Wellbeing Programme

Here at WITH Gobaith we offer a Wellbeing programme:-

Week 1 - Connection - Forming a connection with a therapy horse, understanding how to form relationships based on mutual respect and trust.

Explain the objective of this program:- To improve the wellbeing of all who participate, including the therapy horses and gaining skills that can be transitioned into everyday life. Building confidence, enhancing resilience, developing social skills, improving coping strategies and creating new lasting relationships
Learn the backgrounds of each of our therapy horses and share personal experiences
To provide a background on themselves
Take part in a herd observation - to aid understanding of how horses interact with each other and develop understanding of how we form relationships
Learn how horses communicate - reflect on how we communicate
Lunch
Connect with a therapy horse through mutual choosing - explain mutual choosing and why this is important when forming relationships
Complete the friendly game to assist with forming a new relationship based on mutual respect and trust
Learn to groom their horses and identify the need for self-care (record own self-care requirements)
Provide participants with handouts of information on our therapy horses and personal journals. Explain the importance of keeping a diary/record of events and how this can improve wellbeing.

Week 2 - Be Active - Develop an understanding of how being active improves the way we feel.

Complete wellbeing assessments on their therapy horses - Use our set assessment to score the horse in each area of wellbeing
Identify the horses needs and what is required to improve their wellbeing - Record this in horses journal
Learn about nutrition and how this applies to their horse - Look at different types of feeds and what is required for the wellbeing of their horse
Discover ways to exercise their horse to improve their wellbeing for example:- Rehabilitation, Physio, Cardio or Endurance exercises
Provide nutrition and exercise to their therapy horse
Reflect on their own nutrition and exercise
Complete own self-assessment using "Cartwheel of Change" and record what is required to improve their wellbeing

Week 3 - Take Notice - Develop Self-Awareness:- Learning to be in the present moment and focus on the here and now.

Introduction to mindfulness - discuss forms of mindfulness and any known practices
Begin mindful practices with horses
5,4,3,2,1 - Sensory technique to aid mindfulness (5 colours they can see on horse, 4 textures they can feel, 3 sounds the horse is making, 2 things the horse smells of and 1 thing the participant can taste)
Walking in harmony - matching footsteps with their horses focusing on working in partnership, listening to the sound of their hooves
Breathing exercises - Horses naturally match humans breathing from 4ft away - using their breathing they will control the speed of the therapy horse while leading through obstacles
Take note and reflect on how these mindful practises affect us and others - record this as what works for you or not
Develop healthy boundaries - Create a physical boundary for the therapy horse by looking at the horse's communication, then create their own boundary and compare
Work with the horse at liberty (without equipment). Build a safe boundary and keep the horse on the outside only using their voice, eye contact and body language

Week 4 - Learn - Obtain further comprehension of horse welfare. Understand the five freedoms that animals have the rights to.

Discus how these five freedoms relate to their own lives while providing these for their therapy horses.

Reflect on how they provide these freedoms for themselves and record their findings.

Week 5 - Give - Identifying rewards and how offering your skills to others can improve their wellbeing as well as your own.

Learning positive reinforcement and how this can be essential when asking for something from others.

Highlighting how rewarding helping others can be.

Providing massage to their therapy horses to enhance physical health
Make horse treats with suitable nutrition to aid their horses wellbeing
Provide jackpot - enrichment such as time on the beach (time away from usual role)

Identify skills that can be used in the future to help someone / something else.

Find available volunteering opportunities that would be of interest to them
Sign up for volunteering with the therapy horses
Identify further education that may be required to enhance new-found skills
Create a form of communication to ensure the connections made whilst attending the program can continue.

Minfulness: About