It’s the horses that do the teaching at Ōropi’s Equine Dynamics.

Inspired by the experience of her own battle with anxiety and depression, Leanne Benjamin launched Equine Assisted Learning programmes in February 2022 and now has three horses that work with clients on her rural property.

“I can’t imagine the difference it would’ve made for me if this kind of therapeutic session had been around when I needed it,” she says. “It’s still very new in New Zealand.”

Equine Dynamics caters for children, youth, families and organisations that have challenges such as disability, mental illness, neurodiversity, at-risk youth, and those who don’t learn well in the classroom environment. The programme involves horses Tommy, Dazzle and Twilight as part of the teams figuring out how to navigate a series of obstacles while learning essential life skills.

Tommy the horse works with members of the BOP Youth Development Team, Imagine, Believe, Achieve. Supplied photo

“If they don’t work as a team using their communication and leadership skills or if they don’t respect the horse, the animals simply don’t respond,” says Leanne.

“Kids who have a positive attitude and respect a horse’s needs are literally shadowed by the horse reflecting their responsive nature.”

Leanne explains that the life skills that neurodiverse kids may struggle to learn when interacting with humans, they can pick up from the gentle, instinctive responses of horses.

“People talk a lot and it’s overwhelming for these kids,” she says.

“Horses communicate without using words. It clicks, and those behavioural changes in the kids during our sessions transfer into improvements at home.”

Leanne has always worked in mental health and social services, getting the most satisfaction from working with troubled youths and their families.

“In my teens, I got to a pretty bad point in my life, but I had some amazing mental health workers who saved me.

“As an adult, I wanted to give back.”

She began horse riding when she was 13 and has always enjoyed it but Leanne didn’t realise until her own training in mental health as an adult the impact horses can have on wellbeing.

“You really have to watch or be part of a session to see the value of it,” she says.

Owner of Equine Dynamics, Leanne Benjamin, with Tommy the horse. Supplied photo

Anecdotal evidence from families who’ve been through the programme report dramatic changes in children with a range of challenges and diagnoses.

“One boy realised the impact his outbursts were having on those around him,” says Leanne. “His parents later said it’s the only thing that’s worked when they got home. The skills he learned at Equine Dynamics transferred to his life.”

She puts it down to the intuitive reactions of animals.

“Horses are prey animals that live in herds, so they are highly responsive to signals from those around them. To the neurodiverse, talking is an overload of information so they love horses because they don’t speak.”

For Leanne, it’s a feeling of “a job well done” to see clients benefiting from Equine Assisted Learning.

“When I get a session that resonates with someone, it lifts me and I’m over the moon. The results have been amazing.”

And it’s not just for kids: sessions can be tailored to improve life skills between couples, with parents, and among colleagues.

Members of Imagine, Believe, Achieve during a session with horses Twilight (left) and Tommy. Supplied photo

“The horses expect clear communication from their humans, so it’s great to see people starting to work together, making plans, laughing and talking to each other. Tommy [the horse] likes it too. One couple reported back that the session with Tommy had made such a difference in their relationship.”

The next hurdle for Leanne is to secure sponsorship to put more at-risk youth and families through the programmes.

“To be able to help more people in our community by bringing businesses on board would be amazing.”

A member of the BOP Youth Development Team, Imagine, Believe, Achieve strokes Tommy the horse. Supplied photo