Healing with Horses

Horses have an incredible ability to mirror our emotions and help us reconnect with ourselves. Healing with Horses explores the world of equine-assisted services—what it is, how it works, and why it’s so effective for mental health, trauma recovery, anxiety, and personal growth. Through expert insights and real-life stories, this podcast breaks down the science and the magic behind healing alongside horses.  

Special Guest-Fieldstone Farm -Jenna Upper, Gaitway Liaison PATH Certified Instructor - certified by PATH Int'l, the therapeutic equine industry association 

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You're listening to Project Redcord Chronicles, a podcast of the Renee Jones Empowerment Center. Welcome to this episode of Project Red Record Chronicles horses that heal. We have a very special guest today, Jenna of Phil Stone Farm that will be speaking with us today on this special episode. Welcome, Jenna. Hi. Thank you so much for having me. Sure. Can you introduce yourself and just share a little bit about your role at your facility? Absolutely. So my name is Jenna Upper I work at Fieldstone Farm in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I started here in 2020, so I am a certified Therapeutic riding instructor certified through PATH International, which is the credentialing organization for equine assisted services. They're an international organization and they do all of our. Certifications and credentialing and things like that. We're a a premier accredited center through Path International. So I teach both mounted and unmounted lessons to people with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges. And I do our Renee Jones group, that which is a, an unmounted ground lesson that comes once a month. That's wonderful. And our clients love being with you and all the different things that they get to do at their sessions. What led your organization to incorporate equine assisted services for trafficking survivors? So we were looking for ways that our horses could reach more people and help more people that didn't necessarily involve. Riding, so there are many different ways that horses can be beneficial for people. Not just riding and through movement, but on the ground as well. So we wanted to expand our impact while also making it physically easier on our horses. We have an older herd of horses. Most of our horses are. In their twenties and above. So riding can be physically taxing on them. And we also have a weight limit for mounted lessons. People who are over a certain weight are not able to ride, which can make it challenging for adults who are looking for services. We wanted to be more inclusive and be able to reach more people. That's great. So for listeners who may not, who may be unfamiliar how do you explain equine assisted services? In simple terms? Yeah, so Equine assisted services it's an overarching term for multiple different services that incorporate horses to benefit people. So there's three main areas, right? There's a therapy. Aspect, there's a learning aspect and there's a horsemanship aspect. So I'll talk a little bit about each of the three different areas. So the therapy aspect is conducted by licensed therapy professionals and they incorporate horses within the scope of their own specific practice. So whether that is physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language, pathology, counseling, et cetera the therapist determines how. Things like interactions with the horses and the movement of the horse can benefit their client in, a cognitive way, behaviorally, emotionally, psychologically. So they use the horse as part of their actual therapy session. And then the learning aspect is a non therapy. Area, excuse me, a non therapy area that takes a more educational approach. So there are specifically trained and credentialed professionals. Think like teachers, life coaches, things like that. Different corporate organizations that incorporate horses in different structured activities to help people build life skills. They focus on learning and personal growth that can happen through working with horses. So they will do things like. Corporate team building, things like that, they can set up sessions through schools. So that is more of a learning educational aspect. And then the final area is the horsemanship area, which is again, a non therapy area. So this is when, especially trained or certified equine professionals. Deliver lessons that are either mounted, so on the horse or in a carriage or unmounted lesson. So on the ground to develop horsemanship skills and provide different benefits of interacting with horses to people with tons of different diverse needs. So we have. Four main areas within the horsemanship area. There's adaptive or therapeutic riding, which is the mounted lessons where the participant is sitting on the horse and the movement of the horse is therapeutic for them. And they work on horsemanship skills and riding skills. So these are riding skills that are taught to people with diverse needs with the goal of developing riding skills. And there's carriage driving. So there's the participant sitting in a carriage with another person driving the horse. There's interactive vaulting, which is basically gymnastics on a horse, and then adaptive equestrian sport. So that is competitive sport. Within the equestrian community for people with diverse needs. Wow. Thank you for sharing all of that. That is great. What is it about horses that makes them uniquely effective in INE assisted services? So horses are prey animals, right? So they're highly sensitive by nature, they're very empathetic. They become non-judgmental partners, and they're able to mirror, mirror, excuse me, human emotions. So they're very highly attuned to body language and non-verbal communication, the energy that we put off our nonverbal signals. So if a person is anxious. The horse will react. They're able to feel what the person is feeling. If the person is calm, then the horse will mirror back that calm energy. So they're able to provide immediate and really