Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning with At-Risk Young People

297 Pages·2014·3.128 MB·English

by  Hannah Louise Burgon (auth.)

Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning
with At-Risk Young People
Equine-Assisted Therapy
and Learning with At-Risk
Young People
Hannah Louise Burgon
SironaTherapeuticHorsemanshipCIC,UK
©HannahLouiseBurgon2014
Foreword©LeifHallberg2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-3208 6 -5
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Contents
ListofIllustrations vii
Foreword viii
Preface x
Acknowledgements xi
ListofAbbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 BackgroundtoEquine-AssistedTherapyandLearning 6
2 YoungPeopleConsidered‘AtRisk’,andOverviewof‘The
Yard’andMethodsUsed 35
3 DevelopmentofSelf-ConfidenceandSelf-Efficacy,and
theOpeningUpof‘PositiveExperiences’and‘Positive
Opportunities’throughTherapeuticHorsemanship 83
4 DevelopingAttachments,EmpathyandTrustthrough
RelationshipswithHorses 105
5 TheHorse,theTherapeuticRelationshipandOther
PsychotherapeuticInsights 125
6 Horses,MindfulnessandtheNaturalEnvironment 154
7 Conclusion 190
AppendixA:ResearchProjectintoEquine-Assisted
Therapy/LearningandTherapeuticHorsemanship 207
AppendixB:ConsentForm–YoungPeople 209
AppendixC:ResearchProjectintoEquine-Assisted
Therapy/LearningandTherapeuticHorsemanship 211
AppendixD:ConsentForm–Adults 212
AppendixE:XXXXLtdTherapeuticHorsemanshipProgramme 213
v
vi Contents
AppendixF:XXXXLtdTherapeuticHorsemanshipProgramme 215
AppendixG:QuestionnaireaboutXXXTherapeuticHorsemanship
(childrenandyoungpeople) 216
AppendixH:XXXTherapeuticHorsemanshipProgramme 217
AppendixI:PhDQuestionsforYoungPeople 218
AppendixJ:TablesofParticipants 220
Glossary 222
Bibliography 223
Index 247
Illustrations
AllphotographsarebyShaunDériozandposedbymodels.
1 Makingfriends:havingascratch
2 Horsecare:plaitingamane
3 Horsecare:pickingouthooves
4 Horsecare:grooming
5 Shetlandslikehugstoo
6 Group‘invisibleleading’session
7 Exercisesintheroundpen:walkinginrhythm
8 Exercisesintheroundpen:followtheleader
9 Exercisesintheroundpen:join-up
10 Horseagility:negotiatingobstacles
11 Horseagility:buildingtrustandconfidence
12 Horseagility:crossingbridges
13 Horseagility:investigatingthebox
14 Horseagility:testingthebox
15 Horseagility:success!
16 Exercisesonhorseback:stretchingandbalance
17 Exercisesonhorseback:balanceandconfidence
18 Equine-assistededucationsession
19 Equine-assistededucationsession:Jasperthehorse
helpingwithworksheet
20 Takingsometimeouttogether
21 Goodfriends
22 Gettingtoknoweachother:handgrooming
vii
Foreword
At37yearsoldit’samazingtobeabletosaythatIrememberthebirthof
afield,butIcanandIdo.Iwasinundergraduatecollegeatthetime,a
horsewomanstudyingenvironmentaljournalism,andneverknewthat
whatIwasabouttowitnesswouldchangemylifeforever.
Inthe1990saseriesofeventstranspiredintheUSAthatwouldshift
the paradigm of the horse–human relationship. Starting with Barbara
Rector’s creation of an equine-facilitated psychotherapy programme at
SierraTucsoninTucson,Arizona,andcontinuingtoincludethesubse-
quentdevelopmentofnationalandinternationalmembershiporganisa-
tions, colleges and universities providing degrees and coursework, and
thousands of professionals offering services, the movement to include
equinesasapartofatreatmentorlearningteamwasofficiallyborn.
Iwatchedasthefieldexploded,crossingcoasttocoastandcontinent
to continent. Around the globe, people began viewing horses and the
horse–humanrelationshipdifferently.Formany,thisorientationcomes
without the need for explanation or validation. It comes from a heart-
felt sense of connection and belief. For others, research and rigorous
academicstudyholdthekeytothefield’slong-termsuccess.
