Young people and children with behavioural and emotional difficulties
Case histories and reports
All names have been changed to protect individuals' identities.
Brief report on Adam
When Adam first arrived at Hopethruhorses, he was listless and disinterested. He made no effort to communicate or be part of the group. He refused to acknowledge the horses and wanted no part in the time we spent in their company.
Adam was persuaded quite forcefully to change his attitude by the curiosity of one of our equine assistants, Gus. The horses here are very people orientated and are especially interested in the unusual or in those who replicate their energy. With no pressure or encouragement Adam and Gus formed an immediate and firm bond. Gus accepted Adam as his equal, seeing him as a mirror of himself.
Gus is capable of extreme disrespect, having had a harsh start in life with endless, neglectful, ignorant, thoughtless, quite cruel and unsympathetic owners. He has scant regard for people and enjoys his own company so long as he has the safety of the herd nearby. He is disinterested unless there is food on offer and has trouble with his temper and generally lacks concentration.
Adam came to life in Gus’ company and agreed to groom him and after just one session attempted to clean out his hooves. Adam started communicating with us and his attitude changed. He listened and asked questions and joined in all the activities. Gus reflected this change by working with him willingly and respectfully.
Adam is a pleasure to have around and he has shown he can express himself very effectively. He has gained confidence in himself and his abilities and is capable of patience, kindness and thoughtfulness. Adam thrived in the freedom offered by the Hopethruhorses’ environment and the acceptance and absence of judgment he felt from Gus.
Brief report on David
After only a few weeks of coming to me, David showed me signs of deep empathy, kindness, patience, generosity, compassion, gentleness, appreciation, humility and enthusiasm. He loved the animals and enjoyed talking to them. He has never been able to deal with a structured session, but instead has enjoyed incorporating an interest in photography and video making with positive and beneficial time with the horses.
He is never been anything other than gentle with the animals and until very recently has shown concern for those with difficulties or illness. The last two weeks he has become less tolerant and on Friday took almost no interest at all in any of the horses or the dogs. He seemed generally frustrated and detached. Where he would previously have shown empathy, he now shows indifference.
At the end of the session I asked him if he had had enough of coming to see us, assuring him it was absolutely fine if it he had and that we all need to move on sometimes and try different things. He ran a few yards away and recorded a message on the mobile phone I leant him, saying he really wanted to continue.
What I noticed most was his need to run away again, he had overcome that need and was engaging with us all brilliantly. He reminded me of the troubled horses I work with; they come from backgrounds of aggression, neglect and emotional abuse. These horses lose the ability to cope with pressure of any kind, physical or mental and their response is to fight or run. The only answer for these horses is to take away all pressure and re-introduce it when they are ready to accept it.
Brief report on Josh
Interestingly Jack was immediately drawn to the head of our herd, Comet. Comet uses his inner rather than physical strength and is a kind, just but firm leader. He is respectful and commands respect, acting at all times with dignity and decorum. Jack had no trouble treating him in exactly the same way.
Jack communicated verbally, very little. He quietly and confidently worked on Comet, grooming him and attending to his feet. Comet in return behaved like a gentleman and appreciating the respect and thoughtful attention he was being given.
Comet’s sheer size and strength and his complete acceptance of his young handler has helped Jack to gain confidence in himself and his inner strength. He is a natural around the horses; gentle but assertive, patient, quiet and calm. As the sessions progressed Jack learned how to use those skills to gain control and manage his body language to communicate with the horse. He quickly understood how to change his behaviour to effect a different response from Comet.
Jack took his duties with Comet very seriously but enjoyed learning through the games and activities we played during the sessions. He applied himself with quiet enthusiasm, drawing the best out of the horse and boosting his own self esteem. He has extraordinary levels of focus and concentration, qualities highly respected by the horses.
Jack has been a real joy to work with and his kindness, gentleness, quiet focus and deep interest in the horses have highlighted his huge potential.
Brief report on Simon
Simon has had 5 sessions at Hopethruhorses and during that time l seen him make some remarkable changes to both his behaviour and his ability to express himself.
Simon has become increasingly articulate and sympathetic, using these skills with intelligence and thought. The horses highlight this by responding to his quietly directed instructions, with respect and gentleness. Simon is fascinated and genuinely interested in how horses think and is capable of great insight and kindness around them. He freely shows affection to the horses and talks of them fondly.