honest feedback, which helps survivors become much more aware of their own emotions and horses as prey animals. They're naturally hypervigilant so they can. Help resonate different experiences of survivors and provide a really safe connection and a shared understanding and a bond that, doesn't really need words. Yeah, and horses are very present animals and they meet you where you're at. So again, they're non-judgmental horses don't care what happened yesterday. They don't care what's going on outside the barn. Their main. Focus is, their safety, what's happening right now. They're very in the moment. They don't hold grudges. So they react to their immediate environment, which kind of forces you as a participant to be present and in the moment, because horses are so present and in the moment and they're just, they're large animals and working with them can build confidence and a sense of empowerment because, this is a. About 1200 pound animal who has a mind of their own. And being able to build a connection with them really gives them a sense of empowerment. Yes. That is amazing. That's really amazing. Thank you for sharing all of those great details. How do horses help survivors when it comes to rebuilding trust, especially after experiences of control and exploitation. Yeah, so consent and choice are always the main foundation of each of our sessions, right? Because like you mentioned, the complete loss of control that they've had in the past. We want them to feel empowered to lead all of the interactions with the horse, right? So they are able to decide. When to approach the horse. If they approach the horse at all, they're allowed to decide if they wanna touch the horse. If they wanna brush the horse lead, all of that is completely up to them. And they're never forced to participate in any way at all. So it can reverse the power dynamics of what they've experienced in the past, and it allows them to feel empowered to set boundaries, both physical and emotional because they. Know that they can say stop. They can say no, and they can know that their boundary will be accepted. Like I mentioned before, they're completely, it's completely up to them whether or not they participate, right? They're never forced to interact with the horse. They're never forced to do something that they're not comfortable with. So they can choose their own pace, they can choose their own level of involvement, as they're comfortable. So it allows them to build trust in their own time. Yes. And then horses, as I mentioned before, they're very judgmental. So they're, they're not manipulative, they don't have hidden agendas and they can, they really, they can see in you, they can see inside you. These survivors, they often have a history of having to hide what they're feeling and hide their true emotions in order to keep themselves safe. And horses, they're very sensitive to this, so they respond to what they feel and not necessarily what they're told. So if somebody says on the outside, I'm calm. But really on the inside, they're anxious and tense. The horse responds to what the person is feeling. They respond to the nonverbal signs. So again, like I've mentioned a few times already, they're prey animals. So their survival depends. Strictly on noticing small changes in their environment. So they pay attention to things that we may not even notice. Like our mu our muscles tensing, our breathing patterns, shallow breathing. Our posture if we're just, if we're tense, our facial expressions, the tone of our voice. So many things that we don't necessarily even think of the horses pick up on. And these are things that change when we get anxious. They understand that what we say doesn't always match what's really going on. Yeah. And so they're able to experience a relationship with the horse where what they feel is what's actually responded to. So they're able to become much more congruent. So they're allowed to match their inside feelings to their outside behavior. And, they learn. They can think I am allowed to feel what I'm feeling and I don't have to pretend, and they are able to know that they're not being judged. Yes. That's wonderful. Yeah, really giving us a lot of information and it is great because, we see this and I want other listeners and other organizations to hear. About the benefits of this service to be provided to victims because these are all the things that they're, they struggle with. How does working with horses support emotional regulation and grounding for survivors? Yeah simply interacting with horses, not even necessarily touching them, just being around them and being in their presence but also the grooming and the leading that we do and all the different activities can really help calm the nervous system. So it encourages awareness. You have to be able to interact safely. You have to notice how how you feel and how your body is responding and the horses respond. They respond best to, steady and relax movements, which allows people to slow down and then manage that physical response. So back to the, the anxiety responses that I talked about a minute ago. All the nonverbal things, your breathing, slowing your muscles relax, your heart rate studies. So it allows them to notice their own emotions and adjust and manage those emotions in real time. And then. Horses in the wild are, they're naturally herd animals, right? They're not solitary. They live in herds. They like to be around other horses and they feed off of each other's energy in the wild. And, domesticated horses and programs like ours if one horse senses danger, their heart rate goes up, their body gets tense, and the other horses around them. Are able to sense that there's something going on. They sense the danger, they match that horse's energy. But if there's one horse who's calm, one horse who's breathing is nice and slow, their heart rate is steady, the others will eventually start to calm. And I, what I found is that groups like this are the same, right? So if there's one calm person. They can really help set the tone for the whole group and help the whole group come