Equine Therapy Wales

Aim

Horses Helping Vulnerable Young People through Equine Therapy and Alternative Outdoor Learning.

My name is Hannah Lee Rogers; I recently established my own start up business in South Wales called Equine Therapy Wales to help vulnerable young people and their families.  Equine Therapy Wales offers equine assisted cognitive behavioural therapy and or alternative outdoor education to those with emotional difficulties or additional learning needs.  I decided to enter this competition for the following reasons; I wanted to raise awareness of the project and the advantageous effects horses can have on humans in order to increase the amount of people that I could help support.   I also wanted to raise funds in order to help sustain, improve and grow the services that I offer.  Lastly, I wanted to share my story of setting up such a rewarding project and my inspirations for doing so.

Horses are renowned for their calming and majestic presence, they act as a mirror providing people with feedback on their body language and emotions.  The horses used in Equine Therapy act as a supporting tool in the therapy process, helping people to express their emotions in a relaxed rural environment without the fear of judgement.  Learning to control and build a bond with such a large animal produces massive increases in confidence to a vulnerable person.  Equine Therapy Wales also uses the horses to help teach alternative curriculum in a tranquil setting by incorporating practical horse based yet subject specific activities into the lesson plan.

In my early teenage years I developed an eating disorder that affected my confidence and everyday social life.  Whilst studying for my GCSE's my father died suddenly in an accident which left me feeling hurt, lost, angry and confused.  It was a combination of counselling and being around horses that helped me to get through these difficult times and deal with my emotions effectively.  When I learned to manage, accept and overcome these past events, I was left inspired to help others to do the same.

I studied to be a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist in the University of South Wales and became the youngest person to have graduated from the course.  I then began working in a school offering emotional support to young people, however, many people found the confines of an office intimidating which limited my support.  Whilst working in the school I noticed that many of the children that struggled emotionally, also struggled with education, whether it be academically or just the concept of authority.  I wanted to combine my passions and integrate the horses into the therapy process; I studied to do Equine Therapy and spent a year devising and writing my business plan.  I was granted a business mortgage from the bank which allowed me to purchase the facilities needed to set up my venture. With a lot of manual hard work, help from family and friends and the support of other local business’ I was able to turn the derelict field into an Equine Therapy centre without the cost of hiring professionals. 

Since starting the project in 2015, I have been lucky enough, with the help of my 3 horses, to help over 60 families in the south wales area.  I have recently completed my PGCE in teaching maths and have been able to document statistical success in raising confidence, limiting anxieties and changing negative perceptions of learning through the business to date.  By entering this competition, I hope to be able to extend my services and support more families through effective advertising and expert guidance.  I aim to update and specialise the facilities that I currently have available in order to improve the services that I can offer.  If I was to win the competition, I plan to expand my business further; from working with a large number of looked after children, I see a real need for further support, residential stays and respite opportunities.  My end goal is to provide a natural and relaxing venue where outdoor equine pursuits and alternative learning can be facilitated for a prolonged duration.  My hope is that this competition will enable Equine Therapy Wales to reach our goals whilst remaining affordable and accessible for the local community to access.

Thank you for reading,

Your vote would be greatly appreciated, 

This project successfully funded on 12th August 2016