SARATOGA SPRINGS — Implementing skills taught during a therapy session may be challenging when faced with a stimulating situation in the real world. Equine Assisted Learning services (EAL) is a growing field where individuals can participate in horse guided exercises where they can practice said management skills.
Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS), which was established in February of 2018, aids retired racehorses in establishing a purpose post racing, as most horses are only two to three years old when their career ends.
“There’s a lot of rescue facilities but not too many that are giving them a second purpose in life. “So that’s what we really do - we rescue retired racehorses, then we rehabilitate them through training,” said Jessica Wiley, Community Relations Specialist at THS.
After completing training through O.K Corral, an organization dedicated to aiding professionals in the practice of equine-assisted work, these retired and rescued horses are able to be a vital instrument in the mental health field.
“The horses themselves go through training so that they are able to tolerate young children, people with special needs as well as older adults; we work a lot with veterans, so individuals that have PTSD,” said Wiley. “The horses themselves have to be calm, have to be able to be comfortable around individuals of that population.”
Specifically, what the horses do are evoke feelings in the patient or stimulate situations where the patient must now use their behavioral, or management therapy training. These sessions are guided by the client’s trained therapist and an equine specialist.
THS partners with licensed mental health therapists to provide such services to the community. Most commonly their clients are existing patients of ECS Psychological services, but THS does work with clients from other practices who are trained through O.K Corral.
This October – with dates to come – THS will host an open house where the community can witness first hand the facilities and an equine therapy demonstration.
