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Inspired Equine Assisted Learning CIC is a not4for4profit company limited by guarantee. Registration no: 9803457 Case Studies A 9$year$old boy with ADHD, hypermobility and learning difficulties Paid for by family The sessions really helped the client to learn to control his emotions. He loved the horses and in order to groom and lead them it was necessary to remain calm and relaxed. Whenever his energy levels started to rise, the horses would provide instant feedback and the client learnt he had to immediately relax to remain in the their company. Using these new skills at home helped him to control his emotions and improve his relationships with his parents and siblings. Horses Helping To Improve Care Home Residents Happiness Paid for by care homes Inspired Equine Assisted Learning CIC recently took two of their ponies, Toffee and Pepsi, to meet residents at local care homes. The idea of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is that spending time with horses is a very positive experience. Horses give residents a wonderful sense of wellHbeing and inner peace and can also help rekindle many happy memories. Typical EAL Activities for care home residents include: ! Relaxing, asking questions and reminiscing while watching the ponies grazing and interacting. ! Petting and stroking the ponies. ! Grooming the ponies: promoting gentle stretching and coordination. We received very positive feedback from the sessions, with residents eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the ponies and participating in the sessions. Residents asked lots of questions about the ponies with some reminiscing about riding and farming with horses.

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Page 1: Case%Studies · Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.) Registration)no:)9803457) The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"

Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.)

Registration)no:)9803457)

Case%Studies!

A"9$year$old"boy"with"ADHD,"hypermobility"and"learning"difficulties"

Paid"for"by"family"!

The!sessions!really!helped!the!client!to!learn!to!

control!his!emotions.!He!loved!the!horses!and!in!

order!to!groom!and!lead!them!it!was!necessary!to!

remain!calm!and!relaxed.!Whenever!his!energy!

levels!started!to!rise,!the!horses!would!provide!

instant!feedback!and!the!client!learnt!he!had!to!

immediately!relax!to!remain!in!the!their!company.!

Using!these!new!skills!at!home!helped!him!to!

control!his!emotions!and!improve!his!relationships!

with!his!parents!and!siblings.!!

Horses"Helping"To"Improve"Care"Home"Residents"Happiness""

Paid"for"by"care"homes"!

Inspired!Equine!Assisted!Learning!CIC!

recently!took!two!of!their!ponies,!Toffee!

and!Pepsi,!to!meet!residents!at!local!care!

homes.!

!

The!idea!of!Equine!Assisted!Learning!

(EAL)!is!that!spending!time!with!horses!is!

a!very!positive!experience.!Horses!give!

residents!a!wonderful!sense!of!wellHbeing!

and!inner!peace!and!can!also!help!

rekindle!many!happy!memories.!

!

Typical!EAL!Activities!for!care!home!residents!include:!

! Relaxing,!asking!questions!and!reminiscing!while!watching!the!ponies!grazing!and!interacting.!

! Petting!and!stroking!the!ponies.!! Grooming!the!ponies:!promoting!gentle!stretching!and!coordination.!

!

We!received!very!positive!feedback!from!the!sessions,!with!residents!eagerly!

looking!forward!to!the!arrival!of!the!ponies!and!participating!in!the!sessions.!

Residents!asked!lots!of!questions!about!the!ponies!with!some!reminiscing!about!

riding!and!farming!with!horses.!!

!

Page 2: Case%Studies · Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.) Registration)no:)9803457) The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"

Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.)

Registration)no:)9803457)

There!is!anecdotal!evidence!that!

significantly!more!residents!

actively!participated!and!enjoyed!

the!innovative!EAL!sessions!than!

take!part!in!some!of!the!other!

regular!activities!that!are!

provided!for!them.!Many!are!also!

planning!private!family!visits!to!

Inspired!Equine!Assisted!

Learning!to!meet!all!the!horses!

and!ponies,!have!a!cup!of!tea!and!

relax!in!the!countryside.!

!

People"with"early"stage"dementia"and"their"carers"

Funded"by"the"LCYCP"Dementia"Project"!

