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Children’s equine therapy:

By Fie Wilken Dømler / Photo: Private

Difficulties concentrating, different mental and physical diagnosis, restlessness and anxiety. These are just a few of the challenges, the children, who participate in equine therapy, are facing. Vibeke Haarbye-Pedersen, a trained equine therapist and the founder of Terapiheste (Therapist Horses), works with a main goal - to help children live an easier and less challenging everyday life. 

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In the stable at Vibeke’s place, there is a blackboard, where all the children´s names are listed with information on what has to be ready, when each child arrives for a lesson.

You have to know every child extremely well

“It is very different how much each child can handle. Some can brush and tack up the horse, while others need to get up on the horse right away. Once I assisted a child who just ran away without any thought as to when to stop. The stable being close to a road with traffic, that wasn´t so good. But luckily nothing happened,” Vibeke explains.

So, the children Vibeke has the pleasure of assisting are very different from one another. Some enjoy being part of the whole process with the horse. Especially one girl loves to study the horse a lot, and she often says to the small white Connemara Pony: “I trust you, Comet.”

Vibeke loves teaching the children but at the same time, she is also content with the fact that it is only part time. Most of her work-life is spend being a caregiver for elderly citizens. 

A lot of fun and very hard work

“I think it´s perfect that I can do both. It´s so rewarding to work with children, but also a lot of hard work,” she says.

Vibeke is very aware, that she has to focus 100 percent on the children all the time, when they are at her place. Because of the different challenges the children have, it´s not always easy to work with them, and this demands a lot of Vibeke and her lessons. 

One of her rules is that the parents can´t be physically present when she is teaching a child. They have to stay inside the house, because otherwise the children can´t concentrate. 

“The child is all: “Look at me” instead of concentrating on the horse. Suddenly they are not focused on their own important work, and that is not the purpose of the lesson,” Vibeke explains.

How Vibeke works with each child varies and depends on the individual child. When they are in the arena it is similar to a lesson at a “regular” riding school. They have to learn to steer the horse, stop it and turn. When they succeed, it´s such a victory, you can see how they shine, Vibeke says. 

However, riding around in a circle in the arena can quickly become too much for a child. Which is why Vibeke puts a lot of effort into creating a variety of training. Sometimes she hides dolls in the threes, so the children have to find them. Other times they have to shoot down letters with a water pistol. All of this is to improve their coordination and concentration.

“Sometimes I also just walk the horse with the child on its back, then the child can just talk and I listen. If they want, they can sit backwards or lie down on the horse. It gives a very unique, calm body being on a horse.”

A variety of training

Far from all horses fit the qualifications to be a therapy horse. Vibeke has several experiences with horses not being able to do the tasks. Either they are too active, running a little too much or in general not calm enough. Calmness is the key word in a therapy horse and they have to learn to react on voice commands. At the moment Vibeke has two Icelandic horses and one Connemara Pony – who all respond to her voice.

All horses are ridden by the children without a bit – otherwise it´s too frustrating for the horses because of all the mixed signals. Vibeke and one of her friends ride the horses regularly, so they do not become numb to the rider’s signals.

A demanding time for the horses

“It is so amazing to be part of the children’s success – how much they grow mentally when they - on their own – are able to walk the horse into the arena. To follow this development among the children is worth it all,” Vibeke says.

Therapy helps because:

In Vibeke’s experience, therapy works primarily in these areas

  • Increased confidence
  • Better balance
  • A calmer body
  • Better learning abilities
  • According to Vibeke, before and after pictures demonstrate that children benefit a great deal from equine therapy. They get a much better posture and heighten sense of their body. 

4 facts about Vibeke

  1. Teaches 10-12 children between the ages of 4-15.
  2. Also works as a caregiver for elderly citizens. 
  3. Educated equine therapist in 2013.
  4. Started her own business in 2014.
billede-2_-marcus-pa-comet-og-vibeke.jpg

“I Trust You, Comet”

billede-1_-marcus-og-vibeke-renser-hov-pa-comet.jpg
billede-22_-marcus-pa-comet-og-vibeke.jpg
billede-4_-mynte-og-syrtla.jpg
billede-6_-sofie-5ar-med-vibeke-og-comet-pa-tur.jpg
billede-5_-sille-florman-traner-comet.jpg

BBH-trainer Sille Florman rides the connemara-pony Comet to presserve the ponys ability to read the riders signals

Marcus and Vibeke clean out hoofs on the pony Comet.

Mynte and Syrtla.

Marcus riding Comet.

5-year-old Sofie riding Comet. Today she is 10 years old and she still enjoys coming for lessons.

