There are important life skills that are not taught in most standard school systems, in fact they are not usually taught in any school systems, yet they can be some of the most beneficial skills one can have in any relationships in life.   This series with horses can make a significant difference in helping an individual understand non-verbal communication and healthy personal boundaries which helps in relationships at home, with friends and throughout ones life. 

Our program supports emotional agility ... knowing that our emotions are an incredible tool we all have which provides valuable information for us.  Understanding our emotional indicators in life offers us the guidance for healthy decisions and the ability to handle life's challenges before they escalate to unhealthy levels.

These programs are for groups of six students per session, ages 10 - 15.

Some of the many benefits include:

Article written about Epona Ridge on New Concepts in Equine programs for children.  

A New Approach to Equine Therapy

By Jess Clarke

One of the most cherished mementos for students at New Leaf Academy in Hendersonville, N.C., is a necklace with a horse charm. At New Leaf, a therapeutic boarding school for girls ages 10 to 14, students who participate in an equine therapy program receive the token at the end.

Most girls who complete the Epona Approach program wear the necklaces all the time. “It’s a rite of passage for them. The horse necklaces are coveted,” says Robiyn Mims, director of family services at New Leaf. “The girls refer to the necklace as their touchstone. When they’re having a bad day, they reach up and touch that.”

Getting in touch with horses helps the girls get in touch with themselves and gain important insights into their relationships with others. Compared with traditional equine therapy programs for teens, the Epona Approach is more experiential and not therapy-focused. Instead of working through conflicts and issues by analyzing and processing situations and behavior, New Leaf girls work with the horses to develop life skills pertaining to non-verbal communication, relationship skills, establishing personal boundaries, self-awareness and accountability, and other issues.

“It really reinforces the lesson they’re learning here and in the real world every day, and that is that relationships are crucial to success,” Mims says.

Learning Cues about Nonverbal Language and Boundaries

Girls on the second level of the New Leaf program, usually reached in five to eight months, are eligible to participate in the equine therapy program. The Epona Approach consists of five sessions, and New Leaf girls work with horses at the nearby Epona Ridge center. Students groom and lead the horses but don’t mount them.
   
Every session has a focus, and sometimes there’s an art component. Girls learn about nonverbal language with humans and horses. Each girl learns to understand the body language of horses: If a horse looks in her direction, distributes its weight evenly, tilts its head toward her, or nickers softly, it’s OK to approach the animal slowly. If a horse turns its head, flattens its ears, or walks away, those are signs that the animal isn’t interested. Girls learn to pick up on the cues and apply them to their relationships with people.

Students are taught to establish boundaries with the horses, so when a horse spends time with a girl, it’s because the animal wants to be near her. “That’s the ultimate goal of the program for the girls, to get the horse to want to come and be with you,” Mims says. The instructor teaches the girls techniques to achieve that goal, such as being near the horse without overwhelming it by presenting themselves calmly.

That helps students to recognize emotions and respect physical and emotional boundaries with people. “It’s a nonconfrontational approach for girls to practice skill sets they’ve been learning all along at New Leaf. It’s a very different approach. Girls realize, ‘Wow, if I can do this with a horse, why can’t I do this with Mom? I’m going to try it,’ ” Mims says. “Initiating a relationship with a human being really isn’t that much different from initiating a relationship with a horse except you can throw in words.”

Equine Therapy Builds Self-Confidence

The Epona Approach to equine therapy can work well for girls who tend to be easily distracted. For some teens with high-functioning autism, “They tend to spend a little more time joined up with the animals than the other girls do,” Mims says. “It’s something that’s a little deeper than we’ve been able to see them do with a peer.”

Other students are helped in different ways after they finish the equine therapy program. “Whereas before a girl didn’t care if she hurt your feelings, she may pause in her conversation with you to check in with you emotionally,” Mims says, “feeling empathy with others, being in relationship, and with much more intentional awareness of nonverbal cues.”

Whether a girl is working with Magic, Zorro, Cieba, Bodi, or another horse at Epona Ridge, the Epona Approach builds her self-confidence. “It becomes confidence-boosting to say you made a friend with a horse,” Mims says. “The largest thing most of them have been around is a dog.”

The experience with horses leaves a lasting impression on the students, some of whom pursue involvement with an Epona program after they leave New Leaf Academy. 
  
Families are involved, too.

During New Leaf’s group education seminar, families spend a half-day at Epona Ridge learning about the Epona Approach. Later, after girls finish the equine program, families return for an afternoon at the horse center, and girls share their experiences.

“That’s a moment of empowerment. Most of our families get overwhelmed watching their child connect with a large animal,” Mims says. “They get to view their child in a very different way.”

Jess Clarke is a freelance writer and editor based in Asheville, N.C.

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