Little horses comfort grieving kids
The horses are small, the feelings of loss huge. But for many youngsters coping with the death of a loved one, the combination somehow works.
About 35 children who have recently lost family members or others they were close to spent the second of two days Sunday on a farm in Coconut Creek where they groomed, walked with and even shared secrets with miniature horses in a form of equine therapy designed to deal with bereavement.
“They can talk to a little horse, and that horse won’t tell anybody,” said Abby Mosher, who runs Tomorrow’s Rainbow, a two- and-a half-acre day camp south of Wiles Road. “Then one day when the child feels safer, they may talk to someone else.”
The day-long sessions over the weekend were hosted by Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care, a privately-owned hospice provider with locations in 19 states. The company’s four Florida locations includes one in Fort Lauderdale.
The cause of the deaths experienced by the children and teens at the camp can include drug overdose, homicide, illness or accident.
Benjamin Boyden-Bailey, 13, an eighth-grader at Glades Middle School in Miramar, said the death of his father from brain cancer eight months ago left him with a deep sense of loss.
He said that in his two days at camp, he has made connections with the horses and the other campers who have sustained similar trauma.
“I have learned that life is not always fair,” said Boyden-Bailey. “Things don’t always go your way. Being with other people going through what I’m going through helps.
“And being with a horse is good because a horse will never judge you.”
The camp is free of charge to all children in the Broward area ages 5-18 who have lost a loved one in the past two years. In addition to spending time with one or more of the miniature horses, Shetland ponies and sheep, the children also take part in activities like archery and theater.
The campers also have access to counselors, including music therapists who lead them through group sessions in which they write and compose a song that reflects some of the emotions they are experiencing.
“I’m making friends and they know somebody that I know,” one group of children sang Sunday, accompanied on guitar by therapist Heidi Webster.
“So take a deep breath and let the changes help me grow.”