In 2021 The Humber Transforming Care Partnership commissioned Goxhill Meadows Hearts and Minds, near Hornsea to provide animal therapy experiences for both children and adults with a learning disability or autism. Since then, we have funded around twenty individuals and their families to access animal therapy sessions or overnight stays in their glamping pods.
We have received some fantastic feedback from people who have been to animal therapy sessions. They have found that it helps to regulate their emotions and behaviour.
One family told us about their son, M who enjoys his sessions at the farm.
“He’s confident and happy and these are 2 things we rarely see in M. He struggles with his emotions and quite often can become aggressive when he’s struggling with emotions but his love for the animals just simply brings out the best in him”.
Owner Jayne left her career in teaching to combine her two passions of working with animals and children. Jayne is continually developing her skills and knowledge to improve her understanding of the difficulties people face and how she and her animal team can support them best. She is currently working on her level 6 diploma in Equine Facilitated Psychotraumatology.
Goxhill are also now listed on the national Human Equine Interaction Register after only opening their doors 2 years ago. This is a voluntary national register which accepts organisations who can show that they work to a high standard with clients and take excellent care of their animals.
There are many benefits to equine assisted therapy/psychotherapy, such as:
- Emotional awareness
- Confidence
- Social skills
- Trust and empathy
- Impulse control
- Problem solving skills
Horses in particular can help with the following conditions:
- Anxiety including selective mutism and social anxiety disorder
- PTSD in adults and children
- Addiction treatment
- ADHD, ASD
You can visit the Goxhill Meadows Hearts and Minds website by clicking here.
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