Strength and Learning Through Horses is a small Barnet charity with big ambitions: to revolutionise how young people who are socially isolated and / or excluded from education are supported in redefining themselves, building a positive self-identity, and improving their mental health. Their ‘secret weapon’ is a workforce of horses, which the charity utilises to engage young people to accept help from an expert team of Clinical Psychologists, Mental Health Specialists and Horse Behaviour professionals. The team provides not only mental health interventions but also alternative education provision. The results are life-changing: The charity has a 12 year track record of success in helping young people improve their mental health when traditional methods and educational interventions have failed.
Horses will mirror anxious behaviour from humans, run away from someone showing anger, and have little energy around someone behaving very passively. These responses, shown in the horses’ behaviours, help young people identify and understand their own emotions and actions, allowing them to see things from a different perspective, try out new ways of relating to themselves and others, recognise their strengths, and build positive identities.
Dr Jemma Hockley, Strength and Learning Through Horses CEO & Clinical Lead, says: “For many of our young people we are the only activity they do that gets them to leave the house, and many haven’t been at school for over two years. We often start work in the car park as many will struggle to get out of the car. A horse is very engaging therapy tool, you can’t really ignore its presence and feedback. Young people may not want to engage with humans at first but they will always be aware of the horse. Rather than focus on their story, which our young people will have told professionals a million times, instead we focus on them ‘training’ the horses to deal with an array of situations. In turn, trust is built, and conversations directed through the horses slowly become about the young people themselves, so we can address what might help them.”
Since the Covid pandemic, Strength and Learning Through Horses has seen a huge influx of referrals from young people in crisis. In 2022, the charity had to look for a new home, with the lease on its existing stables coming to an end. Thankfully, with the help of Barnet Council, SLTH has secured a new, larger site in Mays Lane EN5, which offers an opportunity to grow and expand its services, reaching more young people in need than ever before. With a plan to deliver London’s first purpose-built equine therapy centre, the charity has to raise £600,000 to make the dream a reality. These funds will go towards building a barn and a stable block for the hard-working therapy horses, as well as field shelters that will allow sessions to continue in all weather. Plans are in place to make the site accessible and add new sensory spaces to benefit everyone visiting the centre. To read more about the charity or to make a donation, visit www.strengthandlearningthroughhorses.org
