Brook Hill Farm has an ongoing research project testing the effectiveness of using Equine Assisted Learning in Education combined with traditional tutoring to address the problem of adolescents dropping out of high school. If major threats to youth are those adversities that undermine basic protective systems for development, then efforts to promote competence and resilience in at-risk children should focus on strategies that protect or restore the efficacy of these basic systems.
Equine Assisted Learning in Education is a relatively new field. With the partnership of an educator and a horse, students can develop competence and resiliency, with the horse providing immediate and meaningful feedback. The learning process is planned and guided, with the youth being able to address and alter their inappropriate behaviors in a new and challenging environment.
The youth develop competence and resilience through deliberate practice with horses and are able to transfer those skills back into the classroom. In the classroom the youth receive academic help with a licensed teacher in the subjects they struggle with.
To date, Brook Hill has a 100% graduation rate among its members. Currently there is a pronounced lack of quantitative research on this subject to substantiate the effectiveness of Equine Assisted Learning in Education.
This research has been presented at a number of international and national conferences, including the 2018 HETI (Horses in Education and Therapy International) conference in Dublin, Ireland, at the 2018 PATH Intl. (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemen International) conference, and at the 2019 IAHAIO (International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations) conference.
To get a copy of the entire study, secretary@brookhillfarm.org