Mind matters
coloured traditional gypsy cob mare. The rest of the herd is made up of rescue horses and ponies. “It’s good to have a range of different horse personalities. I rescued a Shetland pony recently – she’s a little firecracker! She doesn’t like people and doesn’t like handling, so in some ways the sessions benefit her, too. We’ve got another 16.2hh Irish Draught filly who sometimes doesn’t know where her feet are and an older, retired Dartmoor pony.”
Incredible stories
“My horses have taken to it like ducks to water!” continues Julie, who started her programme about seven years ago. She’s a long-time equestrienne and at first she was a bit wary of
combining her hobby with her work. “The horses are so sensitive to my patients’ emotional state,” she says. One such moment occurred with her Irish cob. “He’s quite a big boy and looks quite daunting, but he’s a real softie. I recently worked with a patient who had terrible problems – she had overcome severe heroin addiction and the accompanying problems that wreaked havoc in her life. With the help of my gelding, she turned her life around and found new ways of living. “When I introduced her to the horses, she chose the black gelding. He’s so soft and quiet, and it catapulted her into a whole range of emotions – being with my boy helped her realise how far she’d come in her journey. As we talked,
Horses can help those who have difficulty connecting with or trusting others and controlling their emotions
➤ HORSe&RIDeR 61