back and regroup and ground. And then we do activities like grooming and leading, so that calm, repetitive motion of, brushing the horse or petting the horse. And matching their pace while they're leading with them. So when I say leading, I just mean, walking with the horse. So they have a rope that's attached to the horse's halter on their head, and that's how they're able to, maneuver the horse around. So when they're leading with the horse in the arena horses are very solid and very steady animals, right? So they have a natural. Calm gait while they're walking, so you're able to match your pace with them and it can help ground you a bit. Yeah. And then we do an activity, it's one of my favorite activities, it's called Breathe With. So it's where you're essentially trying to match your breathing to the horse. The horse is standing stationary, either in the cross ties or being held by somebody, and you. Wrap your arms around the horse. You have one hand on top of their back and then one underneath their belly. And press your head to the side. You can close your eyes and you feel their breathing. So horses breathe very slowly, so it makes you notice your own breathing so you, they're able to slow down and focus on. They're breathing, try to slow their body down. And then it also incorporates a lot of the different senses. There's touch, they are feeling their hands on the horse's body. They're feeling how warm the horse is, how their hair texture feels. They can physically feel them breathing right. They can feel their sides going in and out. They can feel their feet on the ground and feel very grounded. Horses have a very large lung capacity, so they're able to see. That the sight sense, they're able to see the breathing. It looks really exaggerated and a much more noticeable than when people breathe, so they really notice it. And then, this might sound silly, but. For sound. Horses have a very active digestive system, right? So I'm going somewhere with this, I promise. So when they're that close to the horse, they can hear, all those little noises inside, like the gurgling and all that. So they. They can hear what's going on in the horse just by standing next to them. So just some different senses and different ways to ground themselves. All the things that they notice, what they feel, what they hear, what they see which allows them to really be fully present. Yes. And I can tell you that's one of the one of the favorite things that they will, clients will come back and tell us. It's they're so amazed by it. And, just all the different things that you do during these sessions, how it really helps and relates to these survivors and helps them to overcome the things that they're struggling with. So thank you for that. How are these in inquiry and assisted services aligned with principals like safety? Choice and empowerment. Yeah. Our first focus obviously is safety, right? Physical safety, emotional safety. So we teach them obviously first and foremost how to be safe around the horses. They are large animals and like I mentioned before, they do have, a mind of their own. So knowing how to behave safely around them to keep yourself safe and the horses safe is our number one priority. For everybody. And then emotional safety also. So we want them to feel that they're safe to open up, right? And share their emotions. Are they afraid? Are they comfortable? We want them to be able to know that this is a safe space where they're able to come as they are no matter what that looks like. So we give them the tools to keep themselves safe, right? So it lets them know that they're. In charge of their own experience. And then as I mentioned before, they can choose how involved they wanna be. They have the autonomy to say, I'm not, I'm just not in the right space today. I know that my energy is too high. I'm just gonna stand over here to the side and I'm just gonna watch for today. Or, I'm having a really hard time today and I could use some. Quiet time. Standing here with my horse, not, I don't wanna brush, I don't wanna lead, I just wanna be here and just be in the presence of them. So the levels of engagement are completely up to them. And then empowerment, they are. Able to build skills, right? So they're learning how to groom a horse, how to brush a horse, what all the different tools are and how to use them. They're learning how to guide this 1200 pound animal with a mind of its own able to get the horse to willingly follow them, right? And understanding what the horses are telling us. So again, that nonverbal communication. So I mentioned before that horses are really good at reading nonverbal communication, but they also give off a lot of their own nonverbal communication. So as the sessions go on, they start to learn what the different things are that the horse is telling them. They start to learn what, their ear position means if their ears are perky and the horse feels happy, or if their hor or if their ears are back and they're feeling uncomfortable, if the horse's body is tense. So they start to learn how to pick up on all those signs too. And as I mentioned before, we want this to be a safe space for them, right? So we want them to know that they are allowed to try new things in a a safe environment, a supportive environment. And so they're able to successfully manage all these different challenges and that, so that teaches them that they're able to excuse me, they're able to handle uncertainty, in a safe way. And then. Also, as I mentioned, the horses are able to mirror things, right? So the trust and respect are mirrors. So horses, they thrive on consistency and they respond really well to honesty, right? Like I said before, if you say that you're calm, but you're really not, the horse knows that. When we show up authentically as we are and the horse responds, in a positive way. Kind of reinforces the self-trust and validates their experiences and just, the calm presence of the horse in general can help them feel grounded. And, it allows them to reconnect with their own body and their emotions and their decisions and just really helps them feel empowered. That's great. So what role does Consent and Survivor Choice play in each interaction? You kinda shared a little bit in your response there, but if you have anything else. