HORSENSE YOUTH PROGRAM

Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills for Young People

This program exists to relieve the distress and disadvantage experienced by vulnerable, disengaged or at-risk young people. It reduces social isolation, supports emotional regulation in young people who lack effective coping strategies; teaches valuable communication skills, builds confidence and self-efficacy in those who have experienced exclusion or failure, and re-engages young people with learning and relationships through non-judgmental, horse-centred learning.

Our Youth program is based on the "Horses Helping Humans™" model and Equine Assisted Skills Development (EASD) from Ripple FX™.

Our HORSENSE Youth Programme:

  • Uses simple horsemanship techniques to teach communication skills and body language awareness.

  • Based on mutual respect and trust between horse and handler.

  • Fun, interactive, and progressive.

  • Emphasises the use of calm assertiveness to encourage a horse to willingly respond.

  • Grounding experience for the benefit of both horse and human.

  • Is an activity-based program designed to build confidence, empathy, respect, social skills, boundary-setting, and self-awareness.

  • Develops talking, listening, body language, and comprehension skills.

  • Participants are encouraged to find their own solutions to difficult challenges whilst learning about themselves and their equine partners.

Group of people standing in a horse training or riding arena, some holding horses on leads. The horses are of various colors, and there are wooden fences, small buildings, trees, and cloudy sky in the background.
People walking and standing with horses in an outdoor riding arena, surrounded by green fields and trees, during sunset.
A group of people and children with horses at an outdoor riding area, smiling and holding the horses' reins, with trees in the background.
A woman and a boy interacting with a white horse at an outdoor show or farm setting, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.
A young boy in a striped hoodie playing with a white dog and a large green exercise ball outdoors in a fenced yard. The dog is sniffing the ball.

Pairing the right horse with each participant.

Our horses have a character unique to them, they are very funny!

A girl in a yellow top and blue jeans holding a purple leash attached to a brown horse with a white face marking, outdoors on a cloudy day.

Young people are guided and learn various handling techniques.

Young woman holding a lead rope leading a brown horse with protective boots on its legs in an outdoor riding arena, with other people and horses in the background.

Young people build confidence through handling Horses.

Client Testimonials

  • “The equine day was a really positive experience for a young person I am working with at headspace. The day taught him emotion regulation skills, trust and connection by bonding with the horse and learning to pick up on non verbal communication. This one day achieved more than what was possible over weeks in the therapy room! Thankyou”

    — Lisa J from Headspace

  • “We have been fortunate to participate in two Horses for Causes programs in the past two years, with very different groups of students. Without exception, every student has benefited from their time with the amazing staff (humans and equine!) and come away from their experience with new skills, confidence and trust in themselves as to what can be achieved, both as individuals and as a team. The kindness, patience, and professionalism displayed by all staff, as well as the incredible grounds and facilities make this a program that we wholeheartedly recommend.”

    — Amanda Wrangles, Crib Point Primary School

  • “At headspace, we work with young people 12-25 years old who are experiencing a range of mental health challenges. As part of our recovery group program, we have engaged with Horses For Causes on many occasions. It has been incredible to see the impact of this program on the young people we work with and their mental health.”

    — Clinician from Headspace

  • "Over the past two years, several schools have participated in the Equine Assisted Learning program offered by Horses for Causes with the support of funding through School Focused Youth Service. I have attended some of these sessions and have been impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the staff and volunteers. Their encouragement and obvious delight at the achievements of the students indicates their passion. To see students who had too much anxiety to go near the horses develop a connection with them through strategies that they have then been able to translate into their relationships with their peers and teachers is truly amazing. This is a program for which schools are asking for more."

    - JUDI ADAMS | School Focused Youth Service Coordinator, Mornington Peninsula Shire

  • A woman and a boy with a white horse at a stable, other people and horses in the background, trees and a partly cloudy sky.
  • A woman in a blue jacket and grey pants holding a brown horse with a white star on its forehead at a riding arena, with a green hedge in the background.
  • A young boy holding a red lead rope next to a white horse in an outdoor riding arena with trees in the background.
  • A young woman with long blonde hair and gray hoodie petting a gray and white horse at an outdoor ranch, holding an orange traffic cone, with a traffic cone on the horse's back. There are orange traffic cones on the ground and a fence in the background.
  • A young woman in a red jacket leading a chestnut horse between orange traffic cones in an outdoor paddock, with an older woman standing near a fence in the background.
  • A young man in a white hoodie and sweatpants riding a brown horse over a small jump on a riding arena outdoors.
  • Two women with a brown horse in an outdoor paddock. One woman is sitting on a yellow object, wearing red boots and a black vest, and the other woman is sitting on a white chair, gently holding the horse's reins, wearing a red jacket. There are trees and a wooden fence in the background.
  • A young girl and a girl with long hair are touching noses with a dark brown horse with a white blaze on its face, outdoors on a cloudy day.
  • A woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a pink jacket and black shirt, gently touching a brown horse with a white blaze on its face, in a fenced outdoor area with trees in the background.
  • A young girl in a pink sweater with a butterfly design stands on green grass holding a red leash attached to a white horse grazing nearby, with trees and a clear sky in the background.
  • A young woman in a dark jacket and gray pants petting a brown horse in an outdoor riding arena with trees, a yellow barrel, and an orange traffic cone in the background.
  • A young woman standing next to a white horse, holding large orange traffic cones on her head, in an outdoor arena with sand ground and a fenced background.
  • A young girl on a horse at a park during sunset, with a woman walking nearby, and trees and a fence in the background.