EACH of Adrian Feirer’s horses has a story.
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There is Wiramai, the horse shunned and given away for throwing his 16-year-old rider years ago.
There is Mocha, who was deemed no longer useful and sent to be euthanised, and Sovereign, who was abandoned in a paddock.
Gundy, a horse wanted and bought at significant cost, is unpredictable.
Each story helps the horses connect with people who might lack in self-esteem or confidence – people whose stories often mirror those of their equine counterparts.
Mr Feirer has been using horses for his unique equine-assisted learning for years, running programs with people of all ages and abilities.
It has now been expanded to help prevent the cycle of crime with at-risk groups by changing attitudes and behaviour through an optional program in the Juvenile Justice system.
It comes after Moruya-based organisation Impact Eurobodalla successfully applied for $4450 under the NRMA Community Grants Program to allow up to 30 young people to undertake equine-assisted learning.
Participants can be referred by police, Juvenile Justice or youth services to the free service.
Mr Feirer’s program aims to help build self-esteem, confidence and patience and enhance communication in a series of one-hour sessions.
Participants learn to build trust with the horse by grooming, picking up hooves, encouraging it to move without using force, and leading it through a series of tasks.
Mr Feirer said the idea was to build a relationship and, even when things didn’t go as planned, the trick was
to remain calm, have patience and persevere – lessons applicable to everyday life.
“It is also a very good anger management exercise, as horses do not respond well to an angry human; they adopt their natural flight instincts if fear is raised through perceived mistreatment,” Mr Feirer said.
“Horses are extremely sensitive animals and can instinctively pick up on negativity very quickly, so if you are having a bad day, emotional, depressed, aggressive or sad, or lack confidence, horses will know.
“If you are positive, upbeat and can maintain a happy demeanour, horses will pick up on that as well.”
Impact Eurobodalla business coordinator Francesca Davis said expanding the program was a community-driven initiative.
She said with the loss of Youth Connections federal funding last year, there were limited affordable engagement options – and no therapeutic intervention options – to include in case plans for young people.
“This is about engaging young people in positive activities,” she said.
“Equine-assisted learning can help in building self confidence, dealing with anger management issues - it would just depend on the young person and what was an issue for them.”
The Far South Police Citizens Youth Club has referred four at-risk youth to Mr Feirer’s program in recent months.
Senior Constable Greg Curry said the changes he had noticed in the participants was dramatic, “especially with young people who might be really shy or reserved and self-conscious”.
“You see them grow in confidence, from being stand-offish and shy, looking down, not concentrating, to the end where you see them really being enthusiastic, talking and communicating and out of their shells - which is what you want to see,” he said.