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. There was one more thing that I wanted to touch on about how they're able to feel safe. Before they ever go into the barn, they're given the information on how to keep themselves safe. So they're empowered to know that they're able to participate freely and safely, and we always make sure that they know, that they're free to step away if they need to, right? So they know that they don't have to participate if something happens and they feel uncomfortable, they're allowed to give themselves grace and give themselves permission to kinda do what they need to do in order. To regroup, but I just, I wanted to mention that. Yes. That's beautiful. Thank you. So now I'm gonna go to the sub survive survivor empowerment and growth. What changes have you observed in survivors over time through inquiry and assisted services? Yeah a lot of times, most of the time from what I've experienced, they've never been around horses before, right? They don't really know what to do with. This big animal. So a lot of times they're fearful when they first start out, right? They aren't sure about approaching the horse. They're not sure, they don't wanna get hurt, they don't wanna get stepped on. They're, they're intimidated. So we really make sure that they know that they are able to choose how they show up. So what I've found is that throughout the sessions, how they, how much they choose to participate changes, so maybe at the beginning they just wanted to stand across the aisle and just watch. They didn't wanna come approach the horse, they didn't wanna brush or anything. But slowly, as the weeks go on, they get a little bit more confident, right? They're confident enough to go up to the horse, even just in their stall, just, walk to the outside of the stall and look at the horse from outside or, maybe. They're feeling okay to drop a treat in their bucket, or eventually being able to, walk the horse out of their stall and into the cross ties to be able to then brush them. So things like that, just being comfortable around the horses and gaining their confidence after every, every session has been really nice to see. And then again, back to the leading, they're able to lead this big horse all by themselves and they remember the things that we've worked on in the past and the things that we've talked about, and they, remember and learn what the horses are telling them and they're able to apply it on their own. And then. Just being more comfortable in the safe space that we are trying to create. Yes. That's wonderful. How does this help survivors reconnect with their bodies and emotions? As I mentioned before, the horses are really good at mirroring, right? So what's happening in the horse's body and also happens in the person's body. Like we talked about before. The heart rate slowing, the breathing slowing, et cetera. So you know, they're really able to ground themselves and become aware of their body, right? So it allows for really good emotional regulations so they can really be present and understand what's really going on, in their own bodies. That's awesome. Can you share an example of how this program has helped someone reclaim confidence or self-worth? Absolutely. I have, so there's so many different examples. But there are two that I, really. Think about a lot. So we have a horse his name is Diego, and he's a favorite among all of our different programs. He does riding, he does the carriage driving, he does the ground lessons. He's a, a one size fits all kind of guy, right? But we have one participant who has just, somehow, one reason or another formed a really strong bond, specifically with Diego. And he's the first horse that she comes to see every time, and we always make sure that he's available so that we can get him out so she can, spend some time with him. Brushes him a little bit, but then she just, she will. Just completely let herself be in the moment with him. So while we're in the other cross ties, maybe with another horse, I'll look over and she's just pouring it all out to Diego, right? So she, she really connects with him. She hugs on him, she loves on him, and he makes her feel. Really safe. And I, I've seen her cry, just by being around him. And she just, the connection that she's built with him is just really beautiful. That's beautiful. And then, so that's probably my favorite one that I've seen. That's beautiful. We have another participant who at first was really hesitant, around the horses and. Anytime we would do something, I would give her the option, to get the horse out herself or if she wanted me to do it. And, she always wanted me to, and she just wanted to watch from afar. But then slowly as we started going she felt confident, at least with a mini, so we start with a mini horse. Sometimes if somebody is a little bit hesitant around the bigger horses. So a mini horse is just exactly that. It's just a, a miniature horse. It's really tiny. They're fully grown, but they're not gonna get any bigger, so they're small. They're a lot less intimidating for some people, so she was able to eventually start going into the mini stall and, putting his halter on and putting his lead rope on and leading him out to the cross ties. So she was able to really build her confidence and be able to, do that for herself. Yeah. That's wonderful. I thank you for sharing those stories because there are so many, and that's why we really wanted to have a special podcast. On the benefits of this STA session, assisted Hawaiian assisted. Sessions. Yeah. And we're grateful that we were able to work with Fieldstone Farms. We've been there for probably over almost a decade, bringing survivors there. So we really wanted people to know about the great work that's being done and how it's helping our victims and survivors to heal. So thank you absolutely for that. How does working with horses help