“For people who are really fearful of room-based therapy, who don’t want to sit opposite someone and have their childhood probed, this can be an incredibly effective alternative”.
That’s how equine therapist, Alex Gulland, describes the work she does at Leigh’s Silverbirch Farm.
For the past year, Alex has been working with Silverbirch’s founder, Nikki Birch, to offer unique equine therapy to clients from across Essex and beyond.
A growing phenomenon in recent years, equine therapy sees patients work alongside a qualified therapist and a horse to process difficult emotions, traumas or other mental challenges.
The practice has been credited with helping those who struggle with more traditional forms of therapy.
“I think the thing with having the horse by your side is that you’ve got to be totally true to yourself in order to get the horse to connect to you,” said Alex.
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“They’re non-judgemental creatures and being with them during a therapy or counselling session shuts down that chatter in your brain that can often get in the way of real progress.”
When a client arrives at Silverbirch for an equine therapy session, the first step is filling out a safety form.
It’s then time for some traditional breathing exercises, before finding a horse that the client can connect with.
“We always start with some breathing exercises to make sure we’re calm and checked in with our bodies,” said Alex.
“Then we work out what your issues are, what are your objectives and where you want to go, and then we’ll get you connected to one of the ponies.”
From there, it’s all about working through the client’s specific emotional or mental hurdles, supported by Alex and one of the farm’s therapy horses.
Alex explained: “We’d then move on to some basic walking exercises and tackle different obstacles with the pony.
“For example, we might put a box in the middle of the school that could represent a mental obstacle for the client. Then when they leave us, they have the positive imagery of how they overcame that challenge alongside the pony,”
Silverbirch Farm was founded by Nikki in 2018 as a riding school with a special interest in helping children and young people with additional needs and learning difficulties.
In addition to equine therapy, the farm recently secured a grant to put on a series of free sessions for children with additional needs and will soon be building an inclusive play area.
You can find out more about the work that Nikki and Alex do at Silverbirch Farm by visiting contentedpeople.co.uk or silverbirchanimaltherapycic.co.uk
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