Myrolewithinthisfieldhasbeennotonlytoprovideservices,delving
deeply into the felt experience of the work, but probably more impor-
tantly to act as an observer and scribe, documenting the development
oftheprofession.
It is because of this that I first came to encounter Dr Hannah Louise
Burgon.IwaswritingmyfirstbookwhenIcameacrossherresearch.In
2003,Anthorozoospublishedtheresultsofastudythatsheconducted
while at the University of Exeter in the UK, entitled ‘Case Studies of
AdultsReceivingHorse-RidingTherapy’.Thepurposeofthisstudywas
to examine the psychotherapeutic results of therapeutic riding. By the
time the article was published, a number of studies had already been
conductedwhich investigated thephysiological effects of horse-riding,
butlittlehadbeendonetounderstandthepossiblepsychologicalbene-
fits.DrBurgon’sworkwascuttingedgeandhercontributionhelpedto
movethefieldforwardsignificantly.
In reading the results of her first study, I noticed immediately that
Dr Burgon was not afraid to ask tough questions. Her enquiry into the
viii
Foreword ix
after-effectsofthetreatmentmethodwasatopicthatmanyhadveered
away from in both practitioner conversation and prior studies. She
demonstratedthatalthoughpassionateandinvested,shewasnotgoing
toallowherownopinionsanddesirestocloudherprofessionalismand
dedicationto‘real’science.
Thischaracteristicisnowseen inherfirstbook,Equine-Assisted Ther-
apy and Learning with At-Risk Young People. In this book, Dr Burgon has
interwovenexhaustiveandscholarlyresearchwithpersonalexperience
andpowerfulvignettes.Inthiswayshehasbeenabletospeakasbotha
researcherandaprovider,givingusauniqueperspectiveonthe‘how’of
thework.Equine-AssistedTherapyandLearningwithAt-RiskYoungPeople
alsoincludesbothhistoricandcurrentconsiderations,emergingtrends
and theories, and it builds a strong foundation from which to present
the research results. Dr Burgon’s work introduces an international per-
spective,andcontinuestobuildtheconceptualframeworkfromwhich
furtherstudiescanbedeveloped.
This book marks a significant contribution to our body of knowl-
edge. Dr Burgon has effectively engaged our hearts and our minds,
validatingourpersonalexperienceswhileprovidinguswithlanguageto
explainourfeelings.Iaminaweofhowfarourfieldhascomeandam
honoured to share it with such knowledgeable, thoughtful and skilled
professionalsasDrBurgon.
LeifHallberg,MA,LCP
Author/Psychotherapist/Consultant
Portland,Oregon,USA
Preface
Thisbookexplorestheexperiencesofseven‘at-risk’youngpeoplewho
participatedinauniquetherapeutichorsemanshipprogrammebasedin
theUKwheretheresearchstudytookplace.Therapeutichorsemanship
isalignedtothedevelopingfieldsofequine-assistedpsychotherapyand
equine-assistedlearning,wherehorsesareutilisedalongsideexperienced
practitionersforsocial,emotionalandlearningbenefits.
The young people who attended this programme were referred from
various organisations, including a foster care agency, youth offending
teamandapupilreferralunit,andwereconsideredtobe‘atrisk’dueto
theirvariouspsychosocialdisadvantages.Inadditiontotheyoungpeo-
ple,theviewsofsomeoftheadultsinvolvedwiththemwereincluded.
These were therapists on the therapeutic horsemanship programme,
fostercarers,ateacherandayouthoffendingteammentor.
A number of prominent themes were uncovered from the research
study. These were loosely based around issues of nurture, attachment
andtrust;socialwell-beingandresilience;identificationwiththehorse;
a ‘safe’ space and calming influence; the role of the horse in the
therapeutic arena; and the natural environment and spiritual dimen-
sions. Relevant theoretical frameworks adopted were from the risk and
resilience literature; attachment theory; psychotherapeutic literature;
mindfulness;andthenature/outdoorandecotherapyfields.
x