Simon has progressively gained confidence and belief in his own ability. He has a real love of the horses and has formed a strong bond with one in particular. With exceptional patience and perseverance Simon has built an extraordinary relationship with his chosen horse, Wynner, based on trust and mutual respect.
He understands how his behaviour and attitude affects the horses’ response and how he can use his inner rather than physical strength to get the horses respect. Simon is gentle around the horses and has acquired the art of being assertive without resorting to aggression. He has learned how to gain respect through true empathy, listening and observing and has seen it rewarded and reciprocated.
Simon is a pleasure to have around and is incredibly willing to help and has learned rapidly through trial and error. He understands that if something isn’t working, trying something else is more likely to end in a positive result.
The changes in Simon have been extremely positive and encouraging. He is a very different, much happier and more secure person.
Jon's case history
January 2011
When Jon first came to us he was suspicious, cautious and full of pent up frustration and anger. Jon would hit the horses and send them away with the rope or a stick. He never did this with malice or any great energy; more to see how they or I would react.
Jon is a thinker and will often come back to things a while later having considered them. He hides so much but the horses accept him willingly and without judgement despite his treatment of them and he gains a huge amount from that. He is more confident, less aggressive, and able to show kindness towards them. He has admitted to some of his fears and has shown ability for deep empathy and understanding. Jon is far gentler and thrives on affection and approval.
Over the weeks he has learned that showing aggression has not ended in reprisal but in forgiveness - the horses always come back to him. He has listened and understood how it feels for the horses to be treated that way. He always listens and likes to understand, but still finds it very hard to show any affection. He has no interest in grooming or stroking them, preferring to be practical and clean hooves or lead them purposefully.
Jon is very curious and loves to know; he is fascinated by the horses, but feels the need to be in control of them and to dominate. He has softened towards them and is genuinely distressed by some of the physical and emotional problems some of my horses have had to overcome.
The wall Jon has built around himself does not allow him to acknowledge fear – either his own or ones he is confronted with - he will instead pretend not to care but very quickly hand the situation over to me. He will do the same when he thinks he is unable to complete and task. This has improved and he will undertake tasks he would previously have avoided.
Jon is very determined and single minded but he will always comply if he understands the reasoning behind a request. He is extremely good at listening and perseverance works every time when he digs his heels in.
Jon is a pleasure to work with and his fascination for the horses is having a very positive effect on his attitude.
November 2011
Jon has been coming to me now for nearly a year and during that time l seen him make some extraordinary and remarkable changes to both his behaviour and his ability to express himself.
Jon has become articulate and sympathetic, using these skills with intelligence and thought. The horses highlight this by responding to his quietly directed instructions, with respect and gentleness. Jon is fascinated and genuinely interested in how horses think and is capable of great insight and kindness around them. He freely shows affection to the horses and talks of them fondly, where previously he would have ignored the idea of rewarding them, hit them or sent them away.
Jon’s confidence and belief in his own ability has become increasingly evident. He understands how his behaviour and attitude affects the horses’ response and how he can use his inner rather than physical strength to get the horses moving. He has learned to be assertive without resorting to aggression.
Jon is a pleasure to have around and is incredibly willing to help and has learned rapidly through trial and error. He understands that if something isn’t working, trying something else is more likely to end in a positive result.
Jon listens and asks thoughtful questions. He loves to watch and observe the herd and understand their different needs and personalities. On one occasion recently, temptation proved too much for him, Jon resorted to using some of his own less than empathetic methods on one of our latest arrivals. This horse has some deep seated insecurities of his own and was frightened by Jon. I explained how our job is to teach the horse to trust us and feel secure, seeing us as his friend. Jon was genuinely upset by what he had done and his apology was heart-felt. He enjoys looking after them and helping them feel happy and comfortable. He likes them to like him.
The changes in Jon have been extremely positive and encouraging. He is a very different, much happier more secure child to the one that came to me at the beginning of the year.
David - Six week foundation program
Summary of David’s Progress
- Communication and articulation skills have improved.
- David is beginning to listen and observe.
- He is showing a willingness to remain with a task rather than run from it.
- David’s is offering to work with me, without the need for persuasion.
- Attentive and interested when he feels he is capable and in control.
- David has a natural kindness and empathy with animals and this is becoming increasingly evident.
- David is capable of deep compassion.
- He is beginning to show a desire to learn more – asking relevant questions.
- David has an amazing eye for detail - he notices things most of us would miss.
- He is more focused and less inclined to be distracted.
- The horses highlight and bring out the best in David. They have no expectations of him.
- David has proved himself to be a polite, thoughtful and caring child.
