You've spent many hours, months, maybe even years training your horse how to do what your particular discipline requires. During all this time spent with your horse, have you ever considered what things he might be teaching you? Have you ever thought about what ways he has helped you achieve victories outside the arena? This is the story of Glory, a sweet older mare who helped one small human grow a great deal.
Glory was a beautiful show horse who won her fair share of Tennessee Walking Horse ribbons. At age 6, she was retired and sold because she could no longer be shown due to injuries and behavioral problems stemming from aggression shown toward other horses. Glory felt the need to protect herself from the horse that was in the next stall, especially when there was food around. She would violently kick the walls of her stall warning her neighbors to keep away. She only behaved this way to other horses. Her new owner, Amy Goudelock, owner of Eden Farms, in Marietta , SC , was advised to put her down after her leg was severely injured due to this kicking behavior. Amy helped Glory to recover and took care to keep her from hurting herself by putting chains on her legs when she was in the stall to keep her from kicking.
Under Amy's close eye, love, patience, and care, Glory has overcome her fears wonderfully, and doesn't need to wear the chains anymore. She has had three foals since coming to her new home.
Glory was 20 years old when she met Will this past summer. Will is a young man from an alternative middle school who was attending Eden farms through an 'at-risk' youth program. This program was developed by Amy Goudelock, Mary Anne Brookshire , Director of Rebound Alternative School in Pickens County , SC , and Vikki Paese, Equine Assisted Counselor and owner of Horses Helping Humans, LLC in Anderson , SC and was funded by the Helen's Hugs Foundation of Clemson, SC. Will and several other students from Rebound came to the farm once a week during the summer for eight sessions of equine assisted counseling, growth and learning.
Each student was assigned a horse to take care of during their time at the farm. At first, Will did not like Glory. She was too old and, a "girl" - he had wanted a "boy". Little did he know they were a match made in Heaven. Will had similar issues with fear and aggression as well. He came from an extensively abusive background where he was starved, physically and emotionally abused and isolated from human and environmental stimulation for two years. Like Glory, he did not want to socialize with others and would fight to keep his space secure. His isolation kept him from developing the socialization skills necessary for successful growth into adolescence. You can clearly see God's hand in the placement of this pair as the similarities of their situations were not known, at that time, to the counselor who put them together.
Glory was patient and calm with Will. She waited and waited for him to make first contact. She greeted him with a good attitude and showed him her willingness to trust him as she followed his lead. Will felt safe with her. By the end of the first day, he was asking to go back to her stall to say good-bye. Will was not one to be touched. He would wince at the slightest brush on the shoulder and did not like to touch others. But with Glory, he loved to rub on her, brush her and talk to her. He also loved to be touched by her and when she turned to look and see what he was doing, he felt like someone noticed him. His school counselors reported big strides of improvement in his behavior back at school. He was voluntarily speaking out more in class and had a smile on his face that was rarely seen before. He had something to say and was no longer afraid to let other's know. He winced a little less when someone touched him on the shoulder gently. Will's willingness to offer himself emotionally became obvious during these sessions at the farm.
Glory and Will quickly became good friends. Sometimes he would lean against Glory for support and she would rub against him to satisfy that little itch on her neck. Will felt for the first time, that he was understood. Glory did not judge him or accuse him of things. She felt his true sense of sadness and each session she stood patiently waiting for him to feel comfortable with her. She did not walk away or ignore him. She stood by him. She understood his hesitations because she had lived with the same fears as he did. Through Amy's investment of love and patience, Glory learned that all of the other horses were not really out to get her or her food. Glory was now making that same investment in Will. She saw him for who he really was and his need to learn to trust and communicate. She was willing to help him slow down enough to take a deeper look inside himself. He told his counselor that she helped him find a part of himself he didn't even know was there.
During the program, the students were put into small groups and engaged in different activities working on the ground with the horses. These activities ranged from using teamwork to encourage a horse over an obstacle (they labeled the obstacle something in their lives they struggle with) without leading, touching or bribing the horse, to longeing in a round pen individually. They learned about "herd dynamics" and how horses communicate. What they saw when interacting with the horses was an honest response to what they, the students, were offering of themselves to the horses. Consider it equine intuition, the natural instinct of the horse to interpret the intentions of those around him through feel and observation. The horses responded honestly to the kids based on their attitude and approach. When they were angry or frustrated, the horses responded with irritation or fear. Their ears would lie back or the horse would sometimes move away or become stubborn. When they were working more peacefully and caring, the horses would cooperate and become more relaxed.
Will was not the only child impacted by this experience. "I saw amazing results within the first three sessions with all eight of our students. Some might call this innovative positive youth development, I call it a miracle," reported Mary Anne after evaluating her students' progress. All eight of these kids showed marked improvement in various areas including relationship skills, communication, attitude, trust, leadership and problem solving.
Like people, horses have a strong instinct for self-preservation. Today's youth face circumstances that can create overprotective strategies in their relationship skills. They can develop trust issues and hide away their real feelings in fear of criticism. Horses do not pass judgment or question their identity. Equine assisted counseling, growth and learning activities bring kids to a place where they can take a look at how their actions affect others. They discover who they really are and embrace the possibility of becoming the person they want to be! After establishing a connection with the horse, even the most uncooperative of youth can find reason to drop their guard and consider the vulnerability and value of themselves and others.
There is a new world of horsemanship growing, one where horse and man build relationships to help each other learn and grow from the inside out. It is not about prestige, or power. It is about using God's resources to better ourselves and create long lasting heart changes. Horses can help all humans, age doesn't matter to them. If you've got a passion for horses and want to help others, look for equine assisted growth and learning opportunities in your area. There is official training you can pursue through companies that offer equine assisted training courses for psychotherapy, counseling, growth and learning such as EAGALA, Inc. and The OK Corral Series. To learn more about equine assisted counseling, growth and learning and Horses Helping Humans LLC, or Eden Farms, please call Vikki Paese, 864-245-2307 or email info@horseshelpinghumans.net.