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Receive our newsletter about the daily life with horses in your inbox
Check out the latest news on our platforms
New image

Children’s equine therapy:

By Fie Wilken Dømler / Photo: Private

“I Trust You, Comet”

Difficulties concentrating, different mental and physical diagnosis, restlessness and anxiety. These are just a few of the challenges, the children, who participate in equine therapy, are facing. Vibeke Haarbye-Pedersen, a trained equine therapist and the founder of Terapiheste (Therapist Horses), works with a main goal - to help children live an easier and less challenging everyday life. 

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billede-2_-marcus-pa-comet-og-vibeke.jpg
billede-1_-marcus-og-vibeke-renser-hov-pa-comet.jpg

You have to know every child extremely well

In the stable at Vibeke’s place, there is a blackboard, where all the children´s names are listed with information on what has to be ready, when each child arrives for a lesson.

“It is very different how much each child can handle. Some can brush and tack up the horse, while others need to get up on the horse right away. Once I assisted a child who just ran away without any thought as to when to stop. The stable being close to a road with traffic, that wasn´t so good. But luckily nothing happened,” Vibeke explains.

So, the children Vibeke has the pleasure of assisting are very different from one another. Some enjoy being part of the whole process with the horse. Especially one girl loves to study the horse a lot, and she often says to the small white Connemara Pony: “I trust you, Comet.”

billede-22_-marcus-pa-comet-og-vibeke.jpg

A lot of fun and very hard work

Vibeke loves teaching the children but at the same time, she is also content with the fact that it is only part time. Most of her work-life is spend being a caregiver for elderly citizens. 

“I think it´s perfect that I can do both. It´s so rewarding to work with children, but also a lot of hard work,” she says.

Vibeke is very aware, that she has to focus 100 percent on the children all the time, when they are at her place. Because of the different challenges the children have, it´s not always easy to work with them, and this demands a lot of Vibeke and her lessons. 

One of her rules is that the parents can´t be physically present when she is teaching a child. They have to stay inside the house, because otherwise the children can´t concentrate. 

“The child is all: “Look at me” instead of concentrating on the horse. Suddenly they are not focused on their own important work, and that is not the purpose of the lesson,” Vibeke explains.

A variety of training

How Vibeke works with each child varies and depends on the individual child. When they are in the arena it is similar to a lesson at a “regular” riding school. They have to learn to steer the horse, stop it and turn. When they succeed, it´s such a victory, you can see how they shine, Vibeke says. 

However, riding around in a circle in the arena can quickly become too much for a child. Which is why Vibeke puts a lot of effort into creating a variety of training. Sometimes she hides dolls in the threes, so the children have to find them. Other times they have to shoot down letters with a water pistol. All of this is to improve their coordination and concentration.

“Sometimes I also just walk the horse with the child on its back, then the child can just talk and I listen. If they want, they can sit backwards or lie down on the horse. It gives a very unique, calm body being on a horse.”

billede-4_-mynte-og-syrtla.jpg

A demanding time for the horses

Far from all horses fit the qualifications to be a therapy horse. Vibeke has several experiences with horses not being able to do the tasks. Either they are too active, running a little too much or in general not calm enough. Calmness is the key word in a therapy horse and they have to learn to react on voice commands. At the moment Vibeke has two Icelandic horses and one Connemara Pony – who all respond to her voice.

All horses are ridden by the children without a bit – otherwise it´s too frustrating for the horses because of all the mixed signals. Vibeke and one of her friends ride the horses regularly, so they do not become numb to the rider’s signals.

billede-5_-sille-florman-traner-comet.jpg

BBH-trainer Sille Florman rides the connemara-pony Comet to presserve the ponys ability to read the riders signals

Therapy helps because:

“It is so amazing to be part of the children’s success – how much they grow mentally when they - on their own – are able to walk the horse into the arena. To follow this development among the children is worth it all,” Vibeke says.

billede-6_-sofie-5ar-med-vibeke-og-comet-pa-tur.jpg

In Vibeke’s experience, therapy works primarily in these areas

  • Increased confidence
  • Better balance
  • A calmer body
  • Better learning abilities
  • According to Vibeke, before and after pictures demonstrate that children benefit a great deal from equine therapy. They get a much better posture and heighten sense of their body. 
  1. Teaches 10-12 children between the ages of 4-15.
  2. Also works as a caregiver for elderly citizens. 
  3. Educated equine therapist in 2013.
  4. Started her own business in 2014.

4 facts about Vibeke

Marcus and Vibeke clean out hoofs on the pony Comet.

Mynte and Syrtla.

Marcus riding Comet.

5-year-old Sofie riding Comet. Today she is 10 years old and she still enjoys coming for lessons.

makebe-logo.png

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