Title: Miami University Introduces Horse Therapy to Help Students Manage Stress
Miami University is offering a unique way to ease stress as Student Counseling Services hosts horse therapy for students. The program has become so popular that it has expanded from one to two hours a week, with sessions filling up through next semester.
"A counselor like myself would come down here to the stables and provide individual talk therapy while grooming a horse, and so we would brush and comb and pet and talk to the horse as we’re talking to one another about different mental health issues," said Jennifer Young, associate director for community engagement in student counseling services.
The therapy is offered from noon to 2 p.m., when the equestrian center isn’t busy. The program started after an alum, Mary Beth Canfield, a former equestrian team member who now serves on the Miami University Foundation Board, approached equestrian center director Heather Pinnock with a unique opportunity to reach students.
"Seeing how they grow from a freshman to a senior, and not just in riding, but just in kind of teamwork and collaborating with their peers, it’s just a great program to see them grow," said Pinnock.
This semester, six students have participated in the program, which has offered 14 sessions. Next semester, Miami hopes to expand it with group therapy centered around petting and grooming the horses. Although students don’t ride the horses, they say the program has helped reduce their stress.
"I know a lot of people have been pretty excited about the horses and this interaction. And the Office of Student Wellness does a lot with the dogs, and I think this is a really great opportunity for students to engage with animals in a different way and just get a different experience," said Ella Pelland, a student who has worked with equine therapy.
Sofia Olson, president of the Miami University Equestrian Team club, has been a part of the equestrian team since her freshman year and says it’s her safe space when she’s stressed. "I’ve dealt with the anxiety and the stress of one finding a job now that I’m a senior, and two, just studying for finals. And I think them creating programs like this is a way that they’re showing that they care, and they’re trying different things," said Olson.
