Let Loos

Exciting new research from CSU Equine Sciences is highlighting the potential for horses to support social-emotional learning in youth!

Published in the Journal of Experiential Education, the study evaluated Changing Leads, an 8-week equine-assisted social-emotional learning program delivered through a partnership with Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center. Thirty-one middle school students from six schools participated in the randomized, waitlist-controlled study.

Following participation in the program, both parents and teachers reported significant improvements in students’ overall social-emotional competencies. Improvements included skills such as social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, decision-making, and optimistic thinking. Importantly, teachers were masked to the purpose of the study, providing an additional measure of the program’s impact beyond parent-reported outcomes.

These preliminary findings provide promising evidence that equine-assisted learning can be a valuable targeted resource for students who may need additional social-emotional support beyond traditional school-based programming.
Congratulations to lead author Sarah Matlock and the entire collaborative team from CSU Department of Animal Sciences, the CSU-School of Education, the Temple Grandin Equine Center, CSU Department of Occupational Therapy, and Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center on this important contribution to the growing science behind equine-assisted services!

🐴 The research is straightforward: children with ADHD who participate in equine-assisted activities show measurable improvements in attention, impulse control, and self-regulation — often within weeks of starting. The less obvious question is why.

Part of the answer is the horse itself. Horses are immediate and honest. They respond to what you're doing right now, not what you did five minutes ago. A child who can't sit still at a desk discovers that a horse requires exactly the kind of focused, present-moment attention that medication or therapy is trying to build. The horse becomes a reason to regulate, because the horse makes it clear — gently, without judgment — when the child isn't.

Part of the answer is the body. Riding engages core muscles and balance systems in ways that activate neurological pathways involved in attention. The rhythmic movement of a horse at walk has been shown to affect brain activity in measurable ways.

And part of the answer, honestly, is that it's interesting. A horse is more interesting than a worksheet. A twelve-year-old who is impossible to engage in a classroom will stay focused on a horse for an hour without being asked twice.

Have you seen a horse help a child who was struggling to connect elsewhere?

Planning to bring Will and Silver

We are getting ready for one of the most fun events of the summer! Register now!

It’s that time of year again. 130bales down 870 to go.

My 1st “official” client. We’ve been working together for over 5 years. We’ve both come a long way. You are now in the 6th grade and starting to grow up. You’ve ridden almost all of the horses and Mercy has become your favorite.

Today marks a 1st though. After your ride and tasks you asked me to read you a book. I gave you 3 choices and you chose Dr. Suess’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go” I doubt you realize how fitting it is. Though you are non verbal your communication skills are going to take you far.

Our client are excited and happy we have new babies to work with. The last time we got chicks was 3 years ago. We got Frazzles which will have curly feathers, (smaller birds) Blue Star Pullets and Barred Plymoth Rocks. 9 totall, which is plenty of chickens but if any Americanas we might get some more.

Photo of the chicks in thier brooder. Photo of a chick being held and showing off its belly. The red light doesn’t show the colors.

Update on Silver. Her hoof is much improved. Not painful anymore but still looks like the 1 abcess the vet opened up is still draining a bit.

She’s eating dry food in the morning fairly easily in the morning. I have been turning her out the past couple of days, she gets to roam the farm. She is eating the grass. She’ll be done with her antibiotics on Monday. I’ll start taking her down to the other barn and working with her again next week.

Update on Silver.

She’s doing well. She’s eating a mash 3x a day and has access to all the hay she can pick through and a little grass through the snow. I started letting her roam on her own around the farm as she feels comfortable doing. To add to her lip issue, she developed an abscess in her front right foot.

An equine body worker is coming on Sat to give her a massage and some other therapeutic procedures to help her feel good. I’ve been giving her mini-massages and some red-light therapy daily. Monday the vet is coming to re-evaluate her. I think overall she is improving. The farrier comes on Thursday. It’ll be a busy week.

Picture of Silver getting her foot soaked.

Prayers, get well soon wishes and donations would be greatly appreciated for Miss Silver.

While I was on vacation last week Silver got kicked in the face by Mercy. I’m not sure if it was an aggression or accident as I wasn’t around at the time. They usually get along really well. My caregivers did have the vet out ASAP.

This is a very unexpected veterinary bill. Luckily nothing was broken, but Silver does has some nerve damage and paralysis in both her upper and lower lips. She is currently eating mash and learning to eat with just her teeth. Next week I’m going to start some physical therapy with her. She has a follow up visit with the vet in 2 weeks.

Silver has been with my program from almost the beginning and she’s only on her mid-teens. If anyone is able to assist with her vet bills please DM me. It’s over $200 just to have the vet come to our farm and currently I am not able to take her to the vet clinic. This is going to be a long recovery process. It is unlikely she’ll have 100% recovery but she will have the best quality of life we can provide.

1st picture is where she for kicked, the others are of her working with clients and running for fun. As long as she’s happy and comfortable she will
get to keep participating with clients. But she’s going to get some time off first.