TAILS FROM WINDY ACRES

Animals as Natural Therapy (a non-profit organization)

Fall 2013 Volume XIV Issue 3 Tails from Windy Acres is published at

721 Van Wyck Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226-8789

What about bullying?

By Sonja Wingard, ANT Director

To quote the Eponaquest website:

As strong, intensely mindful, non-predatory, social

beings, horses are the ultimate guides on our quest to

discover a more balanced form of power while culti-

vating “freedom-through-relationship,” a concept

that has parallels in Taoist, Buddhist, and Christian

religions, one that horses easily teach receptive hu-

mans—once we know how to listen to their silent wis-

dom and practice it in mutually supportive communi-

ties where individual and group needs are taken into

consideration.

This is why we were so excited when WWU pro-

fessor Molly Ware asked if we could provide a work-

shop for teacher candidates, offering them an oppor-

tunity to practice asserting themselves with horses/

students in a non-aggressive way. You can read about

that amazing day on page 4 of this newsletter. The

more our schools can model this for our youth, the

better.

It is imperative that we re-direct aggressive youth

at a young age. I recently worked with an angry

eleven year old who stated he never walks away from

a fight, but always engages. I was immediately re-

minded of a fifteen year old boy who visited ANT

only three times and whom we never managed to

reach. He too told me he never walks from a fight…

and because of that... he was dead at age fifteen. We

at ANT do everything in our power to help a young

person develop non-combative coping skills, but this

is also essential for our society to learn: a non-

predatory way of managing business, schools, and

international relations.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

From the Director 1

MH Counselor’s Reflections & Wish List 2

ANT’s Herd: What’s a Mini? 3

Creating a Cooperative Classroom 4

Volunteering Joys 5

Visiting Elders & Thanks 6

ANT in the Community/ Upcoming Events 7

Be Self-Aware: We are all capable of bullying.

Our Building Leaders program is soon to be

offered to our school partners. I attended a train-

ing a number of years ago at Strides to Success in Indi-

ana where they had middle schools refer class

“leaders”: class clowns, gang-type leaders or sports

leaders, chosen because they are seen as leaders. The

youth were introduced to a new concept of leadership

alongside a horse, one that builds respect, teamwork

and a mutually supportive awareness and concern for

the other, with the goal of minimizing bullying.

When I mentioned this concept to a colleague

he was stopped short with the new realization that HE

was a bully in junior high and related an incident of

gathering kids against another kid. Sadly, we all are

capable of bullying. ( road rage?)

This summer we saw

amazing results in managing

bullies at one of our day

camps. With only ten youth

per camp we immediately

noticed a few who had deeply ingrained bully traits,

vying for their position in the human herd by putting

others down. We found that calling them out on their

behavior did not really work; what did was having our

entire group brainstorm the qualities of a good leader

and then challenged them ALL to be good leaders with

their horses. The turn-around was profound. By day

three of camp ALL the youth were sincerely praising

one another and ultimately working as a team. We were

especially proud of the bullies for turning it around.

Since we are all capable of bullying, even subtly, it

is important for us all to build awareness and keep our-

selves in check. In April I went to Arizona for leader-

ship training with Linda Kohanov who runs Epo-

naquest. Her book Power of the Herd has been insight-

ful on many levels in understanding how to interpret

emotional messages and identify what is needed to cre-

ate a non-predatory culture.

(cont’d)

Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. -Neil Postman www.MrPositive.com

In the emotionally safe environment of ANT, each of us is supported as we transform our lives from hope-

lessness and the discouragement of our past mistakes.

Page 2 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Every day at ANT we ask

participants, mentors, and staff

to “show up authentically” and

a foundation for trust and safety in relationships is

created by signing the full value contract. The horses,

being prey animals, are naturally authentic, so this

comes fairly easily to the ANT herd (not all horses in

all environments are allowed to have an opinion, their

natural instincts have been dulled at the hands of hu-

mans). Learning to “read” or use one’s intuition to

understand what a horse is telling you is a science

unto its self. Horses use their eyes, ears, feet, tails,

mouths/teeth and heads to communicate.

