Arie

Want To Meet Arie?  

Did you know that horses have 17 facial expressions to communicate their feelings or actions?  They are in continual communications with each other and with anyone that is interacting with them.   

So, who is Arie?  He is a 16-year-old Arab Paint Horse who is very curious and doesn’t hide his emotions.  He is friendly, loving, funny, and wants to make friends if he can trust you.  So, developing that safe leadership role is important to him.  That is why during a horse session, Arie will probably walk away from you because he doesn’t know if he can trust you yet.

You have to be present when dealing with a 1000 lb. animal.  You can’t be distracted; you have to stay in the moment, be focused, and aware.  Horses help us to become better communicators, teach us how to strive to be more confident and to trust.  Horses remind us to stay in the present!



Rollin

Want To Meet Rollin? 

So, who is Rollin?  He is a 17-year-old Morgan Horse who is calm, friendly, confident, and a herd leader.  That is why during a horse session he may challenge your actions even though you thought he trusted you.  In that way, you have to establish confidence in your body language and clear communications so that you are making friends on your terms. In other words, Rollin needs a clear plan and a routine (like our teenagers need) and you need to stick to that plan to get what you want accomplished.

So come down on the farm and meet Arie and Rollin for yourself and learn from the best teachers.   


Arie teaching teamwork grooming skills  

Horses are Incredible Teachers

Dogs and horses may be the typical stars for animal-assisted therapy programs, but at Tamarack Farm HorsePowerment, my horses take it one step further.  Here on the farm, Arie, an Arab/Paint and Rollin, a Morgan work side by side with students and adults with an array of disabilities and social-emotional difficulties to exercise self-control, improved communication skills, and confidence in order to lead healthy and positive lives.  Each session is designed to meet the goals of the individual, thus the horses’ calm, engaging personalities put the participants at ease and enable them to practice new skills in a judgement-free environment.  As my participants learn more about engaging with my horses, they are strengthening their own abilities in patience, perseverance, self-confidence, and relationship-building.  Interacting with horses also help participants better understand how their actions affect others by how the horse responds to them.  Arie and Rollin are always showing off their personality and charm which just brings out the best in everyone.     

Horse Hugs!

Stress and Depression and Horses

According to the Psychological Association, the stress in American statistics for 2018 showed ages 18-33 (millennials) and ages 34-47 (Gen Xers) report the highest average stress levels.  Americans are stressed to the point of developing a chronic illness.  Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, depression, a common mental disorder, affects 300 million people globally.  Depression is the leading case of disability worldwide.  

There are many ways to seek out assistance, however more folks are leaning towards alternative ways to cope with stress and depression.  One of these ways is participating in an equine assisted learning program.  At my facility, Tamarack Farm HorsePowerment, LLC, learn from the horses how to cope with everyday stressors and relieve depressive tendencies.  Interacting with my horses in an equine program will help the participant focus on the task to be able to accomplish the goal.  These activities enable the person to learn how to stay in the moment and take a leadership role and take control of the situation.  Given time, developing this state of mindfulness will transfer when faced with challenges and stressors after leaving my facility.