Horses Ease Grief, Teach Social Skills

“Working with animals is therapeutic, and horses are especially suited for the purpose,” Calyn Acebes, LPC, explained to Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County volunteers at Zonta’s monthly lunch held at the Boulder Cork.

Ms. Acebes, the Clinical Supervisor for Medicine Horse Program has found that combining her lifelong love of horses and her skills as a professional counselor is truly a winning strategy for kids and horses alike. Equine-assisted therapy can be effective in easing grief and teaching coping skills. In return, her program gives good horses a job and even saves lives — like their HopeFoal project that rescues unwanted foals from slaughter at mills that produce urine from pregnant mares for the manufacture of estrogen-replacement products for women.

Why horses?

Horses are herd animals with sophisticated social skills. They bond easily to new friends, both equine and human. Horses speak silently and are highly sensitive to touch and movement. A horse can tell a person’s mood just from their body language. In time, humans learn to do the same thing. Horses also display tenderness to their human partners, through a welcoming nicker or a gentle nudge of the nose.

Building relationships with horses can calm frayed nerves, give hope to an otherwise dismal day, and coax out a sense of responsibility, confidence and self-awareness from troubled kids.

Medicine Horse relies on grants and donations to offer these services. Be a donor, or consider volunteering your time.

The Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County provides volunteer opportunities for professional women dedicated to the advancement of women both locally, and internationally. Members perform local and international service projects and raise funds to meet the needs of women in the areas of health, employment, violence prevention and education.

Please join our efforts and put your talents to work. Visit www.zontafoothills.org to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of girls and women in your community and around the world.