Learning empathy from horses
The Leg-Up Trust, an organisation helping disadvantaged youth suffering from social, behavioural or emotional problems has seen an overwhelming increase in the need for their services.
Youth are referred to the trust through school referrals, Police, Child Youth and Family Service and Child Adolescent and Family Services, and the trust helps them by teaching them how to engage and communicate with the trust’s therapy horses.
Founder Ros Rowe believes the spike in referrals is caused by troubled youth lacking empathy.
“The young people coming to us fall loosely into two groups — those who lack empathy, and those who have been affected by those who lack empathy. Bullying is rife in the community, and not only by children and teenagers. You only have to look on social media like Facebook see people from all generations making cowardly attacks on others who can’t defend themselves.
“Students who are sent by their schools to Leg-Up are often described as lacking empathy, so we introduce them to a gentle horse that may have special needs. Many of our horses are rescues that have fallen on hard times before coming to us, and they are in need of extra care and understanding. It is common to see hardened hearts soften, but we can’t provide the whole package. What is required is a buy-in from family and the community.”
Lack of understanding and empathy is what killed therapy horse Peaches last year after fireworks were let off around Ros’ property, she says.
“Peaches became so stressed that she developed severe colic and had to be put down.”
Peaches had befriended Molly, a wild Kaimanawa mare mustered in April, 2018, with a foal at foot and in foal again.
“Kaimanawa Heritage Horses, the body that takes responsibility for the welfare of these wild horses and oversees the muster process, contacted me to ask if I would take on Molly who was heavily in foal and not adapting well to captivity.
“Molly arrived on November 1 and was immediately befriended by Peaches, a therapy horse that looked after any children and horses in need. Molly gained a lot of comfort from Peaches, but tragically, it was Peaches’ diligence in protecting Molly for three nights while fireworks were let off all around my property that killed her.”
Following Peaches’ death Molly went back into her shell until her foal was born on December 19. The foal was named Peaches’ Legacy and has only now allowed human contact.
“Legacy is now about eight weeks old. Legacy first let me handle him on January 25 when he was just under six weeks old.
“It took time for this to happen for two reasons: I don’t force contact; I prefer for the horse to make the first move so a genuine bond develops, and Molly is still shy of contact so tended to move her foal away from humans. She now comes right up to me and will take hay out of my hand but she still hasn’t invited me to stroke her.”
Human contact is essential for the horses so their needs are met.
“Once comfortable with being handled, Molly and Legacy will learn to accept being led and enjoy being groomed, having their feet picked out and one day join our team of therapy horses so they can help at-risk children and youth.”
The horses will one day be used to “touch hardened hearts” by being teamed with kids who learn to meet their needs by grooming them and handling them with kindness.
“By discovering that the horses respond by co-operating positively, they realise that there are rewards in treating others kindly. I guess it comes down to the good old biblical stance of doing unto others as you would have them do to you.”