survivors recognize their own. Strength and resilience. So the fight or flight response is natural for horses, right? Because they're that prey animal. So they have to feel safe, and they have to know that they're able to trust the person and in order to form a connection. So it helps them realize, that they. Themselves can be a safe space for the horse. Not only is the horse a safe space for them, but they can then be that safe space for their horse and then. We have horses from all different backgrounds, right? Most of our horses are donated to us. Some people, donate their horse when they're not able to do the job that they were doing before. So maybe some of our horses are retired athletes or, competition horses. Sometimes people just don't have time for their horse anymore, but sometimes we get horses from, from rescues and from other different, traumatic backgrounds. So as we walk through the barn, they ask about the different horses and, oh, where did this horse come from? And, what's this horse's story? And as they start to learn about some of the background of some of these different horses they can, they're like, oh, this horse came from rescue and he had a, a rough pass. Some of 'em come from really difficult situations before they come here. They're able to relate to that, right? Because of their past experiences. So they're able to feel a sense of connection with that horse knowing that they went through something similar and can have that shared experience, right? And then seeing the horses from these backgrounds thriving in this environment, right? So it empowers them. To know that they're able to also overcome adversity. That's wonderful. Okay, so I just got a couple more questions about impact and outcomes. How do you measure success or progress in your programs? So it looks a little bit different for everybody, right? Levels of engagement, right? So if they feel confident to try different things that they might have been hesitant about before, if they. If they were scared to approach the horse, if they didn't really know what to do, if they didn't wanna approach them, if they didn't wanna groom, but now, they're coming out and they're even standing by the horse, right? So we wanna celebrate all those small wins. So it doesn't have to be anything big. Slow and steady wins the race, but any kind of change in their level of engagement is a huge success progression of their skills. Being able to lead the horse independently. Get the horse outta their stall, bring 'em to the cross ties, bring them to the arena, walk them around. Remember the different cues that are required to, maneuver the horse around, recognizing the horse's nonverbal cues and then feeling that connection. With certain horses and really being able to open up to them and then the horses on. On the other hand, if the horses are engaging more. Then the survivors, they're able to feel safer and more confident. And then the horse is able to connect with them, and they're more willing to engage because the horse themself feels safe. So they start to learn, like I said, that they can become that safe space for the horse. That's wonderful. What feedback do you hear most often from survivors after they're participating? After participating in the session? Mostly, that they feel calm and they feel happy. It, it seems really simple, but it's so impactful, right? So we have, our sessions are typically an hour and a half. So we start out and we have a classroom. So we start out in there and we just, talk and chat and connect and say, how's everybody been since the last session and everything, and talk about anything that they wanna talk about. Then we go out to the barn and we get some horses out and we do some some brushing. There's even one participant who she'll bring books every week and she'll read them to the horses and it's beautiful. She loves it and she's able to, just be there and be present with the horse and they really do listen to her. Then we sometimes do different leading activities things like that in the arena where they're able to, practice different skills. And then a lot of times they're happy to just kinda walk around the barn and visit the different horses and, look at 'em and talk to them and, ask questions about them. They love learning, the little fun facts about all the horses, right? Yeah. So each horse has their own. Personality, right? They all have their own little quirks. So they're very similar to people, so they really like to learn all the different things about the horses. So the biggest feedback that I get is just, they, we come back to the classroom after and they're like, wow, I feel really calm. That really helped me, come back. I was having a rough day. Just really helped me, ground myself and I just feel really happy. Yes. They really do. They love it. And then my last question is, what moments remind you that this work truly matters? I have to go back to that example that I talked about before with Diego, right? And that one survivor who just has such a strong bond with him. I'm not really sure what it is about Diego specifically. I'm not supposed to have favorites, but he's one of my favorites. But he just, there's just something about it, the connections that they form with these horses. It's just, it's beautiful to see and it's it's great to know that they feel safe enough and they feel empowered to be able to, share so freely with these horses. Yes. Jenna, listen, I thank you so much for providing all this amazing information to share with our audience. And we want people to know that this is really important and we're grateful for those that support us to make it possible for us to bring clients to fill Stone Farms. But I also want to recognize. The amazing staff that Fieldstone Farms has. And thank you for all of the people. 'cause we've been working with you guys for a long time. Long time. It's it's really the impact is truly amazing. And so I thank you. So thank you for joining us for this special episode of Horses That Heal. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed being here with you guys today.