Horse Riding For A Change In Life: Equine Therapy To Help Kids
"Hi, I'm Emma. And this is Sam." The introduction was a little stiff, but it didn't take long for the kids to warm up with each other and their surroundings. "This is where we teach riding lessons," said Deb, one of the staff members at The Pony Place, Giddy Up Gold Coast. "Some people might think that's all we do here but actually we're mostly an equine therapy centre and support the grass roots development of horse riding." Deb explained how they help children and adults who have suffered trauma or struggle with anxiety by having them work with horses at the horse retreat and even grooming them every day. It's not just about horse care and groundwork -they've started teaching some of these kids how to ride as well! That feeling of sitting on a horse for the first time and feeling the power of horses, being able to breath with such a sense of accomplishment. Each week, a group of kids would come to ride the horses from the near...