Months After Tutoring

What is it?

Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is the practice of using horses for emotional growth. Participants in therapy or learning sessions use feelings, behaviors, and patterns to better understand the horse and themselves. The field of using horses for therapy is new and growing rapidly. It has been proven to be very effective in building confidence, improving communication and giving personal insights to participants involved with equine assisted therapy.

Equine therapy can involve more than just riding the horse. In some sessions, a client might not even touch the horse at all. Often the therapist leading the session will set goals for the client to complete, such as leading the horse to a designated area or putting a halter on the horse. The client will complete the task to the best of their ability and then discuss the thought process, ideas and problem solving used to complete the task. Discussing what the client is doing at a given time allows them to improve language skills. Listening to the instructor helps improve the individuals ability to listen and follow directions, ask questions, etc. Not only is there communication between the handler and the instructor, but also between the handler and the horse. This skill becomes especially helpful for those who are struggling with anxiety as often times they are stuck in worry about the past, or catastrophic thinking about the future. This activity encourages a person to be present and focused on the task at hand.

Therapists who teach Equine-Assisted Therapies can easily adapt Cognitive Therapy as well as play and talk therapy. Depending on the nature of the diagnosis for which the therapy is being applied, the Equine therapist is able to make decisions about the processes or techniques applied in the sessions. Main techniques used are Cognitive Therapy, practicing activities, activity scheduling, play therapy and story telling and talk therapy.

EAP Vs. EAL

For starters Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is not horsemanship. The focus is not on riding, but on psychology. A licensed clinical professional is needed in order to consider the activities EAP.

EAP uses horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. It is an effort made by the therapist and horse riding professionals to work with clients in treatment disorders. EAP can be compared in nature to ropes courses taught by some therapists because the students learn feelings, behaviors, teamwork, and patterns when participating in EAP. EAP has the added bonus of using living animals that are both beautiful and powerful which leads to an emotional connection between the horse and individuals involved in therapy with it. EAP often develops the following characteristics within clients.

Leadership development
Team-building
Communication
Problem solving
Organizational change
Decision making

EAL is similar to EAP, in that is involves using horses. EAL and EAP are often interchanged, but EAL deals more with the horsemanship aspect of Equine therapy. EAL is the process, while EAP is the actual program.

EAL and EAP are often used for clients who are experiencing the following:

Personal issues
Focus problems and Attention Deficit Disorder
Social anxiety or shyness
Anxiety
Trauma
Anger and acting out
Grief and loss
Poor self-esteem
Substance abuse recovery
Communication
Interpersonal relationships
Stress
Burnout

The Roles of the Horse

This list includes characteristics of horses that make them unique for therapy.

Non-judgmental and unbiased: Horses react only to the patient’s behavior and emotions and are not biased by the patient’s physical appearance or past mistakes. Patients describe this as being crucial to the therapy and aids in increase of self-esteem and self-confidence.

Feedback and mirroring: Their nature as a prey and herd animal makes them hyper vigilant and sensitive, thus making them keen observers. This means that their feedback is provided earlier and more consistently than with a human therapist. The horse has an innate tendency to mirror the patient’s behavior, physical movements and emotions, which help the participant be more aware of him or herself. It allows patients to “feel felt”. This feedback can then be translated by the equine specialist and analyzed by the group.

Metaphor for real life: The ability of a therapist to use the horse as a metaphor for other issues helps make the equine treatment applicable to real life problems. An example of how a therapist can help the patient work out issues in their own lives through the use of the horse as a metaphor: “One child was having great difficulty discussing how they were feeling about an upcoming move to another state. She was, however, able to offer many suggestions for how to help a horse that was being sold feel more comfortable in his new environment”. Using the horse as a metaphor for his own move, the child better understood and could cope with her own move.

How do I Book a Session?

There are 3 ways to book a session with us.

1) Contact us directly for your session. leadchangesrecovery@gmail.com

2) If you are working with a mental health provider and would like to try an EAL or EAT session using our horses and equine professional you may contact us and set up a meeting with your Mental Health Professional to staff a session. You are responsible for the Equine payment to us and the Mental health payment to your provider.

3) You may book team building activities for your sports team, employees, or group. We provide a fun and exceptional learning experience for our clients.

We provide services in:

Team Building

Horse Powered Reading

Horse Powered Math