Horse Assisted Learning & Therapy Inc.

We have had many incredible moments during sessions that remind us why horses are such amazing partners in our programs. Here are just a few:

 

 

One of our young clients loves sensory input, so when he was ready to begin mounted therapy we chose Sequoia to be his steed. Sequoia is a sweetheart with a bit of a faster walk, which we believed would provide our client with the input he needed to succeed in sessions. However, when he began riding, he became nervous that Sequoia was walking too quickly. She quickly noticed this and almost immediately slowed down her movements to help her client feel more comfortable on her back. Now he is one of our most confident riders and Sequoia is back to her swift stepping now that the fear has disappeared. What an amazing horse!

 

Another client came to us with a very strong wariness of animals. Whether dogs, cats or horses, he wanted nothing to do with them. We started him off gently, letting him come up to our sweet pony Gunner by himself. Slowly but surely, our client became more comfortable around the horses. Now, he will go straight to the horses if one of them is out and will pitch a fit when we finish with our mounted sessions. Gunner's ability to always stay calm and still was key to helping this client enjoy the wonders of horses. Special thanks to Roca, our therapy dog in-training, who helped this client become more comfortable around dogs by turning away and standing still while the client pet his tail!