WHY AN EQUESTRIAN CENTER AT GATEWAYS DYSLIN RANCH?

For 80 years, the Dyslin Ranch has been a place where young people heal, learn and grow.  Despite its changing character over time, it has always been a “ranch” to raise children and build their character.  It is a rural oasis in the midst of the increasingly urban landscape of Pierce County, dedicated to helping children find their place in life.

So, why horses?  The bond between children and horses is legendary.  But the legends are based in reality, and now in medical science.  Equine assisted therapy is an effective tool for those deemed “at-risk” - who require therapy to help them stay on the right track, or to find the right track.  It also works well for children who are recovering from the effects of violence, abuse, or neglect.    Furthermore, it is a tool to teach children who have not suffered any particular ill effects from the adults in their life the core values treasured by the GATEWAYS organization, self-reliance, personal responsibility and community service.  In our modern, urban-centered culture, even moderate to middle-income level children are denied this character building experience due to lack of funds or program resources. The Jessie Dyslin Ranch Equestrian Center’s Equine Assisted Activities Programs will offer opportunities for growth and healing to children who would otherwise not have them.

Equine Assisted Activities include personal development, education and therapeutic interventions and utilize experiential learning. Experiential learning is learning by doing.  It occurs when a person is interacting with the environment, including the people, animals and situations involved. Therapeutic Riding is a growing and widely-accepted treatment for rehabilitating a range of physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Riders experience increased self-confidence and improvement in strength, balance, coordination, attention span, language and social skills. It involves an ongoing therapeutic relationship with clearly established treatment goals and objectives developed by the therapist in conjunction with the client. The therapeutic team includes an appropriately credentialed mental health or rehabilitation professional and an equestrian specialist.

Equestrian Assisted Therapy is more than “horsemanship and riding classes." Equine therapy, which involves clinical professionals, has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of mental health and human development needs and behavioral issues, such as attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, anxiety, anger management, conflict resolution, relationship problems and communications.

Horses offer several advantages. For one thing, their size offers a perfect opportunity for some to overcome fear and develop confidence. "Accomplishing a task involving the horse, in spite of those fears, creates confidence and provides for wonderful metaphors for dealing with other intimidating and challenging situations." Horses are social animals, with distinct personalities, attitudes and moods. Working with them and caring for them requires effort --there's no easy way out. No quick tricks.

"A lot of animals are used in therapy," explained one. But with horses, there's the respect factor. "You can't bully them. If you give respect, you get respect." Horses have the ability to mirror exactly what human body language is telling them. People complain that the horse is stubborn or antagonistic. "But the lesson to be learned is that if they change themselves, the horses respond differently."