Where the horse is the teacher
Serenity Acres Ranch helps develop life skills
The relationship between horses and humans is the stuff of legend. It’s been the theme of western classics, heartfelt dramas and more than a few songs. That relationship can also form the basis of beneficial therapy, says Kristy Falconer, owner of Serenity Acres Family Ranch in Ellershouse.
“Because the horse is a prey animal, they are constantly watching our body language,” Falconer explains. “The horse responds to the stimulus they receive from the person. That’s where the magic is.”
Equine assisted learning (EAL) is a unique experiential program that promotes the development of healthy life skills for educational, personal, and professional development.
“It’s not riding,” Falconer explains. “It’s done on the ground, with obstacles. We help guide the participant and the horse on a journey through these obstacles together.”
Horses are finely tuned to human reactions, including movement, breathing, heart rate, cortisone, and stress levels.
“The horse’s response to your energy causes you to reflect on the energy that you are giving off,” Falconer says. “If a person is easily frustrated, this can provide the opportunity to monitor and self-regulate to control that frustration. We work a lot with people with who have anxiety, post-traumatic stress and youth at risk.”
EAL can be tailored to help participants overcome specific challenges, while teaching honesty, respect, communication, appropriate assertion, and active listening. One participant had a problem respecting the personal space of others, including the horse’s.
“The horse tried everything to let the person know: ‘hey, you’re in my space’ and finally gave a bit of a head butt. A horse lets a person know that their behaviour in that moment is not appropriate, and the person can then reflect on that behaviour.”
The Serenity Acres Family Ranch property was a cattle ranch in the early part of the 20th Century and has changed hands various times over the years. According to legend, singer Kenny Rogers once made a bid to purchase the property. It currently consists of a 35-acre ranch, with 217 acres of groomed trail rides, streams, babbling brooks and miniature waterfalls.
Falconer and her husband bought the ranch in 2017, and moved horses, along with their two sons, across the country from Vancouver Island to Ellershouse.
The range of people who have benefitted from EAL is extensive, and includes youth at risk, veterans, families, bullies and their victims, athletic and corporate teams. An upcoming workshop has been designed for children on the autistic spectrum. The ranch also offers “date night” activities in which couples can work on communication, teamwork, and active listening skills. Programs can be tailored to a client’s specific needs.
“We also do workshops for first responders, veterans and anyone with PTSD,” Falconer says.
The ranch is offering a twoweek day camp in July, for youth between 10 and 18 years of age. In addition to equine assisted learning, activities will include First Aid training, animal husbandry, barn management, safety orientation, scavenger games, swimming archery, and craft activities.
“Everything we do is life skills-based,” Falconer says. “Life skills are the most important thing to build resilience in our youth.”