Many children today suffer from a lack of direction, poor
self-esteem and ineffective decision-making skills in their
lives. All too often these negative emotions lead them
down a path of poor performance in school or a
detachment from society. Imagine how that all could be
avoided if they had a life changing experience that could
show them how strong they really are and how their
actions directly affect those around them. Having
increased access and interaction with horses is a huge
benefit to help kids get back on a constructive life path.
Working with horses offers positive psychological
benefits because horses have an uncanny ability to offer
immediate feedback through mirroring the actions and
feelings of those around them. Horses follow leaders and
if they sense someone is a leader then they will do what
is asked of them. The catch is that the leader must lead
through confidence and respect, not force or aggression.
When a child has the opportunity to work and control such
a large animal, they learn confidence and trust which
leads to growth of self-esteem, better decision making,
increased respect for oneself as well as respect for others.
Creating these opportunities is the driving force behind
Happiness Through Horses (HTH).
The mission of Happiness Through Horses is to heal the
hearts of struggling youth through bonding with horses.
They provide scholarships that allow youth to participate in
social, emotional and behavioral growth as well as significant
learning experiences through interaction with horses.
Their scholarships are intended to ensure that all
children who can benefit from equine therapy and
interaction receive services through one of their programs
or one of their partnering programs. Equine therapy offers
an effective and creative way for our kids to: Increase
self-worth, personal integrity, trust and confidence; develop
healthy relationships and anger management skills;
recover from substance use and eating disorders; heal
from trauma; reduce loneliness, anxiety and feelings of
isolation; decrease impulsive and self-destructive
behaviors; learn the difference between assertiveness and
aggressiveness and the importance of teamwork and
community; and gain respect for diversity and individuality.
When one thinks about working with horses, most
people will immediately think of riding, but there is so much
more that goes into the care of horses before one can
even saddle up. HTH knows how powerful taking care
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