Grief isn’t just an emotional response to loss; it is a full-body experience. Sometimes to fully learn about grief, a person needs to get their hands on it. EveryStep’s Amanda the Panda team was able to help a group of kids do just that earlier in June by inviting them to a day at the stables.
“Grief can affect the body as much as the mind and basics such as breathing, posture, and balance can be disrupted,” says Taylor Clemens, Amanda the Panda Program Coordinator, “Many animals, but horses especially, are sensitive to body language and emotional states of humans.”
Menagerie Stables in Mitchellville was once again host for Amanda the Panda’s ‘Riding Towards Resilience’ program earlier in June. More than a dozen kids took part in a day of riding, learning, and growing.
“Activities like walking alongside, grooming, riding or simply breathing with a horse can ground the body, calm the nervous system, and restore a sense of stability,” Taylor says, “This can make a huge impact for someone in the midst of grief without them having to even formally think about it.”
In other words, grief took a backseat for the afternoon. It was replaced at first by anxiety, nervousness, and just a touch of fear as kids came face to face with a horse for the first time in their life. But those fears and anxieties wouldn’t last for long.
“Most participants who attended the Riding towards Resilience event had never interacted or ridden a horse before. You could sense that many of the participants were nervous and some even a little apprehensive,” says Taylor, “But that was truly what made the event so special! Deanne and her volunteers at Menagerie Stables supported participants through those emotions, and we were able to watch each kid become calmer and ultimately show how brave they were by getting up onto the horse.”
The program began with the kids gathering in the stables and meeting their horses. They cleared their first emotional hurdle with some hands-on grooming, showing them they had the power to calm the horse when it was nervous. Gentle touch and soft words soothed both horse and rider.
From there the kids led their horses into the arena, walking them around in circles at first before conquering their ultimate hurdle – climbing into the saddle and going for a ride. And that is when the magic happened.
With each pass around the arena, the anxiety and apprehension melted away from the kids. Bitten lips were replaced by wide smiles, tears were replaced by sparkles, nervous chatter became golden silence, tense fingers relaxed and let go of the reins. The fear they felt when they walked in had transformed into a strength – the very definition of resilience.
“As the event went on you could see in the participants body language that they started to relax, become more comfortable, and truly enjoy the experience,” Taylor says, “My favorite part of the event was watching each of the participants be so brave and work through some of the fears that they may have shown up with.”
But Taylor says none of it would have been possible without their wonderful hosts. “Getting to work with Deanne and Menagerie Stables volunteers is always a pleasure,” she says, “she does such a wonderful job working with participants and manifesting that comfortability in the short time she has with them.”
