EQUINE-ASSISTED LEARNING
The Equine-Assisted Learning program at Holbrook Indian School (HIS) goes beyond simply learning how to ride. Working with horses fosters social and emotional healing and growth. Many of our students who have experienced trauma have a mistrust of people and themselves, but as they provide care for the horses, they begin to feel a connection with them. Fred Bruce, founder and former teacher of the program, said he always told students that “they can share any secrets they have with the horses. And they don’t have to worry—the horses won’t repeat it.”
While the Equine-Assisted Learning program teaches students how to groom, feed, and ride, there is also an important relational aspect to working with horses, and the students learn how to use their natural aides to communicate with a horse. Additionally, they learn how to exercise the horses, read their body language, and conduct ground work. As they work with them, the students learn boundaries, teamwork, cooperation, body language, trust, and patience.
Fred Bruce, founder of the Equine-Assisted Learning program
Fred Bruce, founder of the Equine-Assisted Learning program, talks about the benefits for students that working with horses provides.
Meet Troy
Troy is a confident and driven young man with aspiring ambitions. However, when he first set foot on our campus as a freshman, he was a different person. Troy was extremely behind in his academics, timid, and anxious. However, he had a natural affinity toward animals that led him to take Equine-Assisted Learning classes all four years. It was through horsemanship and working with Fred Bruce that Troy began to gain confidence, become a leader, and find his place in life. A 2017 graduate, he hopes to return to HIS someday to teach horsemanship and vocational arts.
Meet Jasmine
Former student Jasmine was determined to get off the reservation. She came to Holbrook Indian School, and it became a place she called home. During her time at HIS, she loved to be around the horses because she felt more like herself. “I have no reason to be afraid of a horse because they’re just horses,” she said. For Jasmine, Equine-Assisted Learning classes were peaceful, silent, and safe.
Support Equine-Assisted Learning
When you give to the Equine-Assisted Learning program, you help students like Troy and Jasmine gain confidence and discover their potential by working with these beautiful creatures. You are giving them the opportunity to overcome trauma and a mistrust of people that may be holding them back.
To find out more about the needs of the Equine-Assisted Learning program, contact us.