Posts Tagged ‘children’

Autism unlocked: The Horse Boy

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Take one autistic boy and a horse named Betsy. Put them together and what have you got?

A gateway to healing offering hope where previously there was none.

Rupert Isaacson was inspired. He knew that he had found a way to open the door that would allow his autistic son to communicate. His desire and determination sparked a quest that lead his family from Texas to Mongolia.

That’s how the adventure began and it still continues. Witness the miracle of young Rowan speaking for the first time from Betsy’s back. There’s already a book (The Horse Boy) with a movie on the way. Prepare to be inspired.

Horses have a mystical, magical quality that simply defies description. Locked in a silent world it is possible that autistics are able to telepathically communicate with horses (as well as other animals). Opening the door in this way just may lead to verbal communication. It certainly seems to have worked that way for Rowan.

Every day there are children and adults alike experiencing and benefiting from “communicating” with horses.  Just type: equine assisted therapy into your favorite search engine. Then go visit a center near you to see for yourself how it reaches far beyond simple physical therapy. You may just find yourself inspired. They always need volunteers and the experience just may change your life.

Do horses make an effort to protect children?

Monday, November 17th, 2008

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Jasmine & Juli (special needs child), meet Dorinda & Venus
Photo courtesy of Serenity Equestrian Center

Recently I was trading stories with a friend about how incredibly considerate horses are. Being large prey animals, their ability to injure us when they go right brained is sobering. So when they make an obvious effort to protect a person, that is worth taking note and showing our appreciation.

Through the years I’ve heard countless stories of horses unmistakably making an effort to avoid injuring someone. Most often these stories involve a child. This lead me to ponder whether horses look upon human children in a benevolent way as humans do upon animal babies.

I communicated that question to the horses and this is what they said:

“Your children are so innocent and vulnerable. We find their company quite enjoyable and some of them are highly entertaining. Of course we take extra care when they are in our presence so as not to injure them. We would no sooner deliberately injure your young than we would our own.”

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Jasmine enveloped by Dorinda & Venus
Photo courtesy of Serenity Equestrian Center

That lead me to ask about protecting adults:

“It is not in our nature to deliberately injure other living beings. We are peaceful by design. Certainly there are exceptions, and they are regrettable, but they do not represent the views of our majority. Why would we deliberately hurt you?”

“We see people who deliberately cause harm to others and animals but it is not our way. We take great pride that our species has evolved to be helpers of people. This sets us apart from lesser creatures who are only concerned with their own needs. We see ourselves as noble, reliable, strong and consistent. We are who we are for we can be no other. It pleases us that there are some among you who recognize our importance in the hierarchy of life. We know that as you continue to evolve that our relationship with you will also evolve and that pleases us greatly. We have only scratched the surface of what we can accomplish together.”