Equine therapy: 'I enjoyed being with the horses as they calmed me'

Equine therapy has only been officially recognised as an alternative medicine in Ireland in the last two years, despite being practiced worldwide since the 1940s.

This therapy uses horses to help individuals with varying degrees of difficulties.

It helps people with autism, emotional trauma, low self-esteem, learning difficulties, anxiety, depression, alcohol and drug addiction, as well as those with communication and social difficulties.

On a recent visit to Equine Therapy Centre, Cork, Julia Buckley, an equine therapist and owner, explained how to me it works.

She said that horses are expert non-verbal communicators who are highly sensitive to human emotion. It’s a combination of neurology and bio-physics where our brain is constantly communicating with our body.

The rhythm and motion of the trotting horse is therapeutic and helps the rider’s body strengthen through adjusting to the horse’s gait.

The rhythmic motion, which is slow, deliberate and relaxing, also helps the rider to focus.

One of Julia’s first guests, 12 years ago, Ella Cubbin, explained how she benefited from this therapy.

“I first visited this centre when I was seven. I hadn’t been diagnosed properly at the time but I had dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADHD, and I suffered hugely from anxiety.

“I was aware that I couldn’t keep up in school, particularly with sport, as I had very poor balance. I hated school, as for me it only had one way of teaching and learning, which didn’t suit me. I especially disliked being called on in class to answer questions.

“My anxiety increased over time, particularly after covid, and I missed a lot of school days because I couldn’t face going in.”

Ella says that Julia and her equine therapy “really helped me get through these difficult times”, adding: “I enjoyed being with the horses as they calmed me.

“Of course, the arena we worked in was outdoors so nature itself helped to relax me too.

“Julia got me to do exercises on the back of the horse, holding my hands out as she walked the horse. This really helped with my balance and co-ordination which improved gradually over time.

“I did breathing exercises while I balanced on the horse, which helped to relieve my anxiety.

“Julia pushed me to do things I wouldn’t have believed I could do. I even ended up entering a show jumping competition, which I succeeded at.

“Developing my balance and co-ordination, bonding with the horses, and learning how to take care of them really increased my confidence,” added Ella.

She is currently studying art at the College of Art and Design in Limerick and says equine therapy played a big part in enabling her to do this.

Equine Therapy Cork has many clients or guests with different needs.

Joe Linehan, a six-year boy with autism, has been attending the centre for the last six months.

Prior to beginning the therapy, he was non-verbal. After some therapy sessions, he said his name for the first time.

Julia explained: “We are working on increasing his vocabulary and his finer and gross motor skills through activities and fun while riding his favourite horse Joey.

“When trotting on horseback, Joe laughs out loud, which shows the bond he has with his horse and how much he is enjoying himself.”

Some equine therapists have a policy of letting the horse pick the child rather than assigning a horse to them, as the bond between horse and rider is very important.

When you ride, you develop a bond with your horse and the rider becomes familiarised with the movements, attitudes and emotions. This makes them extremely effective in bonding with an autistic child, and encourages communication and interaction.

Tactile senses are also stimulated. The horses skin is fuzzy, its mane and tail are rough and its nose is soft. Discovery of this often helps the child and stimulates development of verbal communication.

A more recent guest at the equine centre in Whitechurch was Jack Lyons, a resident of the Brothers of Charity in Ennis.

Jack has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. He is non-verbal and communicates through Lámh, an Irish sign language. He also has an intellectual disability.

From a very young age, Jack has loved horses. Last year, his support team brought him to the RDS in Dublin to watch the show jumping competition and he absolutely loved it.

Jack’s ambition and dream was to ride a horse.

For Jack, this seemed like an impossible dream, until Sarah Cooney, one of the support staff on his team, discovered the Equine Therapy Centre in Cork.

They introduced Jack to Julia and they bonded immediately.

With the help of another equine therapist, Noel D Buckley, they helped Jack up on the horse where he was soon smiling from ear to ear.

Sarah said: “He thoroughly enjoyed the horse riding experience. When he was finished and was helped down off the horse, he was quite emotional, signing thank-you, and clapping his hands and laughing.

“This continued all through the journey back to Ennis and he is still on a high.”

Sarah added that it was refreshing to see the equine therapists looking beyond Jack’s disability and treating him with kindness and patience, just like they would with anyone else.

They were told that, with time, Jack’s legs will come down and touch the stirrups.

Sarah was bowled over witnessing Jack’s dream becoming a reality.

“It was a life-changing experience for Jack physically and emotionally. He now has an equine therapy session booked for every two weeks for the future, and we have invested in riding boots and a helmet for his next session.

“It was a huge advocacy boost for someone with a disability.”

There are only four equine therapy centres in Ireland, and the one in Cork has helped many people over the last 12 years, and has plans to expand into different areas in the future.

Equine Therapy Cork can be contacted at 086-2312372, Instagram equine.therapy.com or by emailing EquineTherapy@gmail.com.