Helping Others Like Myself

by Adriana Hansen

I have loved horses for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I was twelve that I was introduced to Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. As a foster child, I experienced constantly moving homes, feeling unsure of who my mom was, and feeling alone. I was in three different homes before being adopted by the Hansen’s around the age of 5. One of the foster homes I went to treated me horrifically. All of this caused me to have anger and trust issues. In Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, horses helped me to work on and overcome my challenges. Horses can actually mimic the feelings of the person that is with them. Equine Therapy can help all kinds of people with all kinds of problems.

Kids like me that go through trauma sustain mental, physical, spiritual, behavioral, and relational issues. Equine therapy addresses all of these. According to Webmd.com, “One study found that participants who engaged in equine therapy experienced a reduction in symptoms of both depression and stress compared to participants in the control group.” (Equine Therapy Program 2021) In fact, it has been found that Equine Therapy provides skills which assist in the healing process for those affected by trauma, mourning a death, and many conditions.

One night when I was 7 years old, I couldn’t sleep. All tucked in my cozy bed, my mom began telling me a bedtime story that she made up about a little girl who had a stuffed pony. The little girl in the story was missing somebody. It was a great idea for a story, so much so that my mom got it published in February 2014 called My Forever Friendship Pony. From the story, I had the idea to give stuffed ponies and the book to children who were adopted or in foster care.

Out of my personal experience, Healing Kids Hearts, my nonprofit organization was founded. It made me realize that anyone can make a difference. Stuffed ponies were only the beginning. You see, as I got older I wanted to be able to give this same equine experience to others that have experienced trauma. In April, Healing Kids Hearts, started a group of foster kids through a ten-week Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Therapy Program. The have a unique opportunity to work with the horses as part of their healing journey. I’m thankful that I get to be a part of the healing of kids who have had to go through so much by helping to send them to an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program.