© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

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Equine Learning Experiences Australia

Newsletter # 6 September 2013

Winter in Ballarat is not for the faint hearted. However the participants who have braved the regions temperatures over the past few months and stepped into the arena and round yard with the ELEA herd of horses have truly warmed our hearts with their courage and strength of spirit.

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

Hey, my names Harley Gorman and I'm from Ararat northwest of Ballarat which is where the Equestrian centre is. I started this program on the 18th of July (The day before I turned 18). I'm usually an angry depressed person and I tend to hold my emotions in and bottle them up and take it out on the people closest to me. After starting this seven week program I have learnt to accept my emotions and the fact that everyone feels the same way at some point in their lives. I started this program because like I said earlier I am a depressive angry person. That all came about on the 29/07/07, 10 days after my 12th birthday when I found out that my mother had passed away in a car accident. This program has taught me how to be who I am and how to basically use my negative emotions to be a happier person. Spending time with the horses (which I was initially afraid of) has been beneficial. Spending time with the horses allows me to learn how I feel inside as they are mirroring animals, the basically display the same level of the same emotion that a person is. This program has been amazing and has turned my life around, I'd recommend this program to absolutely anyone having trouble in their life or just feeling down. I am now a much happier and cheerful person and I owe it all to Emily and everyone else who has helped me through these difficult times in my life. Thank-you everyone, I will miss you all. :)

Harley’s Journey

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

ELEA Women’s Program

The ELEA Women’s program and the participants that courageously open their minds and hearts to the process of personal development and healing through horses, never cease to amaze me with their strength of spirit and character. This year’s winter program was no exception and warmed our hearts despite the chilly temperatures outside… The following contribution from Liz highlighted the journey and the joy…….

I was in a unique position before I started the Empowerment Program for women as I was conducting research into the benefits of Equine Assisted Learning for disabled and non-disabled adults at the time. Through my research I was aware of the objectives of EAL and the positive effects that participating in an EAL program can have on those who participate in a program. As a result, I entered the program as a participant and as a researcher. However, as the first day unfolded and I was exposed to the different characters of the horses and the activities which forced me to evaluate past and present relationships I began to realise the researcher in me was taking a step back and allowing me, the participant the opportunity to fully appreciate the phenomena that was taking place. The opportunity to create a space where I was able explores and reflect upon the relationships between, fear–courage, dominance–partnership, empowerment–disempowerment and clarity–ambiguity within the different relationships within my life.’ The overwhelming size and strength of the horses also demanded my attention and respect and required from me a level of attentiveness. As a result of the level of awareness I was experiencing, as Emily created activities where the horses were my co-workers and teachers I was able to development an understanding of what it really meant to be present in a particular moment. Something I have tried very hard most of my life to avoid and that was to deal with the moment  …………cont……  

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

ELEA Women’s Program - Liz’s journey continued………..

I was able to give myself permission to be present to the emotions I was feeling and to allow oppressed emotions to surface and flow away and experience each emotion, not to own it or hold on to it, but just let it pass without judgment of myself. Even to this day, I give myself permission to explore, but not own any emotion that does not allow me grow in a positive way.  

 Each session I attended, I came in a different emotional state which I was unaware of but soon became apparent to me by the behaviour of the horses. Over the years like most people I have become an expert at masking my true emotions from others and even to myself. However, as clever as I believed myself to be when it came to masking or hiding what emotional state I was truly experiencing at a particular moment, I came undone in the company of the horse.

When I presented verbal communication that did not reflect my internal state to the horse I happened to be working with, or behaved in a manner that did not reflect my internal state, the horse instinctively reacted by becoming restless or moving away from me.

From the very reaction of the horse it made me reflect and become aware of the emotion I was really experiencing. As a result from this experience I have been able to address emotions and problems that arise in my life and instead of dismissing them, I acknowledge them and try and find productive and efficient solutions and then, move on. – Liz Downie

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

Emily,  the  horses  and  the  other  participants  for  sharing  your  knowledge,  wisdom  and  experience.      During  the  program  I  laughed  and  cried  and  felt  safe  and  supported,  but  never  pressured,  to  share  my  stories  and  insights  with  the  other  wonderful  women  who  took  part  also.  

 It  was  a  beautiful  journey  within  my  greater  journey,  many  amazing  moments  of  clarity,  understanding,  acceptance  and  peace.    Thank  you  so  much  to    Emily,  the  horses  and  the  other  participants  for  sharing  your  knowledge,  wisdom  and  experience.          

Teresa’s  journey  –  ELEA  Women’s  Program  –  Earlier  this  year,  I  had  the  privilege  of  taking  part  in  an   ELEA   women's   program.     It   was   a   life   changing   experience,   stunning   in   it's   simplicity,   it   all  comes  down  to  you  and  the  horse   in  a   round  yard.  The  program  came  at  a   time   in  my   journey  when  I  was  ready  to  tackle  the  big  issues.   It  kicked  started  a  wave  of  energy  which  continues  to  gain  momentum  and  propel  me    toward  living  a  fully  authentic   life,  present   in   the  moment  and  coming  from  the  heart  -­‐  all  phrases  I  understand  more  deeply  now.    