- David’s behaviour has been exemplary throughout the six weeks.
January 5th – session 1
I was warned that David was a very different personality and had learned to build a strong defence around him self, which appeared to be impenetrable.
I took him for a walk around the land: he loved to run, so I let him. What we do here is about finding ways to be free of the past and if running helps in a new situation, it’s good. He loved touching and playing with the dogs and being allowed some freedom certainly helped him to adjust to the environment. David wanted to be independent, but was willing to follow me when it made sense to him to do so and when the dogs did too.
Although he loved to run, he never ran away.
Took him to see the horses and explained to him about being prey animals and that their eyes were on the side of their heads because they needed to see all around them. He listened to that with interest.
Bronwen and Wynner stood side by side and I walked between them, explaining if you talk to the horses and love them they are never a danger. You can walk safely between them and behind them, because they do not feel you are a threat.
David liked to play with the dogs, but tended to fixate on the games they were playing. I asked him to help me with Gus, who has been very unwell – laminitus and diarrhea. He volunteered to look after Gus for me while we prepared food for him and then fed him. He did so with great tenderness and kindness.
He shared some of Gus’s food with the others, but behaved beautifully with them all the time and was very gentle with both the dogs and the horses.
January 12th session 2
David’s face is fascinating; his eyes are like those of my largest gelding Comet. He appears to be relating and responding but his face remains closed.
A horse when asked to take on more than it can cope with emotionally will shut down and the eyes become soul less. In other cases their eyes look deeply troubled but yet they will give love to their perpetrators to an extraordinary degree.
David has the most incredible ability to care; he is extremely loving and has a real affinity with the dogs. The horses too respond very positively to his gentle kindness. He shows several anxieties over perceived danger and of hurting the horses when performing certain tasks with them.
We walked down to the stream and his powers of observation are remarkable. He found three tiny ladybirds wrapped up in a bramble leaf and was thrilled by the discovery. He also discovered fungi, which were so tiny and camouflaged no one but he would have found.
Much more relaxed this time; it was interesting his need to run last week. The need to run away from anxiety is instinctive and very animal like - running is a release. Most people will bottle up their fear rather than let it take its natural course. A horse will run away from danger until they feel safe and then totally relax.
We spent quite a while just being with the horses, enjoying their peaceful healing company; touching and smelling them. He was patient and gentle with them, showing a real empathy and kindness towards them.
We did their feet and I explained how big an ‘ask’ it is for a horse to pick up its feet as this takes away their freedom to run from danger.
David talked to me, listened to me and was a joy to be with.
January 19th session 3
David was in a lovely mood today, attentive and thoughtful. We completed our relaxing walk along by the stream, talking all the way about what we were seeing. He is good at listening and takes on board everything that’s said.
The horses were congregated in a group and we walked amongst them talking to each one. We discussed their personalities and how they view life. We are predators walking amongst prey animals as are the dogs and it takes a great deal of empathy to get the best out of a horse.
Being in a group of horses and learning to stay safe within that group takes careful observation and understanding of how a prey animal thinks. Learning these skills helps with communications with people.
David has a true interest and love of the horses and is always happy to spend time with them and learn. He has a kind thoughtful nature and is always concerned the things we do to them might hurt them. He relates to them with gentleness and the horses respond to it - he gets the best from them.
We fed the horses with hay and he was careful to make sure they all had a fair share. I have one pony, who is always pushed away by the others. I pointed it out and he hurried to make sure it felt included.
At all times I make sure they remain safe around the horses, learning to get and give them respect. Moving the horses around while your own feet stay still is the best way to show them who is in charge. Watching body language and listening to what the horse is saying is part of every session.
This very simple interaction with horses teaches empathy, passive leadership and the need to watch and gauge the body language and actions of others.
January 26th session 4
David arrived at exactly the same time as my new addition Ebony. He was thrilled to discover he was the first one apart from me, to meet her.
Horses find it very hard to adjust to being in confined spaces - naturally they like freedom to run if danger presents itself. Travelling in a trailer is very frightening for them and Ebony had to be sedated to cope with the journey. David showed concern and I did mention his own natural need to run when faced with space and a new environment.
Being around the horses has a quietening effect on David - he can only maintain it for brief periods without having to free himself. The dogs provide a distraction, which helps him release his excess energy before returning to the horses. He very naturally changes his energy – excited around the dogs and quiet with the horses. Animals are completely free of agenda and judgement - he feels at ease with them and naturally tunes into them.
