Horse Help - New Equine therapy program under way at Hope Hill - Mt. Sterling Advocate
By TOM MARSHALL SENIOR ADVOCATE WRITER
Horses are being used in a unique way at Hope Hill Children's Home: to help teens overcome emotional obstacles.
The home recently launched a new equine therapy program that teams staff and residents with horses in an attempt to remove emotional barriers that some times block residents' recovery.
Girls at the home often come from problematic home environments that present hurdles for staff, who are assisting in the recovery process.
Sessions focus not so much on horsemanship, but rather on showing girls how to tackle problems in their lives using compromise, persuasion and understating.
"It builds confidence," counselor Allison Chambers said. "A lot of these girls, they don't really have confidence in themselves to accomplish things.
"They come from a very negative inkling of 'I'm not going to be able to do it,'" Chambers explains. "Even some of them think 'I'm a bad person, I'm not going to be able to communicate with these horses.' Once they see the unconditional attention that the horses give them they really start to bond with them."
That's where the healing begins, Chambers said.
"Once they start bonding with the horses they start pouring open different emotions and different experiences in the past," she said. "It's amazing how horses facilitate that."
Chambers, whose experiences with horses dates back to childhood, studied psychology at Transylvania University and counseling at Eastern Kentucky University.
She uses those skills to help the girls deal with their emotional baggage.
Some of the girls have been abused or have emotional issues that prevent them from trusting others and opening up fully to another person, staff say. The program helps with that.
"A lot of them don't have a sense of home or what a home is like or what it feels like to belong to a group," Chambers, a Winchester native, said. "This gives them a sense to belong."
GETTING STARTED
The program emerged from informal counseling given to one girl last year, Chambers said.
The girl was struggling with issues, but found a sense of comfort in working with one of the horses on the home’s sprawling 180-acre campus in the Hope community about 12 miles outside Mt. Sterling.
"Horses for some reason open up lines of communication," Chambers said.
Staff at the home later met and agreed to start an equine therapy program in an effort to reach more of the girls. So far it appears to be working, they say.
"What's great about this program is that it reaches girls they've tried every other type of counseling with and haven't seen results from," said Katy Hedge, development coordinator at the home. "In this program you see a lot of results."
The program uses three Kentucky Mountain Gaited horses donated by Hope Hill maintenance worker "Smokey" Presseau.
The three horses, named Thunder, Jeremiah and Comanche, were chosen because of their sweet disposition and love for people.
"We use them because they're gently," Chambers said. "They like humans. There are some animals who can be fooled with, but they don't really like it. These horses are attention hounds. They can work with 10 girls in a day and not get irritable."
LEARNING
Residents learn anatomy, confirmation and various gaits. With the horses Chambers combines counseling with lessons on responsibility, showmanship and attempts to build self confidence.
In one particular lesson Chambers has the girls participate in a tug of war with the horses. The girls, outweighed 10 to 1, quickly learn they can't move a horse by fighting with it.
Through leading and compromise, both of which they’re encouraged to practice with staff, they see how they can get things done, Chambers said.
They also learn about responsibility, which comes through the grooming of the horses and cleaning up after them and the barn they use on the grounds, she said.
Another perk, residents have founds, is the freedom they get from participating in the six week sessions. Their living quarters, called cottages, are typically restricted during non-classroom hours.
Six girls are currently in the program, which began in October, and others will be added the first of the year. Eventually, all of the home's 36 residents will be involved, Hedge said.
CAREER SKILLS
The learning, however, extends beyond simple grooming and basic horse care.
Girls will also learn how a farrier, a blacksmith or someone who shoes horses, does their job, Chambers said. They also attend the North American Livestock Expo to learn more.
Down the road, Chambers said she hopes the girls will be able to hold their own horse show to display their skills.
While therapy is the main goal, the girls are developing skills they may be bale to utilize in college or on the job.
"It's good for a lot of the girls too because it's not just something that's fun, they’re learning skills… there's so many opportunities when they leave here," Hedge said.
What Chambers has found is that the girls in the program are eager to show what they’ve learned.
"They want to help the girls, when before in school or in the cottage they may have been a very negative influence, trying to get other girls to run with them or break the rules," Chambers said. "Out here they join together to build relationships. That's one of the big obstacles our girls have is building relationships… To see them build those relationships and go back to the cottage happy, that means a lot."
REWARDS
Chambers said the experience has been fulfilling for her as well.
"Every day I'm able to go home and feel like I made a difference," she said. "The most rewarding part is to see the girls' positive responses to working with the horses. The eagerness boosts me up, gives me the energy to keep going with it.
"I feel like I'm giving back to the girls out here, what’s helped me a lot in life…" she adds.
"That's an awesome experience."
The girls seem to enjoy it as well.
"I love the equine therapy program at Hope Hill and I hope everyone will get to learn what I am learning," said one girl, who cannot be named because of confidentiality concerns.
"I love to work with the horses," another girl said. "By working with the horses I can relate what I learn with them to things in real life."
Hedge said staff at Hope Hill are optimistic about the future of the program.
"We're extremely excited about the potential for this program," Hedge said. "It's a great opportunity. We are excited we're offering something that’s hard to come by."
HELP NEEDED
The equine therapy program at Hope Hill operates totally on donations. It is not funded in the operating budget.
Countryside Animal Hospital, for instance, has donated veterinarian services. Boot Ranch in Mt. Sterling has donated boots for the girls and Ag Wood has given feed.
"We've gotten a lot of good community support… that has meant a lot to the girls," Hedge said.
But more is needed, she said.
Anyone interested in donating money or services to the program can reach Hope Hill at 498-5230. You can visit the home's Web site at www.hopehill.org.
