Horses Connect grew from an idea Eileen Bennett first had in 1976 while working with troubled teenagers in Manchester.

She recognised the powerful and positive effect the company of horses could have on people dealing with life’s challenges. Almost four decades later, the four horsewomen who became the founders of Horses Connect met while training to be therapeutic horse riding coaches.

“At its most basic, therapeutic horse riding involves using the natural, rhythmic gait of a walking horse to create beneficial physical, sensory, intellectual and other effects for a rider,” explains Eileen.

“However, not everyone can ride, and it became clear we would need more training to expand our services and help more people reap the rewards of being with horses.”

Two of the founders decided that the time wasn’t right for them to take on the bigger project but Eileen and friend Mary Mitchell went on the train as equine-assisted learning facilitators and advanced trained equine specialists. They both graduated from the internationally renowned equine-assisted learning organisation Eagala. The Eagala model requires a mental health professional and a qualified equine specialist to structure sessions incorporating horses to help with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse, behavioural disorders, depression, anxiety and trauma.

Suitable for all

Equine-assisted learning is a highly adaptable, ground-based intervention for both groups and individuals.

There is no horse riding involved, and it can be used for people of all ages and abilities, including families and corporate groups.

Working with one or more horses, under the guidance of a suitably qualified facilitator, equine-assisted learning can be used for team-building, personal development, emotional regulation, communication skills, self-confidence, problem-solving and much more.

Eileen explains: “Every session is different and specifically designed for the individual or group involved. Horses Connect is one of very few dedicated therapeutic horsemanship facilities in Ireland.”

Mindfulness

According to Eileen, there is a growing field of research to back up the anecdotal evidence that spending time with horses is incredibly positive for a person.

Apart from the physical benefits, therapeutic horse-riding and equine-assisted learning provides improved balance, co-ordination, core strength, mobility plus fine and gross motor skills. Horses also have a calming effect on people.

“Horses are completely non-judgemental and experts at reading body language,” Eileen explains. “A horse will instantly recognise if what you’re saying doesn’t match what you’re doing. So the facilitator’s job is to help the person (or group) see what the horse is trying to tell them, by allowing them to find their answers from the horse’s behaviour.”

The horses at Horses Connect are looked after just as carefully as the humans and are supported in their work by regular visits from an elite team that includes a master farrier, chiropractor, dentist, nutritionist, vet and other professionals. They enjoy hacks on the beach or through the forestry when they’re not working.

“The four-legged team at Horses Connect are a mixed bunch,” Eileen says. “They range from rescues to retired hunters, and each has its own story to tell. There are five in the therapeutic horse riding programme – a Welsh 12.2hh, a 13.2hh family pony, a 14.2hh Connemara, and 15hh hairy cob and a 16.3hh Irish Draught. Some have been gifted to the organisation, and others are on a long-term loan. Most of them have had colourful pasts, and many carry health issues that are carefully monitored and minded.

Eileen explains that: “All ridden work is at a walk, sessions are 30 minutes long and each horse or pony’s workload is carefully managed. For groundwork sessions, there are two minis, an unrideable rescue pony, and a couple of Mary’s ponies who have proved to be very good at showing people what they need to know.”

Eileen believes that Ireland is at least 20 years behind countries like the US and Germany in the recognition and appreciation of equine-assisted work. “Micro-social enterprises like Horses Connect struggle to stay afloat because horses are expensive. In addition, the therapeutic horse riding work is labour intensive. Each 30-minute session involves at least two people – a leader and a coach – and some riders need up to five people involved in the session.

“Applying for and managing grants is a job in itself. Horses Connect has stopped applying for most of the bigger grants because they require that the organisation spends the money first and then claims it back from the grant-maker.

“However, smaller grants such as those from SSE and the local authorities have enabled Horses Connect to provide free or low-cost services to clients of CAMHS, Galway Simon, and other agencies working with at-risk youth.”

Little miracles

Every day, Eileen and Mary are privileged to witness their horses and ponies bring about tiny miracles that, in reality, are enormous milestones for individuals and their families. It could be a first word, first sentence, first eye contact or first time following an instruction from a non-verbal child.

Horses Connect is a small non-profit social enterprise with clients from Galway city and the surrounding counties. The demand for therapeutic horse riding and equine-assisted services currently exceeds the ability to meet it.

According to Eileen, therapeutic horse riding has become an umbrella term for any activity that puts a person with a disability onto a horse, even if the trainer or riding instructor has no qualifications in or knowledge of disability awareness, and this is something Eileen and Mary want to address:

“Based on our knowledge of training, years of experience, high standards and professional qualifications, Mary and I have designed a practical course to train experienced horse people in the design and delivery of therapeutic horse riding, and basic equine assisted learning sessions. At the end of the year-long course, students will be accredited by the Association for Coaching as qualified therapeutic riding and equine-assisted learning coaches. They will be able to offer quality services in their locality. A horse will always teach you something about yourself if you’re open and willing to learn.”