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| photo by Gabuchitasilva |
Melissa Keir has always wanted to
be an author when she wasn’t hoping for a career as a race car driver. Along
with being an author, Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school
teacher, a movie reviewer, and the owner of a publishing company. Her home
blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice. Learn
more about Melissa at her website and blog.
Equine Therapy and Children
Equine Therapy is a growing field as more studies are conducted on the
benefits of using animals to reach autistic children. While typical treatment
programs for autism and Asperger’s focus on behavior modification or
medication, equine therapy has shown the best results. The rhythmic motion of
riding a horse forces the children to focus on the movement, which helps the
child learn to focus better. In addition, tactile senses are stimulated. The
horse’s skin is soft and fuzzy. The playful nature of the animals naturally
engages the children. They learn to interact socially with not just the animals
but also with the counselors and staff people. These sensations and discoveries
draw out the children who appear trapped inside their heads. Verbal
communication improves.
Having worked with autistic and Asperger’s students as a teacher, I’m
familiar with some of the methods we use in the classroom to help them focus,
such as “brushing” and weight vests. Children are unique with their symptoms as
well as their responses to stimuli. Many of my students
used “stimming” or “flapping” to help cope with stressors. Yet there are
documented cases of children who have selective mutism. These children often
will only speak to certain people or at certain times. I took my understanding
of Equine Therapy and trauma to create my characters in The Heartsong Cowboy.
Jake Kyncade uses equine therapy with disabled children, but when he’s
faced with a child who was the victim of trauma, he doesn’t know if the therapy
will work. I believe that we are just beginning to see the benefits of animals
in our lives. I know that dogs and cats are often brought in to interact with
nursing home patients and provide help in schools and hospitals. Why can’t a
horse help bring a traumatized girl out of her shell?
The Heartsong Cowboy
Part of the Cowboy Up book
bundle, a boxed set of seven romantic novellas by seven award-winning authors.
Can two people, one horse and the
power of love cure a little girl?
Angela French blames herself for her daughter’s lack of voice.
Determined to do anything to correct the situation, she seeks out Jake Kyncade,
the owner of The Heartsong Ranch.
Jake Kyncade hides his own sorrows behind his no-nonsense demeanor.
Helping children becomes one way to correct his past. Using equine therapy, he
sets out to make a difference.
Can Jake help Angela’s dreams come true or will Jake’s past bring more
heartache? Will love save them all?
8 comments:
Thank you for having me over. Equine Therapy is a relatively new program but so many people benefit from animals that it just makes sense!
What a great program! Thanks for sharing, Melissa!
Great post, Melissa! Having done the research for my first book, Accidental Hero, at the equine therapy program near me, I totally agree in the benefits of this type of program. Therapeutic Horsemanship of West Michigan (THWM) has made a big difference for so many participants.
What an interesting post Melissa. It's great to hear such programs are moving forward to help and I loved the way you used the equine therapy in your book.
Nothing better than a horse for the inside of any child...or adult.
Great post. Fabulous group of authors.
Thank you everyone for stopping by! Loralee, it's wonderful to see these programs at work. I've seen the dogs with schools and nursing homes, so horses are just another way of connecting with children and adults.
Animals are the best medicine!
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