Leading the Way (10 page)

Although Keystone Stables is a fictitious place, there are real ranches and camps that connect horses with children just like Skye and Morgan, Sooze in book two, Tanya in book three, Jonathan in book four, Katie in book five, Joey in book six, and Wanda in book seven. That special kind of treatment and interaction has a long complicated name called Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP.)

EFP might include handling and grooming the horse, lunging, riding, or driving a horse-drawn cart. In an EFP program, a licensed mental health professional works together with a certified horse handler. Sometimes one EFP person can have the credentials for both. Whatever the case, the professionals are dedicated to helping both the child and the horse learn to work together as a team.

Children with autism benefit greatly because of therapeutic riding. Sometimes a child who has never been able to speak or “connect” with another person, even a parent, will bond with a horse in such a way that the child learns to relate to other people or starts to talk.

An author friend has told me of some of her family members who’ve had experience with horses and autistic children. They tell a story about a mute eight-year-old boy who was taking therapeutic treatment. One day as he was riding a well-trained mount that knew just what to do, the horse stopped for no reason and refused to budge. The leader said, “Walk on” and pulled on the halter, but the horse wouldn’t move. The sidewalkers (people who help the child balance in the saddle) all did the same thing with the same result. Finally, the little boy who was still sitting on the horse shouted, “Walk on, Horsie!” The horse immediately obeyed.

So the good news for some horse-loving children who have serious health issues is that they might be able to work with horses. Many kids like Morgan, who has cerebral
palsy, and blind Katie (book five) actually can learn to ride! That’s because all over the world, people who love horses and children have started therapy riding academies to teach children with special needs how to ride and/or care for a horse. Highly trained horses and special equipment like high-backed saddles with Velcro strips on the fenders make it safe for kids with special needs to become skilled equestrians and thus learn to work with their own handicaps as they never have been able to do before!

If you are constantly reading about horses and know a lot about them, you probably have heard of horse whispering, something that many horse behaviorists do today to train horses. This training process is much different than what the majority of horsemen did several decades ago.

We’ve all read Wild West stories or seen movies in which the cowpoke “broke” a wild horse by climbing on his back and hanging on while the poor horse bucked until he was so exhausted he could hardly stand. What that type of training did was break the horse’s spirit, and the horse learned to obey out of fear. Many “bronco busters” from the past also used whips, ropes, sharp spurs, and painful bits to make the horses respond, which they did only to avoid the pain the trainers caused.

Thankfully, the way many horses become reliable mounts has changed dramatically. Today many horses are trained, not broken. The trainer “communicates” with the horse using herd language. Thus, the horse bonds with his trainer quickly, looks to that person as his herd leader, and is ready to obey every command.

Thanks to Monty Roberts, the “man who listens to horses,” and other professional horse whispering trainers like him, most raw or green horses (those that are just learning to respond to tack and a rider) are no longer broken.

Horses are now trained to accept the tack and rider in a short time with proven methods of horse whispering. Usually working in a round pen, the trainer begins by making large movements and noise as a predator would, encouraging the horse to run away. The trainer then gives the horse the choice to flee or bond. Through body language, the trainer asks the horse, “Will you choose me to be your herd leader and follow me?”

Often the horse responds with predictable herd behavior by twitching an ear toward his trainer then by lowering his head and licking to display an element of trust. The trainer mocks the horse’s passive body language, turns his back on the horse, and, without eye contact, invites him to come closer. The bonding occurs when the horse chooses to be with the human and walks toward the trainer, thus accepting his leadership and protection.

Horse whispering has become one of the most acceptable, reliable, and humane ways to train horses. Today we have multitudes of rider-and-horse teams that have bonded in such a special way, both the rider and the horse enjoy each other’s company. So when you’re talking to your friends about horses, always remember to say the horses have been trained, not broken. The word
broken
is part of the horse’s past and should remain there forever.

Do you know there are about 150 verses in the Bible that include the word
horse?
It seems to me that if God mentioned horses so many times in the Bible, then he is very fond of one of his most beautiful creatures.

Some special verses about horses in the Bible make any horse lover want to shout. Look at this exciting passage from the book of Revelation that tells us about a wonderful time in the future:

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:11-14).

The rider who is faithful and true is the Lord Jesus Christ. The armies of heaven on white horses who follow Jesus are those who have accepted him as their Lord and Savior. I’ve accepted Christ, so I know that some day I’ll get to ride a white horse in heaven. Do you think he will be a Lipizzaner, an Andalusian, or an Arabian? Maybe it will be a special new breed of white horses that God is preparing just for that special time.

Perhaps you never realized that there are horses in heaven. Perhaps you never thought about how you could go to heaven when you die. You can try to be as good as gold, but the Bible says that to go to heaven, you must ask Jesus to forgive your sins. Verses to think about: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23); “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16); “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Do you want to be part of Jesus’ cavalry in heaven some day? Have you ever asked Jesus to forgive your sins and make you ready for heaven? If you’ve never done so, please ask Jesus to save your soul today.

As I’m riding my prancing white steed with his long wavy mane and tail dragging to the ground, I’ll be looking for you!

Henry, Marguerite.
Album of Horses.
Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1952.

Henry, Marguerite.
All About Horses.
New York: Random House, 1967.

Jeffery, Laura.
Horses: How to Choose and Care for a Horse.
Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2004.

Roberts, Monty.
The Horses in My Life.
Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Publishers, North, 2004.

Self, Margaret Cabell.
How to Buy the Right Horse.
Omaha, NE: The Farnam Horse Library, 1971.

Simon, Seymour.
Horses.
New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Sutton, Felix.
Horses of America.
New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York City, 1964.

Ulmer, Mike.
H is for Horse: An Equestrian Alphabet.
Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2004.

http://www.appaloosayouth.com/index.html

http://www.shetlandminiature.com/kids.asp

http://www.twhbea.com/youth/youthHome.aspx

Check out the other books in the series!