What We Do
At Connections through horses, we thrive on the daily opportunities to enrich the lives of others through sharing the magic of horses with students of all ages and abilities. What is this magic? Well, it is special to the horse. Other pets are amazing and great to be around but what makes the horse different? Horses are prey and herd animals, they are accustomed to fleeing from anything that threatens them. Things that threaten them in our world could be as small as a plastic bag flying around in the wind. The response from the horse is the same as if they were fleeing from a mountain lion. How do you get the horse to realize the plastic bag is not a threat? You have to be calm. You have to have built a relationship of trust with your horse so that if you are calm, your horse will be calm.
This is one of the skills we build on while teaching horsemanship skills. Teaching students to lead calmly and confidently. A horse will not trust you if you do not show confidence.
So many things we learn with horses can be extended to our lives outside of “the barn”. How do you manage your state of being in the face of difficult circumstances? Self esteem is created by conquering the challenges you face. Horses are great in teaching us to accept responsibility – Is the horse acting up? Or am I sending the wrong signals? – Can I admit if I am wrong? Classes are customized to the ability level of the rider, with space for some challenges regardless of ability.
Horsemanship is only part of our goal here at Connections through Horses. The other part is to help students learn to be leaders, be resilient, take on challenges with confidence, get out of their comfort zone, learn how to problem solve and to make smart choices.