The joy of horses was brought to children and adults, who were in need of an uplifting experience, after a thoughtful collaboration between three EATA graduates.
Siobhan Way, Ella Richardson and Bluey Gilkes recently came together to provide an equine-assisted group therapy session to participants of the Kids Foundation’s annual Camp TANGO Noosa experience.
Camp TANGO (Together Achieving New Goals and Opportunities) is a recovery camp that supports children, adolescents and young adults who have experienced life-changing injury, medical conditions and trauma.
During the two-day camp, participants took part in a wide range of meaningful recreational activities across the Sunshine Coast.
Siobhan, who runs Maleny Equine Assisted Therapy, was initially approached by the Kids Foundation and asked to provide an equine experience to Camp Tango’s 25 participants.
The participants ranged from children, as young as four, to adults of all different abilities, including some who were living with debilitating illnesses.
Siobhan was really keen to help the Kids Foundation but didn’t have all the facilities at her property to host everyone.
Instead, she turned to another EATA graduate, Bluey Gilkes, who had the ideal set up.
“I remembered Bluey’s place (Sunshine Farm Eudlo) from when the Animal Therapies Limited fundraiser was held there.
I remembered how great it was and how accessible it was for wheelchairs.”
Bluey was away, due to a prior commitment, but her partner stepped in and opened up Sunshine Farm – and all its animals – to the camp’s participants and their volunteers.
Bluey and Siobhan also reached out to another EATA graduate Ella Richardson, who runs Meet Me In The Meadow, and asked if she would be interested in helping to run the equine-assisted group therapy session.
Ella said she jumped at the chance to work alongside Siobhan at Bluey’s beautiful practice for such a worthwhile cause.
With Ella onboard to help, Siobhan put an equine-assisted group therapy session together within two days that catered to all the camps’ participants.
She divided everyone into three equal groups of various ages, abilities and disabilities, while recognising that each person was on their own recovery journey.
Each group had interactions with miniature ponies, a large horse named Arrow and Sunshine Farm’s numerous animals, including goats, chickens and dogs.
Siobhan said her approach was to keep the experience simple and not go too deep into the therapy side of things but rather focus on connection and intent.
“It was about that connection and being seen and heard for who you are, regardless of your disability or what you have experienced in life.
Horses – and all animals – are amazing like that, they see through the scars and just see you for who you are.”
She and Ella invited participants to notice their own wants and needs when they were in the presence of a horse, such as a need for connection or a need for space.
They also talked about the horses’ wants and needs, and how they are expressed through their body language.
This included looking for ears that were pricked forward showing curiosity or ears pointing back indicating discomfort, a lowered head showing ease, or a step back signalling the need for space.
Siobhan said some incredible interactions unfolded.
“There was a really beautiful moment when a young girl in a wheelchair said, ‘I just want to pat that beautiful horse’s nose’.
Then the horse – who was only a young mini, which had never seen a wheelchair before – responded by putting its nose on her wheelchair table.”
Ella said it was amazing to not only witness the participants’ joy, excitement, growth and learning but also to watch how the horses responded and interacted.
“Some of the horses had not been up close to wheelchairs before, and it was so special to see them curiously and gently explore.
Several times, the ponies rested their heads on the wheelchair tables so they could receive pats and cuddles.
There were also a number of times the horses co-regulated with the group by snorting to remind us all to take a deep breath in and out.”
Both EATA graduates said the overall experience was beautiful and inspiring and reminded them of the power of equine-assisted therapy.
Siobhan was also grateful that she and Ella could draw on Jane’s training at EATA, which had equipped them with the skills and expertise to deliver equine-assisted therapy sessions to large and diverse groups of people.
Kids Foundation Founder and CEO Dr Susie O’Neill said the equine-assisted therapy session was a highly beneficial experience for all the children.
“The bigger horse that was there was really intuitive around the children.
A lot of the children were scared of some of the other animals, like the chickens, but they always came back to the horses, where they seemed to be the most calm.
It was really professionally run and they (Siobhan and Ella) could speak to the children in a way which helped them to understand the animals.”
