Horse sense

Holly Inglish's background in speech and occupational therapy has enabled her to watch the growth of children in a social and behavioral setting.

"One of my favorite aspects was watching the excitement of each child breaking through barriers and achieving a goal," Inglish said.

The love Inglish has for animals, and her desire to keep their bodies functioning in pain-free harmony, has inspired her to start TheraBarn, a family-based company that focuses on providing a wide range of services for equine and canine patients.

"We offer massage, kinesiology taping services, craniosacral services, and ANMR (Animal Neuro-Myofascial release)," she says.

Inglish said that massage services will be available beginning in August.

TheraBarn represents a return to the private business sector for Inglish, as she has been a stay-at-home mom for several years and also served as a substitute teacher in the Carrington Public School district.

"I loved being home with [my kids]; however, they quickly grew up. So, my role at home had to change," she says. "After much soul searching and encouragement from my husband, I decided to begin classes for massage."

Once she got TheraBarn off the ground, a new opportunity to expand the business's horizons came to her, in the form of a program called EquiScholars.

"It's based out of the United Kingdom," she said. "There are only a few providers in the country right now."

Inglish describes Equi-Scholars as "the perfect marriage" of two things about which she's very passionate - horses and giving children an opportunity to learn and grow.

"It's an opportunity for children and adults to become stewards of horses," she says, adding that no prior horse experience is needed, and horse ownership is completely optional.

"Our program is designed with a person-centered approach in mind, which takes into consideration the learner's background, experiences and preferences," she said.

She explained that horses, like humans, are social animals that form complex relationships with others in their group.

"They communicate through body language, vocalization, and other forms of nonverbal communication, and are also sensitive to the emotional states around them," she said.

Because of that, Inglish says that a horse's responses to human behavior can offer "valuable insights into our own emotional states and communication patterns."

Some of the core values and qualities that Equi-Scholars are expected to possess include:

• Believing in sustainability

• Practicing inclusiveness

• Embracing innovation and change

• Being a team player

• Being curious and questioning

• "Believing in better"

Of the last point, the EquiScholars web site explains: "Horses are such incredible creatures and they have so much to teach us, but we have barely scratched the surface of what they are capable of ... Through education and practice, there is so much potential and magic to be unlocked."

Through interaction with horses, Inglish says that learners can develop a range of social and emotional skills such as empathy, self-awareness and effective communication.

"For example, learning to read and respond appropriately to a horse's body language can help individuals become more attuned to the nonverbal cues of others in their personal and social lives," she said.

In the future, Inglish says she would like to take EquiScholars on the road to riding clubs, 4-H groups, personal barns, riding lesson programs or any other children's learning opportunity.

EquiScholars is offering several mini-camps. Module 1, Senses, has already come and gone, but two more modules, Equine Enrichment (2) and Behavior (3) are slated for later this summer.

Module 2 is scheduled for July 17-19 and 24-26, and Module 3 for August 7-9 and 14-16. Kids may attend Modules 2 and 3 even if they haven't attended the first module.

Another module, Consent and Boundaries, is a 1-to-1 program with an outcome-based tracker, and is offered by appointment only.

Mini-camp dates will be released soon on the company's Facebook page.

When it came time to publicize TheraBarn, Inglish, while substituting in high school business classes, had a thought that one of her students could design a logo.

"There were so many great options. I hope they all know how thankful I am for the effort they put forth in their design," said Inglish.

Once all the options were reviewed, she selected a logo put forth by CHS student Juliet Davis. Davis has been active in the local 4-H scene for several years.

"After talking to Juliet, I knew this was a great partnership," Inglish said. "She put so much thought into each detail, and was wonderful to work with."

From the TheraBarn umbrella, Inglish believes the business can benefit the community by providing an environment that will keep children and adults learning and connecting with animals and nature.

"TheraBarn can be a place for self-reflection, connecting with a horse and learning something new," she said. "Our goal is to add services that are needed in our community."

Just as EquiScholars takes on an approach that is always changing and adapting to stay up to date on the latest research, says Inglish, TheraBarn will do the same.

"We hope that our clients will bring us their ideas and needs, so we can best fit them," she says.

TheraBarn massage services are by appointment only. Contact Inglish at (701) 400-5183, or e-mail her at [email protected] for TheraBarn services, or to inquire about Equi-Scholars camps.