These!sessions!equally!benefited!those!living!with!early!stage!dementia!and!their!

carers.!The!activities!took!place!in!the!peaceful!Lincolnshire!countryside!and!

included!grooming,!leading!and!learning!about!equine!behaviour.!Although!the!

degree!of!involvement!was!left!entirely!up!to!each!participant,!the!safe,!and!

supportive!environment!encouraged!everyone!to!interact!with!others,!learn!new!

skills!and!develop!close!partnerships!with!the!horses.!

!

Attendees!enjoyed!varied!new!EAL!tasks,!often!working!together!as!equal!

partners.!The!horses!and!ponies!are!very!empathetic!in!these!situations!and!so!

help!to!further!enrich!the!experiences.!

!

Also!we!offered!the!carers!some!“quality!time”!with!the!horses!and!a!chance!to!

“unwind”!on!their!own!or!with!a!facilitator.!Carers!reported!that!this!helped!

them!feel!less!stressed!and!improve!their!general!sense!of!wellbeing.!!

!

“My$beautiful$dad.$Thank$you$so$much$Mike,$Claire$and$Lynzie$for$spending$time$with$us$today.$Such$warm$lovely$people$who$made$us$feel$at$home.$Beautiful$horses$and$had$fab$time”))–)Zoe)West)

!

Page 3: Case%Studies · Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.) Registration)no:)9803457) The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"

Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.)

Registration)no:)9803457)

The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"Basic"Horse"and"Pony"Care"Course"

Paid"for"by"the"school"and"parental"contributions"!

The!John!Fielding!Community!Special!School!provides!a!curriculum!that!is!caring,!

aspirational,!relevant!and!engaging.!The!school!want!everyone!to!be!happy!and!

eager!to!come!to!school,!to!do!their!best!and!also!to!develop!skills!to!prepare!

them!for!life!beyond!school.!!

!

The!School!aims!to!provide!a!broad,!balanced!and!differentiated!curriculum!

designed!to!meet!the!unique!needs!of!all!their!pupils.!Pupils!are!aged!between!2!

and19!years!old!and!have!a!range!of!learning!difficulties,!some!also!have!an!

autistic!spectrum!disorder,!epilepsy,!a!physical!disability,!sensory!impairment,!

medical!needs!or!a!communication!difficulty.!

!

The!school!asked!Inspired!Equine!Assisted!Learning!CIC!to!develop!a!teaching!

framework!that!would!allow!their!pupils!to!learn!about!basic!horse!and!pony!

care!during!a!6!week!half!term!period.!The!framework!was!designed!to!be!fully!

interactive!and!adaptable!to!the!age!and!abilities!of!each!individual!class.!The!

framework!also!includes!the!necesssary!degree!of!flexibility!to!allow!for!issues!

such!as!inclement!weather!or!a!certain!activity!taking!longer!than!expected!with!

a!particular!group.!

!

The!sessions!have!proved!incredibly!popular!with!pupils!and!helped!them!to!

noticeably!improve!week!on!week!in!the!following!areas:!!

!

! SelfHconfidence!and!leadership.!! Coordination,!balance!and!spatial!awareness.!! Controlling!emotions!and!energy.!! Improved!behaviour!and!concentration.!! Enhanced!use!of!speech!and!body!language.!! Responsibility,!teamwork!and!encouraging!others.!! Demonstrating!an!understanding!of!the!subject.!

!

Parents!are!invited!to!attend!the!last!session!of!the!term.!This!enables!them!to!

join!in!with!some!of!the!activities!and!also!witness!what!their!child!has!

accomplished!during!the!term.!

!

When!they!complete!the!course!all!pupils!are!awarded!a!certificate!and!rosette!to!

acknowledge!their!hard!work!and!achievements.!

!

“My$class$at$the$John$fielding$school$have$had$a$lovely$6$weeks$here$learning$how$to$look$after$the$horses$and$ponies.$All$staff$(and$animals)$were$very$calm$and$patient$with$my$pupils.$Thank$you$for$an$enjoyable$term$xx”))—)Vicky)Spillane,)December)6,)2016!