At the beginning of each individual and group ses-

sion, participants, mentors and staff members are

asked to share their physical and emotional state. It

takes a certain amount of vulnerability to be honest.

Dr Brene Brown has written a book Daring Greatly in

which she speaks about vulnerability as “having the

courage to show up and be seen… to be courageous

and afraid at the same time.”

Often times I hear the words “fine and good” used

to describe an individual’s physical and or emotional

state. When a person uses these words I put out a

challenge to them to dig a little deeper to name an

emotion, check in with their body, I ask questions

like… are you hungry or tired, have any Band-Aid’s

on your body, do you feel happy, sad, frustrated or

content.

So you may be asking yourself why should I be

vulnerable and share my physical and emotional

state. The answer is due in part that you will soon

find yourself standing next to a 1000lb (plus or minus

200-600lbs) horse whom for thousands of years has

survived on this planet by reading predators physical

and emotional state in order to identify if they are

about to be eaten or evaluate if a harmonious relation-

ship might be possible. The gift of the horses is they

don’t judge your emotional state, they are just watch-

ing out for their own safety. It takes time to develop a

trusting, intimate and connected relationship. It’s

such great modeling for us in our human relation-

ships. Not every horse or every human has earned the

right to hear our story.

Daring Greatly By Lorna Shepardson, MA

ANT Mental Health Counselor

(cont’d from Daring Greatly)

Teddy Roosevelt said it eloquently in this excerpt

from his speech “The Man In The Arena”:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who

points out how the strong man stumbles, or

where the doer of deeds could have done them

better. The credit belongs to the man who is actu-

ally in the arena, whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who

errs, who comes short again and again, because

there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who

knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the

best knows in the end the triumph of high

achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at

least fails while daring greatly, so that his place

shall never be with those cold and timid souls

who neither know victory nor defeat.

I will meet you at the barn where we can dare greatly

together.

Good quality horse hay

Corporate sponsorships for ANT events, especially Evening of Hope Gala

Manure spreader

Gutter work

Coffee carafes for Healing Hearts Breakfast (November)

Wood chips, 1 pickup truck load

Gravel for pathways, 2 yards

ANT Wish List

ANT has a warm dry meeting room away from the nor’easters and a new tack room thanks to Bill & Ike Honcoop, Joe Adams and family,

WWU students, Sheila Lane, Charles Sarin and Builder’s Alliance. What amazing volunteers we have at ANT!!!

Peer Mentoring

Page 3 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Smallest Horses

Strongest Hearts By Roz Anderson

Horse Activity Manager/Instructor

Toby and Persephone are HORSES.

When many people first come to visit ANT,

they see them and yell out ‘look at the po-

nies.’ They quickly learn that if Toby and

Persephone stood next to a pony, the pony would be taller!

Recent research has inspired my love and respect even

more. When I first met Toby he appeared to be oblivious

to his short stature - the ANT herd also appeared oblivi-

ous, as Toby was the BOSS in the field. No one

pushed him around and he often

herded all the taller horses!

Quite impressive... With time

and age, he mellowed and the

day Persephone arrived, he only

had eyes for her; it was ‘love at

first sight’ for him. He actually

walked into walls, blinded with

love. A few weeks later, for

some reason she was put in a different area with the

mares. Poor Toby was heart broken and stood in the cor-

ner of his barn, head hung low and obviously very de-

pressed. Once that was noted, Persephone was returned

and they have been the Dynamic Duo ever since.

They visit nursing homes on regular bases. They have

the magical power to teach visitors of any age, even those

who may be fearful, the gentle intuitive power of the

horse.

