*New on-site equine facility provides convenience and greater flexibility for programming and community events
*Weekly gender-specific group sessions for clients
*Offered to participants in monthly Family Program and quarterly Children’s Program
At The Arbor, we recognize the inherent wholeness of each person that comes to The Arbor for recovery. Our equine therapy program utilizes the innate gentleness and natural instincts of the horse to help our clients recognize their own blocks to authenticity, intimacy, communication and trust. Horses respond to what is going on internally rather than what we are saying or presenting outwardly. If those two things are not congruent, we have lost our personal power and the horse reflects that by not connecting to us or being uncooperative. Working with the horses on a weekly basis allows our clients to recognize, with the help of the therapist, where they are blocked emotionally and/or how much progress they have made in surrendering those ego blocks.
Clients learn to groom, lead and work around the horses during the therapy sessions and this, in itself, is a healing process. Horses are large, strong animals and can be intimidating. Facing fears, recognizing the non-judgment of the horse and simply connecting physically to the animal helps clients discover inner strength and trust, plus it helps build self-esteem. The horses challenge the clients. If a person is not congruent and there is blocked emotion the horse will exhibit behavior that illuminates that. The animal may refuse to pick up a hoof for cleaning or balk while being led. This is where the therapist intervenes and begins to ask the questions that bring to light what has been hidden. As the horse responds positively to the shift in awareness, the client is empowered to continue to maintain that level of self-awareness and carry the newly found or improved authenticity into their life and recovery.
Working with the horses is a way to return to nature, expand our hearts and minds in ways we never thought possible. It facilitates healing at a deep level those wounds that have left us diminished and fragmented.
The Arbor Equine Program is directed by Mary Lynn Szymandera, LCDC, CEIP. She works with the gender-specific client groups, the families and individuals who attend The Arbor’s monthly Family Program, as well as individual sessions.
With over 20 years of personal recovery, Mary Lynn’s professional experience includes 17 years at Pavillon International in North Carolina, as a senior counselor and from 2008 to 2009 as the Outpatient Program Manager. In 1999, Mary Lynn developed the Equine Therapy program for Pavillon and served as the Equine Program Director until she moved to Texas in 2010. She is a Certified Equine Interactive Professional (CEIP) through the Commission for Certified Equine Facilitated Mental Health & Education Professionals.
The Arbor currently has six horses in the Equine Program, five of them personally trained by Mary Lynn.
The Equine Equestrian Staff
Ashly is the Thoroughbred matriarch of the herd and is the granddaughter of the Kentucky Derby winner, Carry Back. As the twenty-two year old Alpha female it is her job to stand watch and sound the alarm if a predator enters the pasture. Ashly cannot tolerate women who don’t own their own power and she is a master at teaching women how to do this. Ashly has been doing equine therapy since she was a nine year old and women all over the country have been empowered by her when they were in treatment.
Dozer is a Paint/Quarter Horse cross and at twenty-eight, he is still going strong. Dozer is the Beta horse in the herd which means he is the enforcer and/or trouble maker. His strong stubborn streak makes him a challenge for those “wranglers” who come to treatment with a little too much arrogance. Dozer has been teaching humility to addicts for fourteen years.
Bay Boy is a 24 year old Quarter Horse cross. He has been doing equine therapy for about fourteen years. Although he is lame with arthritis in all four feet he maintains his position as the Alpha horse in the herd due to his courage and presence. Over the years, Bay Boy has challenged hundreds of men and women to step up to their authentic selves just by being his majestic, authentic self.
Mud Pie is our “kid”. Mud is also nine but still acts like a teenager. He truly believes the world revolves around him like most young people do but the other horses don’t seem to mind and just go along with him. Mud Pie plays devil’s advocate in the team building exercises. He wins more often than the clients do and seems to enjoy making all of the clients jump over the hurdles the clients are trying to get him over. Mud Pie has been working as a “therapy mini” for about five years.
Chukki is the newest member of our little herd. He arrived about two months ago from a Dressage trainer looking for a good home for him. Chukkie is a nine year-old Trehkener who has trained at Second Level Dressage. Chukki is kind of shy and a little unsure of himself but his sweetness makes him a favorite of the men. At 16-2 hands, Chukki is the largest and most intimidating horse in the herd but his height is nothing compared to the size of his heart which is gentle, kind and forgiving. A wonderful role-model for recovery.
Maggie is our special prize. She is a nine year-old Secretariat granddaughter and is the daughter of Ashly. As a high strung, race-bred Thoroughbred, she is hyper sensitive to any incongruence or suppressed emotion and she will lay those ears back and flash her angry eyes when she experiences those things. Her reactions give immediate feedback to clients who believe that emotions don’t make a difference or are not important. Once those emotions are acknowledged, Maggie becomes soft and sweet, validating the power of honest and open self-expression.
