PIPER’S Hill College is a co-educational second level school in Naas, Co Kildare which has over 1,000 students attending.

This year Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) - the use of horses experientially to encourage growth and learning - has been introduced as part of Junior Certificate Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and is delivered on campus, thanks to the generosity of Don McMahon and Liam Flynn of Ballymore Nass Developments Ltd who gave the school the use of a plot of land adjacent to the campus.

This initiative was the brainchild of one of the school’s teachers, Caitriona O’Meara who is also Wellbeing Coordinator for the school and featured in these pages a number of months ago for her expertise in the Monty Roberts method of training horses.

Aside from her teaching qualifications, O’Meara is an instructor of Monty Roberts methods of natural horsemanship and is a certified equine assisted learning and therapy facilitator with the Global Standard for Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Personal Development (EAGALA).

O’Meara became EAGALA-certified in 2011 and in 2012 she set up equine assisted learning sessions for students in her school, youths at risk (in conjunction with a Youth Diversion Project) and people with special needs. She works with a psychotherapist running learning and therapy sessions for people of all ages and abilities. Following on from the success of these sessions, O’Meara approached the school principal Colm O’Connor to present the idea of EAL becoming a formal part of the school’s curriculum. At the time O’Meara was completing an Entrepreneurial Educator’s Course in UCD and this would also form part of the Action Project for the course.

To O’Meara’s delight she received the full support of the school faculty and the children’s parents.

Just last week as part of the first year students’ SPHE class, O’Meara introduced EAL to the students.

HOW IT WORKS

  • Under EAGALA a mental health specialist and an equine specialist are required to facilitate a session. The mental health specialist is there to focus on the participants, in this case the students, and the equine specialist’s main focus is the horses.
  • Tasks are set out before the participants arrive.
  • Participants come in to the arena; horses are then brought in and observed. Observations are then discussed.
  • Facilitators explain the task at hand and the relevant parameters/rules involved in completing the task.
  • The participants begin the task and facilitators observe the horses’ behaviour.
  • At different stages of the task, the students are asked about the task, their roles within the group, etc. Patterns in horses’ behaviour are highlighted and metaphors for life are drawn out.
  • Participants are given the chance to analyse or reflect on what it was in them that caused the horse to react in a specific way (eg. body language, energy levels, behaviour, mood, etc).

    • The EAGALA model is based on four important components. These are as follows:

  • A team approach – mental health professional; equine specialist; and the horses.
  • All work is ground based – there is no riding.
  • Solution oriented – each participant holds the solutions to their own difficulties.
  • Code of ethics – the approach is ethic based.

    • MY VISIT

    This week I had the privilege of sitting in on the first year students’ second SPHE class incorporating EAL. Psychotherapist and counsellor Jean Robertson of Blue Feather Counselling and Psychotherapy Services was acting health specialist while O’Meara was both teacher and equine specialist the horses which were being used have vast experience in this type of work.

    The students are currently exploring the topic of ‘communication’ and this was the students’ second session on this particular topic. At the beginning of the class, students were asked to write down a strength that they have, and something that hinders them achieving a goal. They were then asked to place a label with their hindrance written on it on an obstacle (in this case a little jump) and then to place their strength label onto an object which they would have to carry with them throughout the task, the object might be a ball, cone or toy. This week’s task was to work together as a group, to get one of the two horses to step over the obstacle labelled with the students’ hindrances (which can be seen in the accompanying images).

    The students were allowed to converse with each other openly about how they were going to plan and carry out the task.

    O’Meara explained that: “Along with communication the themes we have woven in to this session are problem solving, team building, autonomy, recognising our strengths and how we use them, recognising what hinders us and how we can use our strengths to overcome them, confidence building, resilience and decision making.”

    AWARENESS

    Initially the students were given approximately 10 minutes to try and complete the task. They stood together and devised a plan before congregating near the paddock fence. Then, in pairs, the students went up to the two horses and made contact with them and showed the horses the piece of equipment that symbolised their individual strengths.

    Once the students had familiarised themselves with the horses, they then broke into small groups and tried to encourage the horses to approach the obstacle, but to no avail. After 10 minutes was up, the students had a chat with O’Meara and Robertson about how it was going and what they would do differently given another opportunity.

