11/12/2024
I am very proud of the fact that we provide EFL services to young people in Alternative Education .
Our horses, sheep and dogs, plus the environment of our beautiful site, contribute enormously to their mental and physical wellbeing.
Therefore, providing a safe space where learning is achieved 🫶🏻🐴
In case you missed it..... Horse & Hound recently published our letter in response to their brilliant article about EAS. This is what our Chair Ed had to say...
I was delighted to read your recent article highlighting the excellent psychotherapy work being done by Mike Delaney. This is really important work, delivering meaningful outcomes and reducing pressure on other parts of the health and social care services; there is increasing evidence and research being done to demonstrate this.
We created the Equine Assisted Services Partnership (EASP) to promote the wider EAS sector and support good standards. It’s important, therefore, that we all recognise the breadth of EAS in the UK and remember that it reaches much further than psychotherapy and counselling. Our sector includes many providers who do work to address clients’ physical issues as well as this providing a blended therapy and education offering. For example, there are many specially qualified physiotherapists (hippotherapists) providing really important work for a range of physical disabilities needs. There is also an increase on Equine Assisted Learning being (EAL) offered as an alternative education provision where SEND children struggle with mainstream school. Many EAL providers are registered as an alternative education provider as part of the Local Authority ‘local offer’. RDA has, of course, been involved in this work for years and other bigger organisations (like BHS with their "Changing Lives" programme) are doing important work. But there are also many small organisations and individuals making a very positive difference to people's lives in a wide variety of ways.
We are delighted to see our sector grow in size and prominence and this work is a core part of keeping horses relevant to wider society. Our register of providers ensures that each participant and equine is at the heart of the service and that they are kept safe and well cared for. However, it also offers us a chance to champion and celebrate the amazing work done by many people, across a whole range of modalities – ridden, ground work, physical and psychosocial. The sector is complex in the way that services are provided and commissioned and EASP is here to help everyone navigate that landscape.
Yours sincerely
Ed Bracher OBE
Chair, The Equine Assisted Services Partnership
https://easp.co.uk/purpose-and-aims/
