Service personnel who are downgraded due to Mental Health joined one of the Royal Navy Family & People Support (RN FPS) Student Caseworker at Warrior Equine, Ivybridge, Devon.
As a student caseworker with FPS, a project at work lead to a surprising experience with a charity called Warrior Equine. The charity, based out of Ivybridge in Devon, provides therapy using horses to veterans who are struggling with mental health issues. After just one visit I was so impressed with the impact that the interaction was having on the vets, that I felt I had to try and organise a course for some of our service personnel in the RN who are downgraded. First port of call was the RN Recovery and Resilience Margins HQ, where apparently, they run courses like this all the time! So, after a few phone calls and emails, CPO Angie Cheal and Capt Paul Mayfield made light work of all the organisation and admin and had filled the course within 24 hours of being advertised.
On the morning of the course, myself and the 9 applicants all turned up and im sure I was as nervous as they were, however we were soon put at ease by the course Instructors and the relaxed set up for the first morning. Wets boat established, we then started with some ice breakers and each learned something about why everyone was on the course, although this is pretty standard practice it was key that everyone felt they were in a safe place to tell their own story and why they are on their recovery journey. We then spent a couple of hours discussing subjects centred around emotional intelligence and self-awareness, these remained the main themes of discussion throughout the course.
We were then introduced to the first horse and given a demonstration of how to communicate effectively with them. For many it was the first experience with horses and understandably there was much nervousness and even cynicism. We learned that regulating your breathing and heart rate is key, understanding how we adapt our body language and maintaining a relaxed posture essential to having a good conversation with a horse. Horses mirror our emotions, you cannot wear a mask and pretend you are okay, the horse will see right through any pretence.
They can detect your heartbeat from over 20 metres away and react accordingly, we learned over the next three days that there is no hiding anything with a horse. They need to feel safe with you and know you are not a threat and can protect them if necessary, which might sound ridiculous when you are in a pen with a 300-400kg powerhouse, however, we all saw this through our experiences.
In-between our horse sessions we had access to a life coach who was able to help everyone with their individual situations, re-framing, perspective and allowing people the head-space to find solutions to their problems was very effective. It is key to note that the horses aren’t specifically trained for the course, the interaction is wholly dependent on the students’ emotional regulation and body language.
The final day came about too quickly, and of course by then it became very apparent that the skills being taught are not so we can all become horse whisperers! Although it sounds better than your average job! It is designed to give people back confidence they might have lost on the way. It is all about communication, mostly non-verbal, the use of breathing techniques to calm the mind and the effect that can also have on people all around you. It was about reminding people to stay in the moment and that it’s okay not to be perfect and that self-care is key to maintaining positive mental health. There was no doubt of the positivity felt from everyone and the relationships that had been forged among the group including with the horses which was plain to see.
The feedback from the attendees was very positive. Each individual was able to explore their behavioural patterns and coping mechanisms, and there were some profound moments and positive changes over the 3 days:
“Hearing other peoples’ battles and how they cope and making me realise that other people are going through things and I’m not the only one.”
“Seeing people who came without any confidence begin to open up. A reminder of the importance of being genuine and the importance of removing my mask, and that being imperfect is OK.”
“Feeling comfortable enough to share my experiences, reinforcing my thoughts and feelings about recovery has helped me to feel more comfortable about them.
“An excellent course that helped me understand controlling my anxiety. Also understanding that your feelings/emotions can affect others.”
“Excellent course that gets you out of your comfort zone and allows others to talk about their experiences in a protected environment.”
“This course is worth every second and the importance of keeping it going is huge, to offer much needed support to those in the military who really need it.”
“Please keep doing what you’re doing. You will and have changed lives.”
“This course has done more for me and taught me far more than DPHC & DCMH of how I can get better and continue in my military career. These courses should compliment care provided by DPHC and be funded by the MOD.”
“Thank you so much for this course, it has been wonderful from start to end. The course has given me the opportunity to be in a safe space to talk and be myself without any judgement. The coaching and advice have been amazing and has helped me work out ‘what’ getting better looks like. From this course I have the confidence that I will get better, and I can do it.”
Summary
This was the first time the Royal Navy have hosted a Warrior Equine course in 9 years, we were fortunate to get the course at no cost but there is limitations to the charity funding courses. The benefit felt is emphasised in the feedback and Warrior Equine are determined to see this as the start point in forging a strong relationship with the Royal Navy. As a horse enthusiast and novice rider I am unashamedly bias, however cannot emphasise enough the benefit to people’s mental health this course can offer. I am hoping this will be the first of many.
