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Parents say experimental horse therapy is making a difference for children with special educational needs

By Callum Wright

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Parents say an experimental form of therapy encouraging children to spend time with horses and build relationships with them is helping to overcome conditions such as ADHD.

Horse therapy, or equine-assisted therapy (EAT) involves several different activities assisted by a mental health professional and equine specialist that aim to use the animal and its environment to make a difference to someone’s mental and physical health.

Types of horse therapy include therapeutic horse riding, hippotherapy (involves an occupational or physio therapist), equine-assisted learning and equine-assisted psychotherapy.

It is not currently part of NHS treatment, but research is being conducted into its effectiveness and some NHS organisations do offer it alongside traditional medicine.

The different methods aim to improve confidence, trust, social skills, anxiety and calmness and can be used to assist people with a range of mental and physical conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Cerebral Palsy.

While psychologists say due to a lack of complete research and mental health studies on the topic horse therapy cannot be used as a substitute for more evidence-based therapies, the parents of a neurodivergent child in Nottinghamshire told Notts TV they have noticed a significant difference in his life since he attended sessions.

Rachelle Stanley and Ashley Gillott have been bringing their son Jacob, who has ADHD and autism, to Nottinghamshire horse therapy centre Trotting To Happiness, for 18 months and say he has come on “leaps and bounds” since first starting the sessions with Max, his favourite horse at the centre.

“He’s [Jacob] really came out of his social circle, now he’s outgoing, when he’s at home he explodes in conversation, school’s been a big factor as well he performs very well now, before he was very reserved and wouldn’t say boo to a goose,” Rachelle said.

“He [previously] tried football, but that was a little bit overstimulating with a big group all with their own needs, so the one to one approach is a lot better,” Ashley added.

Kaye Weaver, the owner of Trotting to Happiness, also says Jacob’s progress has been noticeable.

She said: “When Jacob first came he was very shy, he wouldn’t talk to me, he wouldn’t be here on his own with me, he would only stay if mum or dad stayed and he really struggled initially to spend any time with the horses at all.

“Now he stays on his own with me, sometimes for up to two hours, he’s more communicative, much more engaging with Max and loves riding him now, just so much more relaxed and engaging and I don’t think you’d have got that just sitting in a room talking to him.”

Kaye started horse therapy by combining her two interests of horses, which she’s been around from the age of seven, and therapy, having become a registered mental health nurse in 1986.

“Not everybody fits into the box of being able to sit in a room and talk, young people in particular can find that quite difficult to sit in a clinic and talk about how they’re feeling,” she added.

“This is the opportunity where it’s not within that box, they get to come here and spend time with the horses and talk at the same time, I often say the therapy is a side effect to that as they just start talking.”

Very little scientific research has been conducted into the sector, meaning the therapy’s effectiveness remains mostly anecdotal.

However, some NHS organisations do use horse therapy sessions alongside more traditional treatment, including a hospital in Medway, Kent, which this year has been using visits from a therapy pony to try to boost patients’ wellbeing.

Several horse therapy centres are located across Nottinghamshire, including Spirit of the Phoenix, which has been run by life coach, occupational therapist and hippotherapist (a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who uses the movement of a horse to treat patients with a variety of conditions) Naomi Sharp since 2011.

Naomi, alongside her horses Buzz Lightyear and Scrumpy Jack, says she has been working with people of different backgrounds across long periods of time.

“I have been with some families for many years because I started off with their children from young and as they’ve grown up we’ve just evolved their programme to suit their new needs and challenges,” she said.

“For other people it’s been for a short intervention and they’ve managed to then springboard onto a life that’s really happy for them.”

She said: “Horses help us to do something called co-regulation, if you’ve got the right type of animal they can have a calming effect on somebody’s central nervous system, also you’ve got the physical benefits of being around the horses, if you have someone with cerebral palsy who’s not able to walk, they can borrow four legs.

“Emotionally, horses give instant and honest feedback, you will be told instantly whether you’re regulated or not, for me I find that when people have said ‘I’m ok with this but not ok with this’, the horse might actually think the other way round and will show us through their interactions.”