Mission Statement
Angels Landing Foundation’s mission is to provide emotional , social and behavioral growth and learning through the use of horses. We teach about functional motor patterns as well as rehabilitation through motor development also addressing mental health issues through work with horses.
Equine-assisted therapy for the treatment of mental health, emotional, behavioral, social and relationship issues is a form of therapeutic intervention which recognizes that the bond between animals and humans fosters emotional growth and healing.
Among many other things, working with horses can:
Increase confidence, communication and trust skills
Improve focus and self-awareness and listening skills
Build and develop anger management skills
Build strong relationship skills
Reduce anxiety, and feelings of isolation and loneliness
Decrease self-destructive and impulsive behaviors
Forms creative patterns and thought processes
Build a lasting happiness from within.
Some children have trouble bonding to others, so we give them the experience and physical communication with the horses. They brush them, hug them, and pat them which in turn allows them to create a bond. By learning to care for the horse, they associate the care they provide with feelings and an emotional bridge is constructed.
children often have difficulty comprehending normal directions. By engaging in equine therapy, your child follows directions through fun activity’s that makes taking direction easier to grasp and remember. Having them engaged in activities that require them to reach and stretch and even ride backwards on a horse, allows the child to focus on core functionality and at the same time keeps their minds engaged in the activity that they are doing.
During our therapy session their cognitive concepts will naturally improve. For example, we have children throw colored balls into baskets while riding, or bean bags into big rings placed on the ground. Some of our fun projects include painting while on the horse and hanging objects on props that are placed in the arena. We play games that are engaging and challenging to activate their senses.
Riding horses and engaging in activities helps liven these sensory preceptors, which helps make therapy exciting and fun and motivates your child to continue to ride and progress.
Equine therapy, also known as Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), is a treatment that includes equine activities and/or an equine environment in order to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in persons suffering from ADD, Anxiety, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, Depression, Developmental Delay, Genetic Syndromes (such as Down Syndrome), traumatic brain injuries, behavioral issues, abuse issues, and many other mental health problems. Equine Therapy can help the individual build confidence, self- efficiency, communication, trust, perspective, social skills, impulse control, and learn boundaries. Since the horses have similar behaviors with humans, such as social and responsive behaviors, it is easy for the patients to create a connection with the horse. Riders with disabilities demonstrate their remarkable accomplishments in national and international sport riding competitions. Equine-Assisted Therapies have been recognized in the medical and mental health field by most major countries.
Equine therapy can involve more than just riding the horse. In some sessions, a client might not even touch the horse at all. Often the therapist leading the session will set goals for the client to complete, such as leading the horse to a designated area or putting a halter on the horse. The client will complete the task to the best of their ability and then discuss the thought process, ideas and problem solving used to complete the task. Discussing what the client is doing at a given time allows them to improve language skills.