We are so encouraged and impressed by our Summer Riding participants! Our Summer Riding program is a trauma-informed horsemanship course that is free for children in foster care and their families. During the first session of the summer, 57 children are participating and reaching new goals.
Janelle Willis, our equine specialist, says that working with horses helps children learn important values.
“I think interacting with horses helps children learn how to be responsible, how to share with other riders, and how to be aware of their surroundings,” Janelle said. “It also helps them learn how to be in control of their emotions and actions. They learn how to respect not only the horse, but the other riders, teachers, and people in general.”
Each child receives approximately 30 hours of training, and our 2:1 child-to-instructor ratio ensures they are getting quality and safe teaching.
“Seeing [kids] experience and learn things with a horse for the first time brings joy to my heart,” Janelle said. “One of my favorite memories was seeing the look on one of the rider’s faces during her first ride. Her face lit up and was smiling. She was so happy and having the time of her life.”
Working with horses builds empathy, self-confidence, and self-esteem (Purewal et al., 2017). Janelle says she has seen many examples of children developing these skills over the course of the program.
“When a child takes care of a horse, they form a bond with that animal,” Janelle said. “If the animal gets scared, injured, or bothered by something, the child is concerned about it and shows empathy towards the animal. I have also seen self-confidence and self-esteem increase when a child overcomes a fear or accomplishes a task with their horse—whether that be directing the horse while riding, learning how to tack up or pick hooves, or trotting for the first time. I have also seen a couple of the older kids help the younger kids and that has been encouraging to watch.”
We are so proud of everyone who has participated in the first session of the Summer Riding program!
Our next session begins on July 5.
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