Dallas Has 'Horse Therapy' for Kids? It Behooves You To Know More

DALLAS, TX —Looking for signs of life after the pandemic? How about a reading program for kids that provides them real-life access to horses?

Equest, based in South Dallas, describes itself as "a therapeutic horsemanship center"and has embarked on an exploratory program intended to improve reading skills through what they call "equine assisted activities."

What does that mean, exactly? Well, their Equine Assisted Literacy Program targets first and second grade readers. The venture is part of a four-week curriculum that begins with an introductory school visit by two miniature horses and distribution of an informational book about horses for each student.

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The horses can then become "pen pals" with the students, who create letters through horse-themed worksheets each week. At the end of the sessions, participants are welcomed on a field trip to Equest for a two-hour visit with Equest’s 30 therapy horses to take part in a series of unmounted activities.

According to Equest, "Interactions with the horses promote enthusiasm towards reading skills, confidence among their peers, and a caring relationship with an animal. Targeted literacy skills may include rhyming, increasing vocabulary, capitalization, initial/final sounds and identifying nouns, verbs and adjectives."

The cost for the school visit with mini-horses is $250, plus $50 per student for books, field trip supplies, and curriculum.

Equest, which was founded in 1981, provides equine assisted learning, therapies and counseling to children and adults with physical, cognitive, sensory, coping and learning disabilities and veterans with adjustment challenges.

Additional services include physical and occupational therapy, equine facilitated counseling and equine assisted learning, therapeutic carriage driving, therapeutic horsemanship and competition. The organization includes some 30 therapy horses, eight instructors, four therapists, three counselors and 700 volunteers. More than 2,000 students participate in its program each year, and Equest was also named the first PATH International Premier Accredited Center in Texas and remains one of the largest in the country.

In addition, Equest offers an annual program that provides 30,000 hours of direct program service opportunities to volunteers. They can be found at Equest.org.

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