Schooling with Horses
Brook Hill Farm offers professional Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and traditional tutoring to local at-risk youth, both boys and girls, struggling with academics. This program offers many different activities involving the rescue horse as a partner, both under saddle and on the ground. Educators, a counselor, and a riding instructor develop an Individual Horse Program for each student, based on their individual needs. Skills taught in the riding arena are riding skills, academics, self-mastery, empathy, resilience. Special emphasis is placed on teaching life skills that improve socialization, relationship building. The EAL learning process is planned and guided by experienced instructors, with the goal of increasing the participant’s social competence and positive behavior.
Horses are prey animals and therefore provide immediate, meaningful feedback of non-verbal behavior, mirroring the behavior and ultimate mood of the students interacting with them. Skills taught in the riding arena are riding skills, academics, self-mastery, empathy, resilience. Special emphasis is placed on teaching life skills that improve socialization and relationship building. The Equine Assisted Learning process is planned and guided with the goal of increasing the participant’s social competence and positive behavior. They then transfer the skills and positive behavior they learn in the arena with the horses, to the classroom, in order to improve their grades at school.
The sessions are led by an educator, with the help of a counselor, both trained in equine assisted learning. The participants work on their academics in the classroom, while they are at the farm, receiving tutoring and study assistance, and encouragement to put forth their best efforts on assignments.
“I only like to go to school on farm day because I get to see my horse. I plan to bring him home on the school bus one day….”
These at-risk youth are appointed by the school system and the farm is proud that three of the students have graduated high school!
Congratulations to a job well done!
If you would like more information about this program or any of the other Equine Assisted Activities, please email us at secretary@brookhillfarm.org