Several years ago, it was taking the skewbald donkey Hughie home that helped me through my chemotherapy treatment. He was in very poor condition with lice and rotten hooves and he needed me as much as I needed him. Together we regained our strength and health and developed a bond.
Donkeys are very social creatures and not at all like horses....they are more like dogs in that they need to be part of a social structure; they need company and interaction to stay well. They pair bond and must never be kept alone or without another of their own species. In this way they make ideal therapy animals as they love companionship and mutual grooming and nurture. They are sensitive to body language and emotions and can hear your heart rate from 3m away! This helps us in a non judgemental way to connect, recognise our own emotions, feelings and behaviours and learn to manage them.
Animal assisted activity has been proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce stress response (Jung et al 2022). During my recovery I met many other people who had benefited from sessions with equines for theraputic wellbeing and the idea for Donkey E.A.R.S CIC was born! I now am in a position to replicate that feeling and offer it to care homes, people with health conditions/SEND and carers.
My career has always been teaching and consulting on education of those with SEND and I have seen first hand how the non judgemental company of animals can open the door to communication and emotional regulation with those who find it unsuitable in a traditional educational setting. I want to be able to offer more personalised individualised learning opportunities to people who can benefit from one to one or small group sessions building on their individual strengths and helping them to work towards their own goals in a way that benefits them. Equine Assisted Learning has been proven in research to improve problem solving and communication skills. Donkey assisted learning was found to be beneficial for learners with specific learning disorders (Corallo et al 2023). Once you see the changes take place in front of you it is addictive...the power of the difference donkeys can make shouldn't be underestimated!
Through learning to explore different situations and Donkey assisted activities can be used to positively impact in many areas such as...
Communication and interpersonal skills such as awareness and empathy
Problem solving and decision making
Emotional regulation and coping strategies
Self esteem
Connection with others and teamwork
Creative thinking
I am so proud that now my herd of therapy donkeys will be able to help not just myself and my family and friends but spread the benefits on a much wider scale and that dream has become a reality.
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