News release:
Horses for the Spirit (HFTS) is hosting a live demonstration on Thursday, September 17, 2009 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Avalon Friesians and Dressage Center located at 6505 Bonde Lane in Reno.
The demonstration is designed to educate the community about HFTS’ programs and to foster relationships with potential clients, volunteers and donors. Graduates of previous programs will speak about their experiences in the program and also show off their skills with the horses.
HFTS uses Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) and the principles of Natural Horsemanship to teach positive life and social skills through experiential and problem-solving-based learning. Horses are the main teachers in the programs. Kids in the programs learn empathy, teamwork, communication skills, leadership, self-confidence and flexibility, among many other skills, by developing a relationship with their horse partner on the ground.
Horses are great teachers because they are non-judgmental, do not care about a person’s past and respond to people in direct relation to how they are treated. Kids learn to self-assess and modify their own behavior and actions in order to elicit the response they want from their horse. They also learn that failure leads to success by trying again with a different approach when things don’t go as planned with the horse.
As a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to serving youth in northern Nevada who are at-risk of failing in traditional settings, HFTS relies on support from the community for its continued success. All individuals interested in finding out more about the programs or getting involved in supporting the organization are invited to attend this free event. RSVP by September 15 to Deb Conrad at [email protected] or 775-224-5999.
Funding for programs in 2009 sponsored in part by the Marshall R. Matley Foundation, the Reno Rodeo Foundation and Scott Greene, DVM.
