12 May 2022 - Flipbook - Page 84
84
HORSEWEEK
FARMWEEK
MAY 12 2022
Do you have a passion for horses and donkeys?
Five-day Diploma in Equine Facilitated Learning training programme being offered in Saintfield
A
NNE Brown is well-known in donkey
circles. She lives in a rural area of
County Down on a smallholding with
her herd of 16 donkeys. Anne has over
25 years’ experience working with
donkeys and is the Area Representative for
the Donkey Breed Society. She also does work
for the Donkey Sanctuary in Cork, offering
livery and rehabilitation, enabling donkeys to
move on to foster homes. Alongside all this,
Anne works as a primary school teacher and
has 17 years background in education, so she
is a very busy lady!
In October 2018, Anne qualified as an Equine
Facilitated Learning (EFL) Practitioner at
Horse Haven UK in Somerset.
EFL is a fast emerging field in which horses,
donkeys and humans work together as
guides and facilitators to help and support
both children and adults to understand and
enhance their life skills, emotions, well-being
and increase self-awareness.
There is a wealth of research coming to the
fore about the positive impact both horses
and donkeys can have on our day to day lives.
Horses and donkeys are non-judgmental and
only react to the present. They can mirror the
participants’ behaviour, physical movements
and emotions, which helps the participants to
be more aware of themselves.
Horses and donkeys have a heightened
awareness,
sensing
body
language
and interaction of those around them.
Consequently, how horses and donkeys
MIRROR: A participant in an Equine Facilitated
Learning training programme, working with a
donkey. Horses and donkeys can mirror the
participants’ behaviour, physical movements
and emotions, which helps the participants to
be more aware of themselves. (FW19-573NN)
By Rachel Carton
W
ITH no racetrack, no big
training
establishments
and a very limited number
of breeders of Thoroughbreds,
Donegal is not renowned for
producing top class racehorses,
but the grit, determination and
quality of its jockeys cannot be
overestimated.
In a week that saw Dylan Browne
McMonagle land the Group 3 Irish
Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind Stakes
on the Joseph O’Brien trained
POSITIVE IMPACT: There is a wealth of
research coming to the fore about the positive
impact both horses and donkeys can have on
our day to day lives. (FW19-571NN)
respond to us can provide powerful feedback,
emotions and behaviour.
Therefore, Equine Facilitated Learning is a
practical based approach for both children
and adults that promotes the development
of life skills for education, professional and
personal goals through Equine-Assisted
Activities.
During
Equine
Facilitated
Learning
programmes, horses and donkeys are a key
tool to gain insight into how we perceive,
behave and interact. This insight is highly
invaluable for our personal development,
mental health and well-being. Furthermore,
this approach is particularly beneficial for
conditions such as stress, trauma, anxiety,
ADHD and PTSD to name a few. By carrying
out Equine-Assisted Activities, participants
become more confident, solve problems,
develop trust and feel a sense of achievement,
positively impacting on their self worth and
self esteem.
“I did my EFL training with Suzannah
Leighton from Horse Haven UK based in
Glastonbury. There was no training available
to become an Equine Facilitated Learning
Practitioner here in Northern Ireland, so that
is how I met Suzannah. I then did further
training to become a trainer for them, so I
could implement the course here,” said Anne.
“I was very fortunate to meet Suzannah and
I’m extremely grateful to her for giving me the
opportunity to teach the Diploma here. She
has taught me so much and has given me the
courage to step outside the box and follow my
passion with donkeys, helping both adults
and children.”
Anne then developed her business ‘Learning
In Harmony With Donkeys’ in Saintfield,
County Down, where she now runs Equine
Facilitated Learning sessions with both
children and adults.
In July 2019, Anne successfully completed
a ‘Train the Trainer’ course in Somerset and
is now licensed by Horse Haven UK as a
valued EFL Trainer for the whole of Ireland.
There have been hiccups along the way,
with covid and lockdowns, but Anne is now
up and running with ‘Equine Facilitated
Learning Practitioner Trainings’ at Learning
In Harmony With Donkeys, in conjunction
with Horse Haven UK.
Anne successfully held the first Diploma
training programme in Northern Ireland in
April, at her donkey farm outside Saintfield,
where three people successfully passed and
are now qualified Equine Facilitated Learning
Practitioners. She looks forward to welcoming
new participants for the next training week,
scheduled for July 4 to 8, running from 10am
to 4pm each day. The Diploma course for July
is nearly fully booked, so Anne hopes to hold
another week in August, followed by a further
course in October.