Page 4: Case%Studies · Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.) Registration)no:)9803457) The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"

Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.)

Registration)no:)9803457)

Lincolnshire"Fire"and"Rescue"Service"

Paid"for"through"fundraising"activities"!

Green!Watch!from!Spalding!Fire!Station!are!trained!in!large!animal!rescue!and!

were!looking!for!opportunities!to!diversify!their!training!and!make!it!more!

realistic!with!handsHon!training!with!live!animals.!

!

Our!advice!and!the!reactions!of!the!horses!helped!to!highlight!to!Green!Watch!

the!best!methods!of!dealing!with!large!animals!in!a!variety!of!different!situations,!

some!of!which!could!be!potentially!stressful!and!dangerous.!!

!

Horses!make!perfect!learning!

partners!for!the!Fire!and!Rescue!

Services!trained!in!large!animal!

rescue,!as!although!large!and!

imposing!they!are!accustomed!

to!being!handled;!however!their!

natural!responses!give!

immediate!and!authentic!

feedback!about!the!handler’s!

energy,!body!language!and!

confidence.!

Someone"living"with"Asperger"syndrome"and"mobility"restrictions"

Paid"for"using"their"NHS"personal"health"budget"!

Equine!assisted!learning!offered!this!client!with!Asperger’s!syndrome!the!

opportunities!to!improve!her!social!skills!without!having!to!interact!with!other!

human!beings!who!frequently!criticised!her!mistakes.!Sociability!issues!were!

addressed!through!

interactions!with!horses!that!

provided!direct,!immediate!

and!nonHcritical!feedback!

through!their!actions.!As!the!

animals!don’t!talk,!the!client!

could!focus!on!the!vitally!

important!nonHverbal!

aspects!of!relationships!and!

social!interaction,!as!these!

nonHverbal!features!of!

communication!are!the!most!

challenging!for!people!with!

Asperger’s.!!

!

Page 5: Case%Studies · Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.) Registration)no:)9803457) The"John"Fielding"Community"Special"School"

Inspired)Equine)Assisted)Learning)CIC)is)a)not4for4profit)company)limited)by)guarantee.)Registration)no:)9803457)

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our)part)in)an)inspirational)story))

))

The)following)quote)is)from)the)Lincolnshire)Partnership)Foundation)Trust.)!

“Lincolnshire!Partnership!Foundation!Trust,!the!Mental!Health!Trust!for!Lincolnshire,!now!has!a!county;wide!Employment!Service!providing!support!for!Service!Users!with!severe!and/or!enduring!mental!health!conditions!to!

gain!and!retain!paid!employment.!!

P!is!one!of!our!Service!Users,!who!was!referred!to!the!Service!in!2018.!!P!had!found!that!contact!with!animals!significantly!improved!his!symptoms!and!raised!his!mood.!We!had!heard!of!the!work!of!Inspired!Equine!Solutions!(IdEAL)!at!Fosdyke,!and!approached!Mike!and!Claire!to!see!whether!there!would!be!the!possibility!for!P!to!volunteer!at!the!stables!as!a!means!to!gain!work!experience!to!position!him!better!to!secure!paid!employment.!!The!

IdEAL!team!agreed!immediately!to!support!us!and!P!began!volunteering!in!September!2018.!!Under!IdEAL's!supervision,!P!has!learned!new!skills!and!been!fully!embraced!in!to!the!team.!!As!a!result,!his!mental!health!has!shown!a!marked!and!sustained!improvement.!!In!January!this!year!IdEAL!offered!P!part;time!paid!work,!and!in!February,!we!are!delighted!to!report!that!P!commenced!paid!work.!!The!IPS!service!maintains!close!contact!with!both!IdEAL!and!P,!ready!to!provide!any!support!or!advice!to!either!party,!should!

this!become!necessary.”!!

To)find)out)more)about)IdEAL)visit)www.inspired4eal.co.uk)