Centuries ago, miniature horses were formed through

breeding horses with pony breeds. They worked in mines

to pull out ore prior to automation. Mini horses are

friendly and interact well with people. They are kept as

pets, companions, used in therapy, as assistance animals,

and as show horses in halter, lead line and cart classes.

Minis are also being trained to work with the blind as

guide animals as their longevity is 30+ years to a dog’s

10+. They truly are little dynamos!

How much spirit can you pack into a 250# horse? How many sets of 4 year old hands can be on one tiny horse at once? How many Western students can grab for their cell phones for photo opps when they sight these guys in red square... And then throw their arms around a tiny neck overgrown with flowing mane?

MINI HORSE FUN FACTS

Average life span is 25 - 35 years.

Size divisions: ‘A’ = 34” or less in height

‘B’ = 34”- 38” in height

A horse over 38” is considered a Pony Breed;

over 58” are Horse Breeds

Dwarfism is sometimes found (Persephone likely

has this syndrome).

The oldest miniature horse (a dwarf) on record

was “Angel” who lived over 50 years

with the Horse Protection Society of

North Carolina.

The current smallest dwarf is Thumbelina at 17”

and 60 pounds.

The smallest non-dwarf was born in 2010 at 6

pounds, making him: “Einstein - The

World’s Smallest Horse”.

Page 4 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Equine Wisdom for Educators:

Creating a Cooperative Classroom By Katarina Scheffer, WWU Intern

which they use to determine whether we are being au-

thentic and have a legitimate goal at hand, or whether we

are simply doing busy work.

A few participants noticed that they kept looking at

their horses, particularly the miniature horses Toby and

Persephone, when trying to lead, instead of looking to-

ward their intended goal, This was likened to the way

they monitored children too closely in their student

teaching. They realized that

when they kept the goal in

sight they were more suc-

cessful at getting the horse to

do what they wanted them to,

rather than when they kept too close an eye on the horse.

Some participants noted they needed to let go of feeling

self-conscious or silly because sometimes that is what it

takes to get through to another being, horse or child.

One participant who had shared her initial fear of

horses stated that the “C” on the post she was headed for

stood for Courage and that was her goal for the day.

Their professor observed that with the horses it is easier

to not take the lessons personally because the horses are

very forgiving. Similarly, we need to forgive ourselves

and others for our shortcomings. Two attendees related

that they needed to find a way to be more assertive and

authoritative with their students instead of worrying that

they would not be liked. Another mentioned that he real-

ized that, although a lesson plan is important to prepare,

as a teacher it is important not to follow that plan too rig-

idly; rather, set a goal, plan a course, and let the path un-

fold organically.

Some participants realized that they became stuck in

the request, particularly one who was working with Pa-

triot, and that rather than moving forward they just kept

repeating the request. They found that they needed to

keep their eye on the long term goal vs. the short term

issue, focusing on an intention, and that produced a bet-

ter result. One attendee felt that Obrigado was challeng-

ing and pushing her and realized that the horse seemed

bored with what she was doing and she needed to mix it

up, just as in a classroom a teacher needs to change

things up to keep the curriculum interesting.

Overall, the day turned out very well. The sun broke

through the fog, everyone stretched out of their comfort

zones while enjoying themselves and learning some

valuable lessons that they could translate into working

with children and adolescents in a classroom setting. I

personally feel as though I gained a great deal of valu-

able insight from the workshop that I can apply in my

own life.

On a foggy afternoon in October ANT hosted its first

educators’ workshop, which included fourteen Western

Washington University teacher candidates and their in-

structor, Molly Ware. Also in attendance were seven

ANT staff and volunteers. The goals for the workshop

were for the candidates to gain an understanding of creat-

ing balance in leadership from a non-predatory bearing,

learning the difference between assertiveness and aggres-

siveness, and how to de-escalate situations to promptly

return matters to a peaceful place. This is related to the

way that horses “go back to grazing” after resolving their

conflicts with one another.