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

Daniel and Bonny’s 9 week ELEA Journey

 

I  was  very  privileged  to    be  able  to  have  my  son  attending  the  ELEA  program.  He  received  an  ABI  and  also  has  High  Functioning  Autism.  Prior  to  commencement  he  could  not  understand  his  emotions  or  identify  them,  nor  how  he  was  feeling.  He  had  no  idea  on  understanding  body  cues  and  could  not  focus  for  any  period  of  time.  After  completing  the  program  he  was  aware  of   his   senses   and   picking   up   on   body   cues,   boundaries,   and   could   focus   enough   to   calm  himself  when  he  could  feel  the  onset  of  a  meltdown.  He  also  learnt  to  ground  himself,  and  his  work   with   the   horses   assisted   him   in   being   able   to   communicate   with   an   extremely   timid  scared  dog.  I  couldn't  recommend  the  program  enough  to  anyone  who  is  caring  for  someone  with  sensory   issues,   socialisation,  boundary,  and  emotional   issues.  Thank  you  very  much   for  the  dedication  and  effort  you  put  into  Daniels  program  Emily.  Was  such  a  pleasure  for  us  all,  Thanks,  Bonnie.    

 I  thought  that  my  experience  with  ELEA  was  interesting  I  found  it  enjoyable  it  helped  me  with  my  animals  and  my  life,  like  how  I've  calmed  down  a  lot  at  school.  And  I  think  it's  entertaining  with  the  horses.  And  the  accessories  I  got  are  very  warm-­‐  Thanks  Daniel  

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

Life Changing steps forward for a 6 year old boy

My son Cooper, 7, was diagnosed with moderate-severe autism at a very young age. Cooper is virtually non-verbal and occasionally can manage to say a word, but they are few and far between. Cooper also has sensory integration problems and is constantly seeking movement and feeling things to seek out sensations. Despite of all this, Cooper is quite a happy little boy who enjoys life.

When I first heard about Equine Learning Experiences Australia and their programs, I did not know exactly what to expect, but I had previously heard that horses have a special connection with people with disabilities. I did not expect miracles, but decided to keep an open-mind and thought anything that could possibly make a difference in Cooper’s life was worth participating in.

Our first session was very brief to see if Cooper was interested. When Cooper met ‘Razzle Dazzle’ he went straight up to her and gave her the biggest hug. He grabbed Emily’s hand to gesture that he wanted her to help him up. He put his face into Razzle’s mane to feel her hair with his lips. The smile on his face made me realise that this therapy was worth pursuing. When I said that it was time to go home, his face dropped and he was clearly sad to be leaving. The next morning Cooper got dressed for school and said “bus”. I was stunned as he had never said this before and the bus was due to arrive shortly. Over the course of the next week, Cooper’s teacher had said that he was saying more words at school. I noticed that he was saying more single words at home and they were all appropriate to what he was trying to do and not just repeating words that he had heard me say.

The night of our second session, Cooper came up to me after tea and said “bath”. I was stunned because he’d never said that to me before. After bathing Cooper he said “bed”. I quickly put him to bed, he fell straight to sleep and slept there all night, as he has done every night since then. This was such a huge step for us because Cooper used to have to fall to sleep in the bean bag and be carried off to his bed after he’d fallen to sleep. If he was put in bed awake then he’d be awake until 2.00 in the morning.

Since then Cooper has continued to say more words, more often. He has even said a few 2-3 word sentences, has sung a song he was listening to on the radio and has been the happiest I have ever seen him. At our last session Cooper even said “bye Razzle” when it was time to leave.

I am so proud of his progress over the past 4 weeks and would thoroughly recommend this program to any parent who has a child on the Autism Spectrum. The benefits Cooper has gained from this experience are quite astounding and I can’t thank Emily enough.

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

Equine Learning Experiences Australia has just kicked off a third and fourth 10 week program for a group of year 10 students at Phoenix College (Sebastopol High School). To date we have explored and practiced in an experiential model with the horses foundational life skills. After three weeks we have covered……

Ø social and emotional learning, Ø mindfulness strategies and techniques Ø effective communication Ø leadership qualities

ELEA Schools Program – Phoenix College

© Equine Learning Experiences Australia 2013

The year to date has been full of some wonderful experiences with the ELEA team. The wisdom and authenticity of the ELEA herd continues to support people in changing people’s lives in a positive way. It is a humbling experience to be part of the journey.

For all enquiries about ELEA programs either for Youth / Schools, Women , Disability sector, Employment Readiness Leadership or Team Building please contact Emily McVeigh by phone on # 0415 991 115 or email on emily@elea.com.au or go to the ELEA website for more information www.elea.com.au

Sponsors and Supporters:

Ø Greg and the Team at the

Haymarket

Ø Andy Stock at Mr Ed Equine Products

Ø Phoenix College - Sebastopol

Ø Tracy Landt – Unicorn Park Equestrian Centre

Ø Last but not least – Paul, Grace, James and Lachlan McVeigh.