One of the hardest things many troubled teens have to learn is how to take responsibility for their actions. They also need to be accountable for the consequences of those actions. Equine therapy has been found to help teens with various problems learn responsibility and accountability. It alos helps with anger, relationship , self-confidence issues.
Part of the reason equine or horse therapy works is because a horse doesn't care what a person has done in the past or will do in the future, they only care about what is done now. When a troubled teen is paired with a horse, the first thing the teen has to learn is how to read the horse's body language well enough to know what the horse's reaction is to what the teen is doing. This helps the teen gain the animal's trust and form a bond with it. In the process, the teen learns as much about him or herself as about the horse they are developing a relationship with.
During the time the teen spends with the horse each day, he or she is responsible for grooming, exercising and caring for the horse. This teaches responsibility and the teen is held accountable if the horse is not properly cared for, often by the horse itself. Horses can be stubborn and if some part of their care is not handled properly, they can be reluctant to cooperate with the person they hold responsible for it.
The bond that forms between the teen and the horse has a calming effect that helps teens handle anger management and stress issues. This makes other therapy used in conjunction with equine therapy more effective as the teen is calmer and often less defensive. Working with a horse, the troubled teen learns to be part of a team in achieving a common goal, whether it is backing the horse into a stall or riding to complete a certain course or trail. Over the course of therapy, the teen learns to translate these skills to daily life.
By the end of the course of therapy, teens have learned to relate better with people because of the relationship they have developed with the horse. It may take several course of therapy for some teens but the overall success rate of this type of therapy is high. Pinnacle Schools Elk River campus offers equine therapy for troubled teens. No matter what issues a teen may be dealing with, horse therapy is worth looking into.
