Victims of Abuse / Battered Women Program

SpiritHorse Therapeutic provides individual therapeutic horseback riding lessons together with one-on-one mentors to children who are victims of abuse, which will promote internal healing and mental health. Lessons are provided on a weekly basis, year-round, with short holiday and seasonal breaks, to all clients referred by the Denton County Children's Advocacy Center and Denton County Child Protective Services.

We are utilizing riding and horse care activities to impact this problem because these activities and the resulting relationships established between horse and rider have been shown to provide an effective form of therapy. Horses are one of the kindest of all animals. The combination of their size and gentleness is especially helpful in teaching children that it is possible to be both strong and kind without sacrificing one for the other. We believe that this experience will help break the chain of abuse that travels from generation to generation. The relationship developed between rider and horse will build trust, be an emotional outlet and a source for affection and love that is needed so much by these victims. This will be instrumental in restoring mental health to a level that will allow them to re-enter the community with self confidence.

The rider's development of the English riding discipline will be a source of pride that can be shared with the victim's family and friends. In addition, an increased sensitivity and awareness in the victim will create improved coping skills with animals and people.

The victims will have a role model in the mentors who are recruited from the students in the applicable degree plans at the University of North Texas and Texas Women's University. The mentors as well as the SpiritHorse staff provide crisis counseling. The saying: "The outside of the horse is good for the inside of man" is never truer than with these children who are in great need of healing.

The riding lessons are provided by the SpiritHorse Head Instructor and the Project Director/Instructor who together have more than 55 years in teaching horseback riding and are certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

Activities are monitored and daily progress recorded by the SpiritHorse staff. Monthly meetings are held between mentors and staff to evaluate client progress with program and individual lesson plan adjustments made as necessary to meet group and individual goals.

SpiritHorse Therapeutic Receives Grant to Provide "Children Who are Victims of Abuse Program"

Corinth, Texas: SpiritHorse Therapeutic has been selected by the Office of the Governor of Texas and the North Texas Council of Governments to receive a federal grant in the amount of $43,942 to fund its Children Who are Victims of Abuse Program for one year. This program provides free horseback riding lessons to twenty-five area children who are victims of abuse to help restore their trust and self-esteem. "We are very proud to be able to make this service available to the communities we serve and are looking forward to making a difference in the lives of these children" said Charles Fletcher, SpiritHorse Founder and CEO.

Each child is assigned a mentor in a related degree program from the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. Their mentor assists them in grooming and saddling their assigned horse, and is their cheerleader during their free riding lesson.

SpiritHorse is currently accepting applications for this program.

SpiritHorse is a nonprofit therapeutic riding center that, after only two years of operation has become one of the largest centers in North America, providing free all-private therapeutic riding lessons to over 450 children with disabilities and at-risk-youth in ten North Texas counties.

For more information about SpiritHorse and equine assisted therapy and activities or to apply for this program, call (940) 497-2946.

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