This fall, we have two completely full equine sessions, which means that 56 children will participate in our equine sessions!
During each session, children start out by getting to know their horse. After learning the ground rules of how to approach a horse and the importance of staying calm, they learn how to brush and tack up their horse.
Then, they spend 30 to 40 minutes riding, before putting everything away and brushing their horse again.
One of the main goals of our equine riding program is helping children build confidence and helping them learn to regulate their emotions. Janelle Willis, Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Equine Director, shared that she has been empowering children to feel confident in themselves and their skills, especially if they have participated in a past session.
“It’s been cool to literally hand them the reigns,” Janelle said. “When they ask for help, I encourage them to try it by themselves, because they know how to do it. They can come get me if they need help, but you can see them build confidence as they are riding when they are more confident doing things on the ground.”
Janelle also shared that it has been a privilege to see children who are timid pushing themselves to gain new skills and leave sessions feeling proud of themselves:
“There are moments when I see the joy on their face as they’re riding, and you can see that they’re getting it.”
You can give to our equine program and earn 50% YOP tax credits!
If you are interested, please call 573-874-0179. Learn more here.
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