How HorseWorld Discovery helped Amelie
Paul experienced the impact of the Discovery Programme through a referral that was made for his daughter, Amelie, when she was 14. Amelie continued to take part in the programme throughout her final year of secondary education after years school moves and interactions with social services and children’s mental health services. The Discovery Programme was a secure environment that she looked forward to attending. Amelie and her father continue to visit the centre for social occasions.
Paul said...
"Amelie struggled for a very long time with her mental health. We saw many education, social care and mental health professionals from when she was 11 years old. Many of them had a positive impact but the most significant turning point I witnessed was when we had a referral to the Discovery Programme at HorseWorld. It was a lifeline. Covid had a massive impact on her transition to secondary school. Until then she engaged well with school. Home life was difficult and a series of therapists, although beneficial, were only able to make temporary bonds with her. Amelie spent some time with hospital education service and had to move secondary school on several occasions.
We got an Education Health and Care Plan in place and we were looking for other forms of engagement as she was not in school at all by the time she was 15 years old. HorseWorld was suggested and I was initially sceptical that she would go but she said that she would take a look. This was a big moment for us. I took her over and she fell in love with the place. The staff were fantastic from day one and the whole concept really worked for her as she is hypersensitive. It felt so genuine, warm, welcoming and empathetic. I could see that Amelie was relaxed so I started to bring her every Monday while I worked in a little space that was made available. Every day she would give me a full debrief on the horses she’d been working with and their activities."
"It had been such a long time since she’d looked forward to any regular activity. She learnt a lot about how horses mirror emotions. She loved it so much, not once did Amelie make an excuse not to go and we were able to continue the funding through her EHCP for further sessions until she finished her education. Long-term I can see that it has taught her so much about emotional regulation and her participation marked a turning point on her harmful behaviour. She is in such a different place now and is attending college.
I think the outcomes of somewhere like HorseWorld and the Discovery programme are impossible to measure because they are going to be all over that person’s entire life. What Amelie experienced on the Discovery Programme will be with her for the rest of her life."
Images used in this story are generic photos of HorseWorld's Discovery Courses and do not feature Amelie or Paul.