Shine for Life

Q.R. is a 16 year old Caucasian Female who was brought to Equine Assisted Therapy by her parents. She had reluctantly agreed to come as an alternative to being grounded for a month as discipline for oppositional behavior and dishonesty with her parents.

Both parents, as well as a younger brother, attended a weekend session of nine hours but participated as observers only. Their feedback was elicited only with Q.’s permission. The mother had adjustment problems as a teen and riding lessons had helped her through that difficult period. She was hopeful that interaction with horses would help her child as well. Q. was less optimistic, but willing to "waste a weekend instead of a month".

During the course of the weekend, Q. was able to identify the results of trusting herself to trust her reactions, the trust her parent’s trust of her, and to openly identify successes and places where she needed support, instruction and guidance. Communication was opened between parents and siblings. Resentments and intrusions in boundaries were addressed in the context of behaviors exhibited in interactions with the horse, and how effective those behaviors were in goal attainment.
Q. called the next week to report that relationships in the family "were less weird" and that she was getting to like her brother "sometimes". The family was planning to hike one of the local trails that weekend, and Q. was anticipating the time with pleasure.

One month later, the mother reported that Q. had not been a truant at school, nor was she defiant at home. Although she argued about restrictions, she was no longer hostile, nor physically aggressive. The parents reported that home life was more harmonious and that the parental relationship was less distressed because they were practicing things they had observed in the round pen.

horse therapy, equine assisted learning, healing horses

Case Studies