    The students were afforded another 10 minutes to complete the task and you could see that the students became more aware of their body language, energy levels and behaviour simply by becoming aware of how the horses reacted to them. Cause and effect situations were created and the horses gave immediate feedback, which was continuously being interpreted by O’Meara and Robertson.

    But still the students struggled to complete the task at hand.

    EUREKA MOMENT

    Once again the students were brought in to have a chat about how the task was going. They had come very close to completing the task a number of times. You could see that, having come so close, as a group they really wanted a successful outcome however, they collectively agreed that they were losing focus as a group and that this was hampering their attempts, they were then asked about their ‘strengths’ and what part they played.

    Just as the students agreed that they were going to apply their utmost attention to the task at hand and were finishing up their group discussion with O’Meara and Robertson, I looked across at one of the horses who had walked alone into the centre of the paddock to the obstacle and simply stepped over it! This moment can be seen in the accompanying images.

    The students couldn’t believe their eyes, there was a big cheer and a new found sense of strength and clarity amongst the group. For the students, they interpreted this gesture from the horse as a testament to the strength of their collective focus.

    It was a sight to behold and you could see the sense of satisfaction, comradery and pride on the students’ faces.

    SEEKING HELP

    O’Meara and Robertson told the students that they could have one more go, but first asked the students whether they had considered asking for help with the task. The students admittedly replied that they hadn’t considered asking for help but unanimously agreed that they would appreciate it. When Robertson probed the students a little more about why they hadn’t considered asking for some help, the students realised that they often forget that help is there if only they thought to ask for it. This was a revealing moment and something which is very relevant to life’s daily struggles.

    The help O’Meara and Robertson gave the students came in the form of two headcollars and two lead ropes but bear in mind the first time that you saw a headcollar - it can be difficult to figure out how to fit it on the horse. In the remaining time the students had to complete the task they couldn’t quite come to grips with how to use the help they were given and speaking afterwards one student made the comment: “Sometimes we get help but we don’t know how to use it”. Again, another insightful statement and one which I’m sure will be discussed further in class.

    EXPERT INSIGHT

    Commenting on the session Robertson said: “Anxiety is big thing we see when working with adolescents and it seems to come from an uncertainty surrounding what they believe is expected of them. There is so much on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in terms of ‘perfection’ but the communication is skewed. So if they can have some time with the horses where the communication is in the moment, they will soak that into their being and the hope is it will be of huge benefit to them.

    “No matter how many times you are told something it’s not until you experience it that it stays with you. When you experience something it seems to enforce it a little bit more which means it stays with you longer and whether the students realise it or not that’s what is happening here.”

    O’Meara added that: “On the school curriculum we have dedicated three weeks to the topic of communication skills but that was in a classroom environment, I actually feel that the students have learned a lot quicker. EAL has definitely helped them understand the concepts much quicker and maybe next year we will revisit the length of time we will spend on that topic going forward. It’s all down to the horses giving immediate feedback. They help the students realise whether what they are doing is working or not.”

    When asked what difference the horses made, one student said that they get to learn it for themselves rather than being told in a classroom. It is an experiential process.

    THE FUTURE

    Looking toward the future of EAL in Irish schools, O’Meara said: “The more people this reaches the better. I love it and I can see the benefit it has to the students, I really hope that more schools will try and get involved.

    “There can be a little bit of initial apprehension from people because not everyone is used to being around horses and when they see a big animal they are afraid, but EAL has so many benefits. Horses mirror human emotions, attitudes and moods so as experts we can learn a lot about the participants by understanding the horse’s behaviour.

    “The direct focus is on the horses not on the person, so they can be more reflective. Horses are big animals and so they break down people’s defences but are all accepting - there is no right or wrong way with horses

    “I understand that having horses on-campus is not feasible for every school but there are local centres that schools could avail of and I would really encourage them to look in to it.”

    KNOWN BENEFITS OF EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING

    Participants have been known to benefit in the following areas (along with many more):

  • Self-awareness
  • Self confidence
  • Social interaction
  • Problem solving
  • Leadership
  • Increasing self esteem
  • Self-discovery
  • Personal development
  • Developing awareness
  • Teamwork
  • Assertiveness
  • Life skills
  • Addressing bullying
  • Addressing behavioral difficulties