Parent of sibling group program

My Children attended the camp In May 2022. The Children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They had a chance to get away for the night and be self-sufficient. The program was great and helped them see that whatever obstacles were in their way in life there could be a solution found. They had a lot of fun learning to be with the horses and Tama and the team were wonderful with the Children. Lots of activities as well as the horses. A great weekend of fun and learning to cope with life. I highly recommend the program.  Thank you Tama and team. 

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Participant I. 17 yo
This was a great experience for me personally, I learnt not only a little more about myself, but I also learnt more about the horses and the nature around me. I don't get along with people much so, this helped in a way I can't explain. I would love to go back and spend more time with everyone there. When I went there I was quite an anxious person, but now I can tell I have calmed down and know what to do if things get to much.

Participant S. 13 yo

I had a lot of fun at Equine therapy, as soon as we got there the owner Tama was very welcoming. Once we had put everything into our tent, we went down to the horses but before we got introduced to them we had a talk and got to know everyone that was there. A couple of the activities we did with the horses were, of course meeting them and patting them, we taught them a different version of "the click method' which was my favourite and we also took them on a walk beside the river. My favourite horses were tinker and Kiki I think. Anyway I had a lot of fun and im glad I went.

Participant A. 15 yo

My time at equine fusion was great. The girls running it are really nice and make you feel as much at home as they can. The horses are all so beautiful. We did a bunch of different activities but never did anything you didn’t want to or that stepped far beyond your comfort zone. We learned a lot about horses and how they have great coping methods and learned how to use some that felt right for you personally.

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Participant D. 8 yo

I love Sultan the brumby. I learnt about my emotions and how to control them like the horses do. I learnt I am the same as horses and get anxious like them. I take horse outbreaths and feel better. I hope I can keep coming here.

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Participant M. 54 yo

Tama and the horses helped me overcome many of my fears. Honestly, I was scared of horses at first and then I came to know them, and they are gentle giants. I found this experience the most healing thing I have done in my life.

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Participant H. 32 yo

Tama is so knowledgeable and skilled with horses and with emotional healing. The horses were intuitive, they reacted to how I felt every time. I learnt to express my feelings as they come up, instead of holding them in. Tama and the horses taught me awareness of my body sensations, I learnt to listen to my body so I could look after myself.

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Participant M. 42 yo

I have substance addictions issues. Tama is very caring and it helped me so much that she listened to me and helped me to see the bigger picture and then gave me activities to do with the horses that showed me solutions. Her horses and also little Romeo are the most beautiful, loving horses I have ever met.

 

Jessie (Bachelor of Primary Education, Master in Social Work, Monash University) Co-facilitator of 2020 program.

I was lucky enough to co-facilitate the Equine Assisted Learning and Development school program, upon reflection there are many concrete examples of how this program benefitted specific children, groups of children and enhanced wellbeing for the entire school communities over the three days we spent at each rural school. These examples are especially poignant as families in this area have suffered through drought, bushfires and COVID19 in a very short period of time.

As a social worker I have reflected on my time supporting this program and it has inspired me so much, as a practitioner involved in health and wellbeing promotion, I was astounded by the impact of this program on the school community. I know that early intervention and grassroot programs in the community are the most effective in combating mental health in the community. Working with children is the key as resilience is a skill that can be built up over time and can really shape how they manage as adults. There is so much animals can teach us and unfortunately many children don't have the opportunity to experience these formative learning experiences and develop these skills with animals in their everyday life. I saw children who were angry, afraid or children who couldn’t focus or sit still be completely calm, and at ease with the horses. I saw how quickly practical skills developed with the horses which I knew could be transferred into everyday life. Children are able to understand how similar horses are to humans and use this for learning about behaviour, emotions, safety, resilience, leadership and much more. Children need the opportunity to learn in different ways, succeed and fail in unique ways to build their sense of identity and accomplishment in their school communities. I was overjoyed to see the successes and the ‘quiet’, ‘shy’ or ‘challenging’ children, seeing the smiles on their faces and be proud of their accomplishment by overcoming fears and stepping into leadership roles naturally within the group.

 

Carly - Co-facilitator

I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer with Tama and Equine Fusion in Term Four 2020 for the School Equine Program.

I observed a significant change in the children's confidence and understanding of skills including boundaries, personal space, coping skills and some mindfulness.

Children who were shy and closed off emotionally at the start of the program opened up and were displaying confidence in themselves and were answering questions in the group setting by the end.

It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of, I learnt coping skills that I was able to successfully introduce to my family.

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Nungurra Youth Accommodation Services

I have seen the benefits of Tama’s Equine Assisted Interventions first hand through sending our vulnerable young people who resides at our Crisis Youth Refuge to her program.

I find Tama to be professional and reliable with her ongoing support provided to our young people associated with Nungurra Youth Refuge, she shows a depth of understanding to the needs of the young people who are experiencing homelessness and have experienced trauma.

With Tama’s ongoing contributions over the years, she has demonstrated her deep commitment to our homeless teenagers and is very approachable and friendly and builds rapport quickly.

There is no way to fully express our gratitude for Tama’s loyalty. We at Nungurra Youth Accommodation Services are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of Equine Fusion who has answered the call to give again and again.