Everyone signed the full value contract, which is the

agreement that everyone who attends an ANT activity

must make, laying the ground rules for safety. It states “I

agree to: keep myself and others physically and emotion-

ally safe; give and receive respectful feedback; and work

as a team.” We introduced our “check in” and ANT in-

structor Amanda Martin shared that acknowledging our

humanness and vulnerabilities can help level the playing

field and eliminate the feeling of us/them that can occur

in the student-teacher relationship. After receiving a brief

lesson in horses behavior, we all went out into the arenas

to experience leading our chosen horses.

Once the

work with the

horses was

c o m p l e t e d ,

everyone gath-

ered around to

discuss how

the afternoon

went, what

their successes were or the challenges they faced, and

how all of that related to working with students within a

classroom. One ANT staff member began by stating that

initially Freedom laid back her ears and nipped. The

metaphor offered was that she was behaving as children

sometimes do, and that at times you have to “find a way

in” before being able to successfully work with them.

Other’s decided that Freedom needed to burn off

some energy and was more agreeable after being allowed

to run; similarly, children, particularly adolescents, need

to have the opportunity to expend their pent up energy

through physical activity. Another participant realized

that the horses, like children, have “B.S. Detectors”,

Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it. -Brian Tracy

Page 5 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Training for the PATH (Professional Association

of Therapeutic Horsemanship) instructor certification

has allowed me to contribute more to ANT as a vol-

unteer. The PATH standards and certification provide

clear information on how to keep the horses, volun-

teers, and participants safe during lesson time. There

are many things I would rather be prepared for ahead

of time rather than "learning the hard way" when it

involves horses and children. I could fill a page with

the lessons that I have learned since beginning this

process. The suggestions for adaptations for partici-

pants with physical and/or emotional disabilities and

strategies for teaching to different levels of ability

have already made my mentoring easier.

Every time I volunteer as a mentor for the girls

from SeaMar Visions group, a drug and alcohol re-

covery program, I feel that I am the one who receives

the most from the sessions. The obstacles and adver-

sity that many of these girls have encountered is

sometimes beyond comprehension. To see these girls

learn to approach a horse, lead and build a relation-

ship with a horse reinforces my belief in the value of

the bond that horses and humans can develop. Uncon-

ditional love, trust, self worth, making & staying with

a goal and getting “back in the saddle” after tough

challenges are important lessons that will help these

young women in their recovery and relationships

throughout their lives.

New Volunteer Coordinator But not new to ANT

Abby Soley

I am very pleased to return to the ANT

office as the Volunteer Coordinator! As a co-founder I

have the passion to further the mission of ANT as my

foremost intention. I honestly feel that we have the most

amazing volunteer opportunities available. ANT has the

use of the beautiful seven- acre Windy Acres Farm with

its garden, pastures, and 31 amazing animals. We have

dozens of committed volunteers, people who also have

the passion and vision of ANT and truly love spending

time on the farm. They know they are making a differ-

ence in the lives of many community members who de-

serve the opportunity to heal wounds and learn life

skills, allowing them to live to their highest potential,

and not repeating or passing their issues on to others. I

often hear from Program Volunteers that they wish they

could be at the farm every day. Actually, last week a

new teen volunteer stated that he would pay to come

here and volunteer! They feel so good about the trans-

formations that they witness in our participants, love the

animals and peaceful setting of the farm, and appreciate

the life-changing work that is being done.

The skills and gifts that I bring to the organization

are my eternal optimism and relentless pursuit of func-

tional systems. There are always challenges to any en-

deavor, but I see them as opportunities to refine and

grow in the direction of a higher vision. The duties of

my position are to recruit volunteers, legally process

volunteer applications, offer training and support, plan

volunteer events, communicate volunteer opportunities,

document volunteer hours, and offer our appreciation

and thanks to those that have helped us. I do have my

hands full in a part- time position, but I love it!

