Seaview Equine Learning Facility (S*E*L*F*) is a non-profit organization that offers equine therapy programs. It is located in Clermont, NJ and uses horses to provide therapeutic services for clients with disabilities. The student volunteered at S*E*L*F* where they observed therapy sessions and helped with stable duties. Through journaling and interviews, the student saw how the horses helped clients feel happy, independent, and able to cope with difficulties. The experience enhanced the student's understanding of communicating with non-verbal individuals and the benefits of equine therapy.

1. EQUINE THERAPY @
Seaview Equine Learning Facility
“S*E*L*F”
Location: 1520 Route 83 Clermont, NJ 08210
Contact: Pat Moran @ patmoran@seaviewequine.org
Website: http://seaviewequine.org/
Kallie DeRose

2. Seaview Equine Learning Facility (S*E*L*F*), is a 501 c (3) non-
profit corporation and offers unmounted and mounted equine
learning and therapy programs.

3. What I did here…
First, I partnered up with Marisa
Douglass to write to a legislator. I
figured since I have experience
with horses, a place that offers
equine therapy would be perfect
to advocate for.
Since I was going to be writing
a letter to a legislator I needed
hands on experience with an
Equine Therapy session. I chose
S*E*L*F because it is so close
to my house and I have a friend
that keeps her horses there!
At my service learning site I
observed and also helped
with the daily “chores” at the
barn and helped the clients
with brushing the horses.

4. JOURNAL

6. The most common theme I found in my
journal was my reflections and observations
of how happy the clients were when they
were with the horses. All of them were the
same in this matter as all of them were so
happy and engaged.

7. THEIR GOAL
“Our goal is to create and maintain an
environment in which learning, education
and therapy can thrive. Through our
programs, we hope clients can find the
right answers for themselves. All sessions
are private and confidential.”- S*E*L*F

8. THE STRENGTHS OF THIS PROGRAM
There are many strengths to this program. Some being…
• Kind and caring “therapists” who do not judge or discriminate (the horses are
considered the therapist)
• Huge range of disabilities that Equine Therapy is used for such as A.D.D., anger
management, cerebral palsy, autism, and the list goes on and on.
• The environment- the climate of this barn is so warm and welcoming to all
people who come there. You walk in with warm welcomes from the therapy
cats, horses, and staff members.

10. INTERVIEW WITH PAT MORAN
Describe a situation when you assisted an
individual recognize that he or she had
several choices in how to handle a difficult
problem. What was the situation, what did
you do, and what was the final outcome?
We do equine therapy once a week with teens from a local
counseling service. One of the teens- I will call Alexandra, is
struggling with trans sexuality. She believes she is a boy and wants
to be called Sam. Her family is having a difficult time with this
decision and home life has been impossible. One of the possible
solutions was to have Sam in a group home. Another solution was
to stay at home and have family counseling. We encouraged Sam to
go to the group home because the home life situation was eroding
his confidence and he started cutting himself. Under constant
supervision, Sam became more comfortable in the group
environment. He worked well with the horses whom he discovered
were non-judgmental and liked coming to the farm to work on his
anger and self worth. The final outcome is still not totally known
but he is more comfortable and has stopped the self-abuse.

11. Describe ways in which you
have communicated with a
person who does not
communicate verbally?
Equine therapy makes it easy to
communicated non-verbally
with the clients in that most of
it is a very hands on experience.
Our sessions involve grooming
the horses, which we do by
showing the client how to
groom the horses. Giving treats
to the horses is part of the
sessions as well as preparing
their food for their evening
meal.

12. Describe a situation in which
your attempts to
communicate with someone
were ineffective. What was
the situation, what did you
do and what happened as a
result?
I was attempting to have 2 severely handicapped, nonverbal
brother take turns doing the preparation of the food for the
horses. Henry would not let his brother use the measuring
cup to dole out the right amount of food. I took the cup away
from Henry, told him he had to share and gave it to his
brother. He became so angry he bit me on the arm. After
forcefully getting my arm free, I removed the boys from the
barn and walked around the farm area. I explained to Henry
he had to share. I asked if he wanted to continue the session
or go home – he chose to stay in the sessions after I told him
he would not be able to return if that behavior continued. I
ask at the beginning of each session now if he will share. The
bad behavior has not been repeated.

13. PERSONAL REFLECTION
This experience was one I will never forget and I also will continue to
volunteer at S*E*L*F. I always knew that horses were special and they
have always helped me (I have generalized anxiety disorder) and since I
have ridden since I was a little kid I always knew the benefits from just
being around a horse. Horses have such a positive energy and love you
with all their hearts and I can see why it is so helpful to so many people
with disabilities.

14. This experience extends my understanding in
so many ways. The one client “Will” would
not stop holding my hand the whole time I
was there, at first I did not want him to hold
my hand but as time went on I realized he
was doing it because he liked the feeling of
holding something and guidance. This
experience will help me with my career in so
many ways and this is just one of them.
Learning to understand and be mindful to
people with disabilities is a main focus every
teacher should have in their classrooms.

15. Connections to Disability Rights in the World
● During my visits at S*E*L*F, I had one session with a girl with cerebral palsy. In
the beginning of the semester we had to watch and discuss the video with
Maysoon Zaid and this girl reminded me a lot of her. She was full of life and did
not let anything hold her back.
● During my interview with the owner Pat, I had asked her a question to where
she replied something about the clients feeling very independent after coming
here and completing their sessions, and some even go out and apply for jobs
since they feel they can do it. I connected this to the chapters that we
discussed independent living and people with disabilities going out into the
world and getting jobs.

16. Letter to Legislator

17. This is the sheet they use for
every session. This is so they
know what horse was used in
the previous session, what they
did, what they accomplished, any
set backs, and any other
comments about the session.

20. REFERENCES
Pat Moran
Goodley, Dan. Disability Studies an
Interdisciplinary Introduction. SAGE, 2017.
http://seaviewequine.org/