Horses add joy to learning for Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence

Amy Brown had never seen Julian smile. She had known him since her first day at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, where she has worked as the Assistant Director of Education for the last year and a half. He preferred to keep to himself and often seemed detached and distant from his peers.

That all changed when Julian arrived at Ironstone Farm. As soon as Julian met the horses, he transformed.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Brown recalled. “I didn’t even recognize him as the same kid. He’s happy here. He’s animated. He’s smiling. It’s amazing. I think animals bring that out in people,” she said.

Julian was one of eleven children, aged 11-14, to attend a week-long leadership program at Ironstone Farm for the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. The program, funded by Cummings Foundation, helped develop communication, trust, teamwork, and leadership skills through equine-assisted learning.

The group started by observing how horses interact with each other and their environment and slowly progressed to more hands-on learning throughout the week. While many kids were eager to get in the saddle on day one, Brown credited the gradual build-up to riding as one of the most valuable takeaways from the program.

“Kids, in general, they want that instant gratification,” said Brown. “They wanted to come and ride…and have [the whole week] riding on a horse, and they had to realize and recognize to trust the process. And that’s life, isn’t it?” she continued. “You have to trust the process, and there’s little steps which are going to give you goals and accomplishments, but you have to do the little steps to get to the good stuff.”

The process was just as good as the end result for the kids participating in the program. Learning how to create a partnership with the horses and better understand each other’s body language and communication styles through grooming, leading, and riding exercises was particularly rewarding.

“I didn’t even recognize him as the same kid. He’s happy here. He’s animated. He’s smiling. It’s amazing. I think animals bring that out in people,” – Amy Brown

For 12-year-old Isaac, his time leading the farm’s newest draft horse, Saint, through the group’s obstacle course was a moment of pride. When the gentle giant hesitated to step over a low set of poles, Isaac learned that a little courage could go a long way in helping your friends succeed.

“He’s shy,” Isaac said, reflecting on what he learned from Saint. “He needs people to encourage him so he can do something…be patient with him,” he said. After a long moment and some motivational coaching from Isaac, Saint finally made his way over the poles. The rest of the group burst into applause at his achievement.

While their time at Ironstone Farm sparked meaningful conversations about themselves, their relationships with one another, and navigating challenges, the club’s Volunteer Coordinator, Suzanne Fischer, said that the most beneficial aspect of the program was the sheer joy it brought to the kids.

“They really were so happy up there,” Fisher said, reflecting on the never-ending smiles she witnessed during the program. “You could see that they were bursting out. It was just the joy of it, them experiencing that, that was important.”