The EFL Practitioner Trainings provided
by Anne follow the methods taught at Horse
Haven UK. The course involves five days of
hands-on practical work, with volunteer case
studies provided for the final assessments.
The programme includes theory-based work,
with lots of practical experience in order to
fulfil your dream in becoming a confident
and qualified Equine Facilitated Learning
Practitioner.
The course will enable you to set up your
own EFL business and obtain the necessary
insurance to do so. Mentoring will be available
afterwards to help you to get started and
move forward - so don’t worry, you won’t be
alone!
Students qualifying in Ireland will receive
a certificate from Horse Haven UK, 35 hours
CPD (continuing professional development)
and be invited to join the worldwide group of
EFL Practitioners.
The practical work is essential to build
confidence and gain a thorough understanding
of how EFL works. On receipt of the accredited
diploma, participants will be able to join
ACCPH (accredited counsellors, coaches,
psychotherapists and hypnotherapists).
ACCREDITED
The Diploma in Equine Facilitated Learning
has been approved and accredited by the
following bodies: International Animal
Care and Education (IAC), Continuing
Personal Development (CPD), which carries
35points and ACCPH (Open Accreditation for
TRAINING PROGRAMME: Anne Brown pictured
with Gillian Glass, Norman Brown and Lisa
Hamilton, who qualified in April after the first
Diploma course in Equine Facilitated Learning
to be held in Northern Ireland. (FW19-572NN)
Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and
Hypnotherapists).
If you love horses, donkeys and enjoy
helping people, you might consider becoming
a qualified ‘Equine Facilitated Learning
Practitioner’. The cost of the course is £1,050
with a deposit of £250 to secure your place.
For more information about the EFL course,
please go to www.horsehavenuk.co.uk and
click on the Diploma link.
For further queries or to book your place on
the course, please contact Anne Brown from
Learning in Harmony with Donkeys on 07719
270954 or email: ann16@hotmail.com
KEY TOOL: Horses and donkeys are a key tool
in Equine Facilitated Learning programmes to
gain insight into how we perceive, behave and
interact around us. (FW19-574NN)
Donegal produces yet another winning jockey
OVER THE LAST: ‘Naughtinesse’ jumps the last to win
IMPRESSIVE: Luke McAteer steered ‘Timourid’ to
under Conor Orr at Tipperary. (FW19-586NN)
PICTURE: courtesy of Healy Racing impressive win in Roscommon. (FW19-584NN)
ON THE SCOREBOARD: Brandon
Wilkie recorded his first win under
rules on board ‘Parys Angel’.
(FW19-585NN)
‘Tranquil Lady’, beating Aidan
O’Brien’s hot favourite ‘Lily Pond’
in the process, we saw another
Donegal man land his first victory
under rules.
Brandon Wilkie is apprenticed to
Tim Easterby in England and steered
his master’s ‘Parys Angel’ to a
convincing win in the seven-furlong
Apprentice Handicap at Catterick.
Having started riding under rules
just this season, Brandon has been
building valuable experience and
was more than capable of riding
out the winner after what had been
quite a messy race.
Like those that have come before
him, Brandon is a graduate of
the local horse and pony racing
circuit, where young jockeys gain
invaluable experience of genuine
race riding long before they would
be allowed on a Turf Club track.
Unfortunately, the Brexit-induced
insurance problems that are
plaguing the country at the moment
have hit the horse and pony racing
circuit, with no insurer currently
willing to quote the committee for a
policy. The impact that the loss of
local racing would have on the up
and coming race riders should not
be underestimated and all those
involved are working hard to try
and find a solution.
Martin Harley is continuing on
his winning streak in England, with
a victory on the John and Thady
Gosden trained ‘Judith’, beating
the yard’s other runner, ‘Wonderful
Times’, by a short length in the
process, while Conor Orr picked
up yet another winner for trainer
Lorna Fowler when ‘Naughtinesse’
overcame some dodgy jumping
VICTORIOUS: Dylan Browne
McMonagle returned victorious in
the Blue Wind Stakes.
(FW19-583NN)
techniques to land the Mares
Maiden Hurdle in Tipperary. The
Rachel Blackmore ridden ‘Music Of
Tara’ was favourite at the off, but
had to settle for second place as the
determined Donegal man was not
for giving up.
Not to be outdone by his fellow
countrymen, Luke McAteer has
been notching up the winners in
style, with an impressive victory on
board ‘Furnace Creek’ at Cork on
Friday, followed up by a hard won
place on the winners podium with
‘Timourid’ in a soggy Roscommon
on Monday.
