HORSE REHABILITATION

How does the Horse Rehabilitation Mentorship programme work?

Many of our horses are either rescue horses or come to us in need of rehabilitation. By using a natural horsemanship based training approach we guild the teenagers through a rehabilitation mentorship programme, helping them gain valuable skills that they can use in the future with their own horse, turn into a career or take the skills they have learnt and apply them to other areas of their life.

Our trained facilitators work 1-1 with the teenagers, acting as a mentor during the programme and are there to support them and guild them in creating a bond, developing a partnership and overcome any challenges that arise along the way.

Who is it for?

The rehabilitation mentorship programme is open to teenagers by invitation only due to suitability, the length of time this project runs and our availability. If you have someone who you think would benefit from this project, please get in touch.

For the purpose of these session the pony will be the teenagers own pony. They will be solely responsible the ponies care, wellbeing (mental, emotional and physical) and training. They will be guided through the process and supported in rehabilitating their pony and training them to be a lovely partner and a therapy pony or to go off and be a private horse if that is more appropriate for the horse.

Although no horse experience is necessary, we will show you everything you need to know, an interest in horse development and training is essential.

What happens in a session?

Each session will vary from session to session depending on the horses needs and where the teenager is at that day. Some sessions will be horsemanship bases, some learning new skills, some theory based and some spending time getting to know their horse better and building trust.

The one common theme is they the sessions will follow a training programme for both the horse and the teenager, ensuring that they are set up for success, and of course being safe and having fun.

Around the learning they will also take care of their horse including mucking out, feeding, grooming, and turning out/bring in.

Are they weather dependant?

The short answer is no! In the nice, dry weather we hold our session outside in a paddock or stable yard. However if it is raining, cold or windy, we have a lovely big indoor barn in which to get away from the weather.

One of the important lessons is that the horse needs looking after in all weather conditions, so unless it is unsafe for you to get to us, we will be there!

How long are the sessions?

We don't have a strict time slot for these sessions. We stop when the right point has been reached rather than when the clock dictates. The training time for the horse is never normally longer then a hour, however the young person could be with us for a few hours caring for the horse. This is something that is organised on a week-by-week individual case in conjunction with the parents/carers

When do they take place?

We offer sessions during school hours and after school as well as Saturdays. Sessions during school hours are available fairly quickly, however after school and Saturdays are more in demand. We have found that most schools will allow children time during the day to attend.

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