Horse Play at Wild Heart Farm
Horse Play is our experiential learning program that uses interactions and developing relationships between children and horses in an environment that is fun and encourages self-discovery.
Horse Play sessions offer a supportive and safe environment for children to engage with horses in a way that boosts self-esteem and self-awareness, emotional awareness, and teaches about the good feeling that comes from care of "other" as well as self within that building of trust, compassion, and respectful relationship.
What does a Horse Play session look like?
They are individual sessions, with one participant working with Julie and one or more of the Wild Heart herd. They take place in our round pen area or our horse activity pasture. Each session lasts about an hour to 1.5 hours.
The focus is not on horsemanship or learning to ride a horse, although participants do learn a lot about horses and horse care as a natural part of the experience.
The focus is on building relationship. Within this context, wonderful life skills like good communication can develop, and a cultivation of positive aspects of ourselves, like compassion, generosity, forgiveness, appreciation, naturally happens.
Energy and Emotions
Horse Play sessions teach a lot about emotions. Because horses are so good at processing all their sensory information and responding, they are excellent teachers of this for humans. Learning that our emotions are simply information to be understood...there are no bad or good emotions. They are just indications of what's going on inside of us. An emotion can be recognized and felt, understood effectively, and expressed constructively. Being with horses with intentions of fostering self-awareness and greater well being offers a dynamic arena for growth.
From Participants and Parents...
"My son looked forward to going to the farm with the horses and Julie more than any other activity in his week. He could have had a bad day at school, but the environment at the farm seemed to soothe him and he always left with a smile on his face."
- Mother of a past participant
"I just love Nate!"
-participant