In this peaceful environment Hooves & Paws has evolved from its inceptions as simply a riding school to an opportunity by way of its ethos to be much more-our ethos is simple
A need for a genuine love and respect for all animals and their therapeutic value. A non judgemental attitude, Patience & Tolerance, Empathy with both student carer or key worker. Commitment to supporting young people, to work through issues & the daily challenges they may face, An understanding of each students
aditional support needs.
Utmost Confidentiality. A social conscience.
These things together provide a safe and therapeutic learning environment with more chioces & more chances where people can grow, heal & develop, find value in the work and activities they take part in, peer education, make healthy lifestyle choices,become involved in building their Self Value,
Self Esteem and Confidence.
Animals have a calming and therapeutic effect on people of all ages, we encourage all our clients to be actively aware of Health and Safety issues and to watch out for the safety of animals and each other, to absorb knowledge and to share it, to be as enthusiastic about others achievements as they are proud of their own.
In a responsible environment for awareness to develop,
We have found the profound reality is
Contact with animals is the window of opportunity to melt the frozen heart
We are an equine learning centre with a focus on inclusion where ever possible.
The horse has been described as the finest "mood-altering drug".
EDUCATION THROUGH HORSES
See more info at bottom of page with kind permission from the Fourtune Center web site
,
We have worked along side Social Services, Alternative to Care, Primary Schools with additional suport units and other orgonisations. During the past years we have developed are facilities and skills to meet the needs of Adults & young people who have physical, mental, emotional & social challenges to face. We have achieved great success and satisfaction in these areas.
We are pleased to meet with other originations to whom our services may be benificial too.
If your School or organisation requires assistance to obtain funding to access this facility please contact
Hooves and Paws Users Group. Scottish Charity SC041059 Dec 2009
hoovesandpawsusersgroup@yahoo.co.uk
Additional Support Needs - Education Through Horses
Riding lessons provide,
practical experience, physical exercise with therapeutic & mental stimulation.
Stable Management course provides,
confidence, practical skills & essential Health & Safety knowledge when handling, caring for & working with horses.
ABRS. TRSS awards
are an onward progression of education in the handling & care of horses providing sense of achievement, self confidence & self esteem.
further social acceptance & personal empowerment to embark on ones chosen career.
Work experience placement provides,
an opportunity for social interaction, increasing abilities in problem solving & decision making in a responsible environment.
Our programs are most successful,
when we work hand in hand with you tailoring our services to meet the needs of an individual or a group, developing a partnership with you to set realistic objectives & maximize the potential outcome of the program.
which should include
"Happy memories to take with you into adulthood"
Annual awards presentation provide
TRSS ABRS & our own official recognition of personal achievements through out the year, raising self esteem, self worth, social skills & interaction. Building relationships with other young people and staff, all this building self confidence.
Benefits
Contact information. East Hazeldean Farm, Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, ML9 3PF Tel 01698 791554 hooves-and-paws@hotmail.co.uk
Hooves and Paws Riding School Equestrian Lerning Centre
www.hooves-and-paws.org
Audrey Hepburn,
when asked to share her
"Beauty Tips" wrote
For attractive lips,
speak words of kindness
For lovely eyes,
seek out the kindness in people
For a slim figure,
share your food with the hungry
For beautiful hair,
let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day
For poise, walk in the knowledge, that you never walk alone
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,
reclaimed & redeemed,
never throw anyone out
Additional Support Needs-Special Programs
Our rare Miniature Horses are to become part of our
therapeutic services to children who might
for whatever reason not be ready or able to ride.
As part of our Spring & Summer programs these sweet natured creatures will be available to small groups for handling, grooming & nurturing, you do not have to have a condition to benefit from this experience but the program is designed to stimulate the sensory responses in the children & can assist a number of conditions,
including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
depression, anxiety & conduct disorders
Ihave
learned that
People
will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
the way you made them feel
Maya Angelou
With kind permission from the Fourtune Centrer www.fourtunecentre.org
EDUCATION THROUGH HORSES
For horse motivated people the horse is at the heart of the exchange of teaching and learning. It is used as an alternative seat of learning and understanding. Many naturally occurring routines and activities in a horse environment act as the basis of new understanding. If horses interest and motivate an individual, then learning about them provides a learning purpose. Many of the skills learned are proven to the learner through the two intrinsic values of the horse - the existence of visual feedback and the opportunity to feel. This begins to build self-confidence and the learner becomes more able to learn much needed life skills through the medium of the horse. For many people, if traditional methods of teaching and learning have failed to make sufficient impact, and if the individual is motivated by horses, to use the horse as a learning-teaching-medium, is logical and effective. In a riding school - or arena - a series of letters are used as markers. These can become a first step of letter recognition and understanding towards building sounds and words. Manipulating a horse from one letter to the other makes it easier to take up a pencil in the follow-up Wordpower session. Riding shapes in an arena of specific measurement begins to open the door to an increasing understanding of numbers, shape and space. Those who have felt defensive over being asked 3 + 3 feel comfortable with telling their teacher that 3 horses in that field and 3 horses in that field means they have 6 horses and thus their confidence increases. Feeding horses can become a matter of understanding weights and measurements, fractions and quantities - all concepts we assume that others understand but may in the ordinary way find too hard to grasp. Seeing leads to understanding. As people develop their ability, so they can begin to respond to that ability by taking responsibility. If looking after oneself has lost a point - or perhaps it's a skill that's never been developed - learning to care for a horse first can provide an incentive that becomes a personal achievement. Learning to wash a horse's mane has encouraged many young people to become independent in their own hair washing. And grooming horses leads to a new foothold for discussing personal care.
"Anyone who has concerned himself seriously with the horse and its behavioural patterns will be aware that many aspects of the animal's nature make it suitable for use in therapy." (Therapeutic Riding, Medicine, Education, Sports by Wolgang Heipertz).
Many people with special needs become isolated from their peer group. This leads to difficulties and the build up of habits which exacerbate the original problem. Some young people reflect the traumas and failures of the past. Coming together with a group of people who share your interest, with the opportunity to work together in a team for a common purpose forms the basis of learning self-awareness. People motivated by horses benefit positively from building upon the stimulation they derive from the sight, smell, sound and touch of a horse. It's easier to see, understand, hear and feel things, from the horse than from other people. The demands and reactions of the horses used to provide riding therapy make sense and are straightforward. The consequences of an action or behavior are honestly reflected by the horse. Horses do not respond to mixed messages, communication has to be clear and considered. To be successful with the horse one has to be committed and prepared to complete a task. He is often the one from whom an individual accepts a message, being delivered without bias. Mounted sessions in the context of riding therapy enable people to experience situations that it is not possible to experience without the medium of the horse. The horse has been described as the finest "mood-altering drug".
THE PHYSICAL BENEFITS
The effect of a moving horse on a rider's body provides unparalleled opportunity to improve a range of physical aspects. Physiotherapists utilise the horse as a unique moving treatment base. This is often called hippotherapy. The horse moves naturally in walk and stimulates and synthesises a movement like the human walk. Activities such as remedial vaulting develop a person's balance, co-ordination, rhythm, spatial concept, agility and confidence to name but a few of the benefits. Contact with the warmth of the horse enables relaxation for those that find it difficult.
IMPROVED HEALTH AND MOBILITY
Caring for and riding horses involves consistent exercise and working in a healthy environment. Improved physical fitness leads to clearer thinking and positive self-image.