I greatly appreciate the kindness and patience of the

volunteers. Everyone has been very supportive as I have

gone through a learning curve and made some changes

to the way things have been done. I am looking for-

ward to completing my current project by the end of the

year and begin to work in the area of marketing.

Training to be an Instructor By Eileen Turk, ANT Volunteer

2013 Board of Directors

Jennifer Camfield

Art Spring

Casey Keenan

Don Early

Al Korelin

Robert Bystrom

Coly Spring

Board Advisors

Carletta Vanderbilt, M.D

Michele Siemion

Anastacia Metcalf

Jasmine Minbashian

Teresa Scott

We truly appreciate your

hard work and dedication!

Fall Work

party:

Sand and

Shavings.

Thanks to

Stremler’s

Gravel,

and LDS

& ANT

volunteers

Susan and John Arrigoni

April Baetz

Matthew Bayley

Jeanie Birchall

Janice Bird

Sarah Bumgarner

Paris Butisbauch III

Gina and Steve Chastain

Amanda Chomos

Tom Day

Dorothy Collins Brown Charitable Fund

Patricia & Thomas Freeburg

Kyaira Froehlich and Isaac Loog

Rebekah Green

Hamster Endurance Running

Linda Hart

Richard Klemm

Gail McLeod

Ole Melcher

Craig Pikula

Richard Reese

Maja Russell

Anne Slater

Taco Time

Her young face was flushed and she

had tears in her eyes. She sat there for

quite some time between the two. As we

were leaving, she told the women it was

so nice to meet them, gave them a hug,

and promised she would be back in one

month.

The girls are proud that they are able to

share the animals. I think they feel impor-

tant and take it

very seriously.

Several of the

girls came up

to me sharing

concern for

the rabbits’

wellbeing: “I

think Thumper is nervous”, “Kona wants

to run around”, “Can you help me hold

Thumper in a better position so he is more

comfortable?”

Taking the Visions girls there is al-

ways an amazing experience. I see the

warm, caring side of these girls as they

interact with the residents, they know that

the residents are away from their families,

much like themselves.

Afterwards we return to ANT to have

lunch, often this is the time when the girls

open up and share issues they are facing.

Today we heard about a girl getting ready

to graduate and the challenges she is fac-

ing: finding positive friends; facing old

friends she was involved with when doing

meth; wanting a new and different life;

knowing now what a great world it is

without drugs; worrying about whether or

not a good foster home would be found.

As Carl, the other volunteer, and I

were leaving today, we were both in tears.

It was truly an amazing and emotional

experience. We both agreed how hard it

is to let the girls go, trusting that some-

body is going to be there to help them

along their way. ANT is an amazing pro-

gram and I thank God each day as I leave

the farm for the opportunity to be the per-

son that may have the right thing to say to

influence these girls to get on, and stay

on, the right path.

Page 6 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship

Discuren Charitable Foundation

Vanguard Charitable Endowment

Whatcom Educational Credit Union

Equus Foundation

New ANT

Individual Donors,

We Thank You!

ANT’s well-composted ma-nure is currently growing

food and nurturing our com-munity in school and com-munity gardens, including

Common Threads’ and dozens of home gardens.

Do yourself a favor and get some today!

Visiting Elders By Sheila Lane

With Special Thanks

to 2013 Grantors

Monthly, the Visions teens in recov-

ery go to St. Francis Extended Care fa-

cility for a visit. This is a reflection by

Sheila Lane, long time ANT volunteer.

As we arrived at St Francis, the Vi-

sions girls greeted the residents they met

on previous visits and told them how

nice it was to see them again, introduc-

ing themselves to newer residents and

initiating conversations. The girls began

to offer the animals to hold and/or

touch. They made sure each of the resi-

dents was offered the opportunity and

were very watchful that the rabbits did

not bite or scratch anyone.

The teens see the elders as individu-

als, looking beyond their physical limi-

tations. Each was involved with the

residents, discussing various things: one

man’s experience in the war; another

woman’s experience living three miles

from Mt. Baker on a farm; and another

woman discussing how excited she was

to go out with her family for a bit. It

was amazing how the girls were taking

the time to get to know these people.

