Posted: 22nd October 2014 | Back to news feed
PARELLI instructors around the UK are supporting one of the most innovative equine-assisted behaviour programmes to be developed.
TheHorseCourse was founded by Harriet Laurie and has the support of its Patrons, Lord Jim Knight, a former minister for education and President of The British Horse Society, Martin Clunes.
TheHorseCourse is an equine-assisted behaviour programme delivered in prisons and other settings in the UK.
The project began at HMP Portland in 2010 as an Offending Behaviour Program focusing on disengaged and disruptive violent offenders.
It was replicated at HMP Oakwood, HMP Verne and HMP Eastwood Park in 2012, with three further facilitators delivering the course using their own horses.
In 2013 Dorset Mental Health PCT commissioned continuing services to be provided at HMP Portland.
Prisoners taking part complete the course in just one week of intense activity with specially trained horses and are chosen from the most ‘difficult to reach prisoners’.
This course is also successfully being piloted in the community with vulnerable young people, with the hope of reaching them sooner and not just those that are at risk of offending but with those experiencing trouble at school due to lack of social and emotional skills.
Recent pilots have been funded by BBC Children in Need, Monument Trust and Dorset County Council.
UK Parelli professionals, led by 3* Parelli Instructor Steph Gaunt are supporting TheHorseCourse training this year in the UK and Scotland.
TheHorseCourse is aimed at other Parelli Professionals who would like to become a facilitator in this successful equine-assisted intervention. Used in prisons, within schools, in mental health settings and privately, the programme aims to develop emotional and thinking skills through a carefully designed and tested Parelli-based horsemanship intervention.
Led by founder Harriet Laurie and joined by Steph Gaunt, 3* Parelli Professional and certified THC Facilitator - TheHorseCourse has a convincing and growing evidence base with great results in prisons, reducing the reoffending rate by 19%, and offering another potential teaching outlet.
The course is a three-day training programme based in the classroom and the arena with scholarships available for licenced Parelli Professionals or high level Parelli students with a background in education, mental health or social work.
The course will look at the needs, referrals and outcomes of those that the intervention is aimed at as well as safety, safeguarding and choice of horses.
It will introduce research perspectives and have hands-on arena sessions with horses, practicing on each other and how the programme worked for prison-based interventions.
For more information on the programmes visit www.thehorsecourse.org
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