A novel venture in the Isle of Man is using horses to help people combat a variety of problems from stress, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, and even attention deficit disorder.
Equine therapy is an idea which started out in America and was even featured last year in an article in the Guardian newspaper, and it’s now made its way to the Isle of Man.
Wendy Megson, who runs Manx Equitherapy at Lezayre Riding Stables at Garey Ford, Lezayre, said they had worked closely with a number of charities in the island, including Manx Blind Welfare, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Hospice Isle of Man.
She said their oldest client so far was a 97-year-old woman referred to them by the Manx Blind Welfare Society.
‘She was feeling down and the society suggested we may be able to help,’ said Wendy.
‘It was wonderful to see her working with one of our horses. She was able to walk without her sticks using the horse for support and she said it was a spiritual experience.’
The centre also works with people who have suffered brain injuries and are undergoing rehabilitation to reintegrate into normal life. We find it enables people to look at things from a different point of view. We can also work with children who have attention deficit or autism,’ she said.
In the future they hope to offer courses in caring for horses, covering skills like feeding and grooming.
Much of the therapy work centres on interacting with the horses which, she said, are extremely sensitive to people’s moods. Very few of the exercises actually involve riding.
A typical session might begin by simply observing the horses. After that, individuals may be invited to pick out an animal and bring it back.
‘At that stage we give no more away than that, so people may have to decide how to go about the task. Do they pull the horse away, bribe it by offering food, coerce it in some other way or just give up?
Wendy originally trained as a counsellor in psycho-dynamic psychotherapy and then retrained in Equine Assisted Growth and Learning.
Her team has recently produced a book called Small Steps explaining some of the methods used and there is also another book being published, called Small World, on a similar theme. See www.manxequitherapy.com