It feels as though I just arrived here yesterday! My time here at Anam Cara Farm has flown by and I am sad that this is the end. I have learned so much from this outdoor classroom and from my various conversations and experiences throughout these last 3 weeks. It has been an opportunity for me to see how impactful being with animals in nature is. Although this is something I have always known, and just makes sense, it was awesome to be in this setting and see first hand the benefits of equine facilitated wellness.

This week I observed a riding lesson with a  ten year old child with autism. While he was riding I was chatting to the mum about family life and the difference she has seen while he has been riding. She mentioned to me that he is a different person when he is riding, he is calm, quiet and focused. He also loves to come for lessons and when given the choice of whether to continue or not he had no doubt that he wanted to continue despite the fact that transitions are hard for him so coming to his lessons can be a challenge at first. It was so great to see how pleased his mother was with his progress and the difference it has made in his life over a few short months.

It is surprising to me that more funding is not put towards something that is so natural and beneficial. Being here for a consistent amount of time has meant that I have been able to see how much work goes into managing and maintaining a farm. There is no such thing as having a weekend or evenings relaxing because the animals need to be looked after no matter what the day is!  I hope that wherever I end up in my teaching journey I will be able to spread the word about the benefits of equine facilitated wellness and I hope to implement the lessons I’ve learned here into my own classroom one day.

I plan to continue volunteering here and hope to continue on a lasting relationship with the wonderful people who have hosted me!