Foundation works with Shire Horses to beat Bullying

The Royal Parks Foundation has announced that it is tackling bullying in London schools through the use of equine-assisted therapy. Its Real Horse Power project sees students working with two, one-ton, shire horses to boost communication, cooperation and problem solving skills.

Bullying is one of the most painful experiences school children can go through and although traditional education programmes have had some impact, many do little to tackle the source of the behaviour. Rather than focusing on a few ‘bad apples’, Real Horse Power takes the view that bullying involves the whole group – and it is collectively that successful changes are made.

Real Horse Power is therefore launching full-scale, after a successful pilot last year, connecting with groups of local secondary school pupils, many of whom have never been in contact with a horse before, let alone a mighty shire.

Each group consists of up to 25 pupils with some record of challenging behaviour within their group. They work with the shires over five sessions in the Hyde Park manège. The animals are incredibly sensitive to body language and the teenagers must learn to interact with them in non-verbal ways, giving a better understanding of the different roles people play in a team.

Data from last year’s pilot show that Equine Assisted Therapy led to a shift in attitude towards bullying behaviours by those taking part, with tolerance for bullying behaviours reduced by 62%.  Dr Liefooghe confirmed there was an observed reduction in bullying behaviours such as ‘showing others who’s boss’ and ‘making people scared of me’. There was also an increased report of pro-social behaviour, such as ‘helping others who are being harassed’ and ‘sharing with others’.

This year’s Real Horse Power project is free for non-paying schools thanks to the generous support of the Kusuma Trust.

For more information, visit the Real Horse Power project website.