If you click on the link I think you will enjoy this provocative letter from Chuck Mintzlaff
Heart_of_Equus
http://whydoesmyhorse.co.uk/phpBB2/view ... 54cf08bf4aThis is Chuck's website, I hope Jo and FuzzleWoo will write up their experiences of his programme.
http://thenaturalhorse.org/Really thought provoking articles on this site, written as best he can manage from the horse's point of view....
and this is what Chuck applies "use" for:-
Immediate Intervention Therapy
The Official Texas Pony Express is an Immediate Intervention Equitherapy program designed specifically to help severely abused children immediately after Child Protective Services places them in a crisis center or shelter. The program has numerous goals: (1.) Allow access to the second level of the five levels of human/equine bonding. (2.) Nullify existing trauma. (3.) Provide a physical/emotional niche from the outside world and the opportunity to become one of those elite humans referred to as "mounted." (4.) Create/enhance self esteem, self-confidence and assertiveness. (5.) Instill life/survival skills through program lessons that directly correlate to their interactions with the horses. (6.) Create a substantial base for future EAP/EFP therapy.
(7.) Instill appreciation and respect for the horse, interactive horsemanship skills and safety procedures. (8.) Create opportunities for therapists to reach a client that would not be readily accessible through verbal therapy by offering interactive metaphors and correlations to real life issues and treatment.
Articles acclaiming the program have been written in the Dallas Morning News, the Ellis County Press, Cowboys and Indians magazine, City and Country Pets, Today Newspapers and Dr. Laura Schlessinger's "Perspective."
Letters of referral from various shelters, pastors, therapists, Boys and Girl's Clubs, Dallas Coalition on Character and Values, Sierra Club, Dr. Laura Schlessinger Foundation, and other reputable individuals and organizations can be faxed or emailed. A radio interview on 6/23/01 on the Rick Lamb "Horse Show" about the training and our program can be heard at:
http://www.thehorseshow.com/banner.html Therapists, foster parents or supervised adults working with an abused child are extended an open invitation. In ten years of operation, we have never charged a fee for our services, relying completely on our own initiative and private donations. Below is the Training Evaluation all program horses must pass before any interaction with their young clients is allowed.
OTPE Equine Training Evaluation ©
(Adolescent/Equine Group Interaction)
The following evaluation was developed as a minimal guideline for horses interacting with children between the ages of six and seventeen utilizing group Immediate Intervention Equitherapy. It was developed for the sole purpose of minimizing physical and/or emotional trauma caused by negative interaction between horse and client and is quintessential for any type of adolescent/equine group function. It was not created as an ultimate evaluation, but rather, a minimum standard of training/preparation for independent interaction. The Official Texas Pony Express ETE is a simple guideline of interactions that the horse must learn to accept as commonplace, to protect the children from their own lightning-quick impulsive, emotional actions and reactions. Though difficult to believe, it is an established fact that, as adults, we seem to be unable to predict exactly what a child will do next when interacting with the horse! While Friendship Training Methods are not mandatory to produce highly acceptable results, it has, in general, been found to be more efficient and easier on both the horse and the human than traditional training formats. Specific items such as “sheet over the head,†“gunshots,†etc. may be added if applicable for a specific program. Example; horses used on a trail-ride/ camping trip would be conditioned to flapping bedding, clothing, pup tents etc. in the event of an unexpected high wind or storm. Again, it is to be regarded as only the most basic of minimum standards necessary for any adolescent/equine group interaction. It is taken for granted that the final judgment of whether a horse is ready to independently interact with any group of children on any given day, lies with the handler/trainer of that particular horse. Each horse has its’ own individual overreaction and sensitivity to flying insects, gusts of wind, seasonal changes, abnormally windy days, barometric and humidity changes, estrous, recent ascension or descension in herd rank, chronic, mild but initially undetectable colic, preference to male or female riders and numerous other factors beyond normal observation or control. The old saying “Know Your Horse†should obviously be escalated to a new level of meaning and significance in any type of group adolescent/ equine program if the safety and welfare of each child we serve demands the same degree of responsibility as the next, sacred.
I found Chuck' articles a few years before I found AND, I think they share much in common and perspective
http://hometown.aol.com/texasponyexpress/oops that is gone because there was no funding for otpe website, hope the people he helps know how to find him