Blue Sky Acres On The Way To Adding Four New Equine Specialists To The Team
Recently on September 1-4, 2021, three BSA board members and I had the opportunity to attend a PATH Intl. Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) workshop and skills test. Once they complete this training, these members will be able to supervise ground lessons, which will allow us to begin our foster program down the road.
The workshop was held at Shining Hope Farms in beautiful Mt. Holly, NC. We had the privilege of sitting under Nancy Beers and Leslie McCullough, two fantastic PATH Intl. evaluators and faculty that taught during the week. An Equine Specialist ensures the well-being and safety of the horse during an equine-facilitated mental health and learning session. The ES must be knowledgeable in horsemanship and understand how to partner with a mental health provider or educator to help the client and keep the session safe. This workshop consisted of three 8-hour days packed full of information as well as role-plays, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises with horses. On the final day, we each had to properly execute a horsemanship skills test, which included an obstacle course. This allowed the evaluators an opportunity to assess our ability to establish a connection with the horse, to see if we could read and respond to the horse while walking through the course. I am excited to say that all four of us passed the test and were given outstanding feedback from the evaluators about how well we handled the horses we were given!
Now that we have completed step one of the process, each of us has to submit a portfolio of requirements. We are each well on our way to completing the certification for ESMHL.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the workshop with the other folks from Blue Sky Acres. Not only did we come away with an overwhelming amount of information on equines and mental health but we were given a tour of Shining Hope Farms and were able to gather many ideas to better our own program and facility at Blue Sky Acres.
Fran Todd (board member) had some things to say about her experience as well. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the ESMHL training at Shining Hope Farms. The trainers were informative and engaging. The hospitality of the host site was beyond compare, providing a gorgeous facility, prayer, and meals that surpassed all expectations. And the MAGNIFICENT horses...WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting others from various locations who shared in our mission to help hurting people and gleaning ideas and best practices from them. It was a wonderful experience all the way around.”
Karen Signal (board member) also attended and had many take-aways from her experience over the week. “This workshop provided me with information and understanding of equine care and management. I am excited to use the skills I learned in this workshop in order to collaborate with Mental Health Professionals, Educators, Volunteers, and horses. I believe God has opened this door in order that Blue Sky Acres can meet the needs of people with disabilities, children in foster care, and our veterans.”
We will keep our Blue Sky Acres family updated as to when we each officially complete our certification process and officially gain four more Equine Specialists. We thank you all for your prayers and continued support for us as we seek to do all things with excellence and for our Lord Jesus.
From the desk of Jackie Garman