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The goals of the Equine Adventure Program are to educate and equip at-risk youth with important life skills that teach teamwork, communication, responsibility, and self-discovery. With challenging group activities and a supportive and nurturing atmosphere, participants stretch themselves to master new skills, take healthy risks, and grow in self-esteem.
The Equine Adventure Program serves teens and preteens with emotional and behavioral challenges, with diagnoses including but not limited to depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In order for a young person to be eligible for the Equine Adventure Program, he or she must be between the ages of 10 and 17 years, have a mental health diagnosis, and be undergoing professional counseling. They do not have to have any prior knowledge of horses or farm life, but simply need a willingness to engage in the activities.
Some of the activities these young people partake in during their time at Equest include horsemanship instruction, horse care, and equine behavior. Team building activities using low-element physical challenges require the group to come together as a team and problem solve. Other hands-on learning involves studying the riding trails for signs of wildlife, crafting symbols on a "brand board" representing their own personal "trademark", and engaging in a community service element which asks each student to step outside their own world to give something back to those Equest students facing different types of disabilities.
