Horses help human health in Almina program

From a young age, her love for horses and her love for human health inspired her Sonja Bigalke-Bannan To create her own business. University of Hawaii In Manoa Thomson School of Social Work and Public Health Students own and operate Heart Horse, a specialty medical facility. ClothesNorth Shore Therapeutic Horse and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Being around horses gives clients insight into their own emotions
-Sonja Bigalke-Bannan

Survivors of traumatic experiences may live in hypervigilance, constantly seeking danger or threats in ways that are harmful to their health, Bigalke-Bann said. Learning to release themselves from that situation is difficult and very difficult, and equine-assisted therapy can help.

“Horses are naturally active, and their emotions are better than ours, but they can calm down very quickly, so they teach humans how to get out of a high emotional state,” she said. “By forming a relationship with the horse, people can learn to nurture themselves.”

Spending her childhood with horses

Bigalke-Ban took the Heart Horse from its previous owner after she got her master’s degree in social work. UH Manoa in 2014.

Her love of horses began at the age of six when she took riding lessons with her Brown Soldier. Later in college, she taught casual horseback riding lessons when she received a request from a faculty member with Parkinson’s disease who wanted to learn to ride. Then, he asked a legally blind student to participate.

“Working with them was very liberating,” she says. “It was really inspiring to see what people can do if given the opportunity and the right support.”

Helping customers in various situations

Heart Horse has helped a variety of clients ranging in age from 2 to 84 with a variety of medical conditions. People with mobility-limiting conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and cerebral palsy, or biological conditions such as schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder, or neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder can all benefit from equine therapy.

“Horses reflect human emotions – their behavior reflects human energy and passion,” Bigalke-Bann said. “Being around horses gives clients insight into patterns and behaviors that may be preventing them from being aware of their feelings and finding effective solutions.”

Heart Horses offers a range of therapies, including therapeutic horseback riding and equine-assisted psychotherapy. Therapeutic horseback riding can help clients improve motor function, posture and balance, reduce muscle tension, and help with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

In equine-assisted psychotherapy, “talk therapy” sessions are held in round pens or with horses. While the patient and therapist discuss the patient’s trauma and try to process it, the horse is loose in the pen and can choose to interact with the client as they wish. The presence of the horse can help the patient feel safe during treatment.

Social workers conducting these sessions will be trained in the use of these methods and certified in conducting these treatments. Bigalke-Bann is an Equine Assisted Development and Learning Association and EQ-Lateral certified in equine therapy and is an eye movement disorder and reprocessing therapist.

Partnerships and volunteers

In addition to referrals from psychotherapists and physicians, HeartHorse collaborates with several community organizations to help clients. They include the Wounded Warrior Project, Pearl Haven, a residential facility for juvenile survivors of sexual exploitation or trafficking, and Sprouts, a program that provides physical therapy and occupational therapy for children.

All clients are empowered to face their health challenges through the process of working and connecting with the horse. “Everyone who comes here learns horse science, horse safety and horse care. They train their horse, and they learn about the equipment,” Bigalke-Bann said.

Many of the facility’s volunteers come from across the island and as far away as California and Canada to help care for the horses and maintain the facility. Additionally, as an adjunct instructor in field studies, Bigalke-Bann supports future social workers at the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health. Heart horse is used as a field position MSW Students.

For Bigalke-Bannan, the most rewarding aspect of the job is providing a calm and quiet space away from their busy lives. “The farm is a very peaceful place. It provides a wonderful backdrop for healing and personal growth,” she says.