David can relate to animals in way he finds difficult with people. His tendency to appear disconnected disappears briefly when with the horses and you can see him momentarily connect with them. He finds it hard to focus, so the connection passes as he moves onto another thought.
The horses love him and are completely at ease with him. Horses look for the good in us and they see his kindness and genuine empathy. He is very natural with them and they feel his lack of incongruity.
Horses look for qualities and not faults; they are interested in honesty and kindness and will respond to it, with complete acceptance.
David needs to learn to maintain focus and become aware of his unique qualities and use them with people. The horses will help him to do that as it benefits them to do so.
February 2nd session 5
David and I spent a while in the company of the whole herd, talking to each horse individually and watching how they peacefully graze. Horses are constantly in a state of awareness, wasting no time on thoughts that don’t benefit them. Being in their company within the herd is extremely relaxing and their honesty and acceptance of us is very powerful.
David has opened up so much since being here, he feels free to be himself without judgement or criticism. The horses accept him and give him the chance to be free and natural.
David struggles to perform tasks with the horses and when asked to lead my kind and gentle mare Bronwen was unable to get her to move more than a few steps. He was un-moved by her lack of cooperation and I felt strongly the two of them had an understanding. He didn’t want her to move, failing to see the point and she simply mirrored him in agreement.
Here David can be free without conflict, preconceptions or rules; he can learn how to be the person the horses see him to be. His love of them will draw out his potential and strengths. The process will grow as he begins to see how working with them has its rewards, at the moment he finds being with them sufficient.
February 9th session 6
David was interestingly attentive today and was very keen to spend time with the horses. I asked if he would help me with Gus my laminitic pony and he willingly assisted with the preparation of his food and then made a gallant attempt at putting my complicated halters on Gus’s fairly uncooperative head.
We took Gus to his pen and the other ponies gathered around in disbelief as Gus alone ate his meal. David stroked and talked about the ponies and remained interested and with me. Previously he has taken himself for a short run before returning to a task.
We groomed Gus and I explained to him how to recognize a horse’s thoughts - it is important with Gus to acknowledge and respect his irritable personality. He is a fabulous pony to work but needs acceptance and close observation. He teaches, children in particular how to gain respect by being respectful and how to gauge a situation by watching closely.
David took the grooming very seriously and watched Gus closely. He stopped what he was doing when he noticed Gus’s less than appreciative reaction and continued when he felt it was safe to do so. He completely accepted Gus the way he was without suggesting we select a different pony and without criticism. He showed no fear of him.
We have tried doing more complicated tasks with the horses. David prefers not to try them and gives the impression of not listening to the instructions he is being given. When he clearly understands what’s expected of him and feels he is capable of complying he relaxes.
David helped me release Gus from the pen and then we walked among the herd talking to each one individually. David is quiet and respectful with them and is careful to treat them gently. We chose the biggest member of the herd, Comet to take back to the pen to groom. We had to walk the length of the field and David led Comet on the end of a long rope. I told him to watch Comet as he walked, to be aware of where all his feet were and what thoughts Comet might be having.
He led Comet respectfully and attentively, listening to what I was saying. When his attention lapsed, Comet simply stopped or looked to me for further instructions. Horses listen to us all the time. When Comet stopped David remained patient and between us we agreed to reward the horse with some food when he finally reached his destination.
When we give the horses a feed, they are only allowed to eat it after taking a respectful step backwards out of our space. Respect has to work both ways and I teach this at every opportunity. David quickly picked up on this and asked Comet to step back with gentle pressure on his chest.
During the session today, David proved himself to be thoughtful, kind and attentive. His focus on what we were doing was remarkable and he loved the interaction. The simply involvement with the horses allowed him to feel free of expectations, pressures, criticisms and judgement. David felt in confident, in control and capable of completing what was asked of him. He genuinely loves the horses and the dogs and over the weeks has become easier to communicate with.
It has taken David six weeks to feel comfortable and confident around me and the horses. He is beginning to listen to take an interest. There have been times when he needed to run or become quite obsessively distracted by the dogs, but today I had his attention for 90% of the time.
I have seen David soften, his kindness and empathy for the animals changes him when in their company. He has become more confident and his closed face has opened becoming more natural and child like. He appears to take more pleasure in being with the dogs and I as a team member.
David was surprisingly passionate in his agreement with me, that animals are easier to be with than people.
To find out more about how we can help you:
Call on 07780 675112
Or email jo@hopethruhorses.com