ANIMAL CONNECTION

In the news there has been a lot of publicity about Jaycee Dugard and what she is doing to return to a “normal” life.  Part of her healing comes from an unexpected source, horses.  There is a very deep bond between a horse and a human.

Horses react as a mirror to the person who’s with him.  He’s a prey animal so he wants to feel safe and is always on the lookout for predators. A horse will become very fearful if he’s with someone who’s aggressive, noisy, disrespectful or too controlling. On the other hand, if the person makes requests rather than demands the horse will begin to cooperate. They are always looking for a leader.

Heart of a Horse Program

There is clinical evidence that being in the vicinity of horses changes our brainwave patterns. They have a calming effect which helps stop people becoming fixated on past or negative events – giving them a really positive experience.

Research shows that many cognitive disabled, physically disabled and “at risk” youth benefit from a therapeutic riding program. Therapeutic riding is particularly effective in dealing with a variety of disabilities, such as developmental delay, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke victims, Down Syndrome, and visual or hearing impairments.

A horse is a large, strong animal.  It deserves respect while also being guided.  The mix can be a very fine line.  People can learn how to deal with a variety of emotions from being around horses.  Someone might have a lot of hidden anger and hurt inside.  From spending time with horses, and learning how to interact with them, people can overcome these very difficult emotional challenges.

There is a fine line between learning trust and getting the certain behavior you want when working with horses.  That is no different that dealing with people in this world. Once there is trust, there is a very deep bond between a horse and a human.

There are a number of wonderful organizations that do this kind of training.  “Heart of a Horse” as well as “Above and Beyond Ordinary, Inc.” are just two of the many programs.

Many of these organizations are looking for volunteers who can help care for the horses.  If you have interest, please contact your local organization.

If you would like to add your program to our “Resource/ Organization” list, please feel free to do so.

Mill Creek Farm, A Retirement Horse Farm in Florida told me:   RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES INCREASE FEED COSTS!

An unusually cold Florida winter brought with it below freezing temperatures, several frosts and iced over water troughs.

To help our horses endure, we fed extra grain and hay. Here is what our costs were to keep our horses warm for the whole month of January: 550 bales of hay, 40 rolls of hay and 11.5 tons of senior feed costing a total of $15,713.00. That works out to over $125 per horse for feed alone.  To donate, or help, click here.

P.S.  Tonight on ABC, 20/20 they will talk about Jaycee Dugard and her horse therapy.

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