As I looked around the room I saw a

woman resident reach out to one of the

teens. The teen took the woman’s hand

in hers, moving her hand all around the

woman’s hand as if studying it. A few

minutes later I turned back to see how

this girl was doing; she was now sitting

between two women with her arms out-

stretched, holding onto each of the resi-

dents’ hands. It struck me that she is the

one who currently has no place to go

once she leaves recovery.

Page 7 Tails from Windy Acres, Fall 2013

Choose a meaningful gift

to give the ones you love!

...a share in a member of our

Healing team!

ANT in the Community Invite a friend to our 9th Annual

Healing Hearts Breakfast Friday, November 8th

This is a response that one of our “ANT Ambas-

sadors” received after inviting her friend to hear

our stories:

Thank you. And I cannot tell you how many

times I have referred people out here (on San

Juan Island) to the ANT website.

The breakfast was one of last fall's highlights.

I look forward to visiting the farm. All my

years of working with/teaching kids and

adults in challenging circumstances suggest

ANT is an excellent program for really dam-

aged spirits and even better if it can be repli-

cated across the USA and in other cul-

tures. It's really universal. Thanks again for

the invitation. Can I come next year?

- Dave

November 8, 2013 Healing Hearts Breakfast

January 11, 2014 Volunteer Orientation

and Training

March 8, 2014 “A Million Shining

Stars” Gala at Hotel

Bellwether

April 26, 2014 Blessing of the Animals

June 7, 2014 Volunteer Orientation

and Training

July 12, 2014 ANT’s Bluegrass Bash

Upcoming Events

for Your Calendar;

Hope to See You There!

Are you a Thrivent member? If you are an eligible Thrivent Fi-nancial for Lutherans member and have Choice Dollars® to di-rect, please keep us in mind. For more info or to direct Choice Dollars, call 1-800-847-4836

What has ANT been up to in the community?

Two PhD candidates from WSU spent a week of day

camp with us in August. They were very impressed

by what they experienced and are creating a research

project in conjunction with ANT on Equine Facili-

tated Learning.

ANT’s Annual Bluegrass Bash was amazing fun for

all; second Saturday of every July.

Washington State Quarter Horse Association Annual

Charity Ride and campout in September benefitted

ANT and was attended by our mental health coun-

selor Lorna Shepardson, daughter Athena and ANT

instructor Susan Lewis.

Kiwanis Ferndale heard about ANT in a presentation

by director Sonja Wingard in October and has spon-

sored youth for fall programming.

60 Lummi Head Start kids enjoyed a fun-filled, ani-

mal-filled farm day.

Like Animals as Natural Therapy on Facebook!!

Visit our Facebook page to hear a great new interview with

Director Sonja by Al Korelin

Memorable Moments

Photos: Bluegrass Bash Activities:

below are horse races

to right is Sucia at horse parade

Animals as Natural Therapy

721 Van Wyck Road Bellingham, WA 98226

NON PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO 106

BLAINE, WA

Printing partially donated by Automated Mailing Services

Visit our website

www.animalsasnaturaltherapy.org for more information on the services we offer,

to be inspired by past newsletters

or to order newsletters by email.

Please patronize the many businesses who support our

healing work.

Let o

ur sto

ries of h

op

e and

healin

g in

-sp

ire you

! B

ellingh

am U

nitarian

Fello

wsh

ip S

ocial H

all

1207 E

llswo

rth S

treet; Bellin

gham

, Wash

-in

gton

Assign

ed seatin

g on

ly, please call o

r email

to reserve yo

ur seat.

360-6

71-3

509

Yo

u a

re w

arm

ly in

vite

d to

An

ima

ls

as

Na

tu

ra

l

Therapy’s

9th

an

nu

al H

ealin

g H

earts