Two therapy ponies walk onto Agnes Benidickson Field. Students ask, “Why the long face?”
On Nov. 6 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Peer Support Centre (PSC) brought equine therapy to campus as part of their annual TALKS week, which advocates for mental health awareness. During the event, hundreds of students horsed around with two ponies, Mischief and Mayhem. Despite their names, they were gentle therapy ponies who had lots of love to give.
Throughout the event, Mischief and Mayhem’s caretaker Sandra Randall, the owner of The Pocket Ponies, educated and connected with students.
“My favorite part about doing events is seeing how these little ponies can bring so much joy to others. To see how they can bring together a community without conflict. To overhear comments like ‘I was having a bad day until now,’ ‘this has been the highlight of my day.’ I love that they connect people, including myself, to others,” Randall wrote in a statement to The Journal.
When done in a welcoming environment, equine-assisted therapy provides great benefits, Randall mentioned.
“Sessions with an EAL [Equine Assisted Learning] coach provide experiences with horses to facilitate personal and professional growth for adults through activities to develop skills, such as communication, leadership, and problem-solving,” Randall stated.
According to Randall, “it has scientifically been proven that a horse’s heart rate can regulate a human’s heart rate.” Hugging the ponies, it’s easy to feel this connection.
“Seeing the ponies just brightened my whole day and really shifted the negative mindset I had going on throughout the week,” Joey Lauer, ArtSci ’27, said in an interview with The Journal.
While Randall has worked with therapy ponies for about a year, she’s only had Mischief and Mayhem for a couple of weeks. Without fencing to contain them, the ponies had free rein on campus. When students took the leads, the pair frolicked in the field and even trotted on the pavement behind Ontario Hall.
Owen Toner, ArtSci ’27, had a great experience as well, but noticed some students got carried away when handling the ponies.
“The ponies were so majestic and cute that I think some people got a little bit too attached and connected to the ponies, even though we’re just all students and we’re just trying to see the ponies,” Toner said in an interview with The Journal, reminding students to rein it in.
The PSC told The Journal that therapy ponies were an engaging way to encourage everyone to follow their TALKS week principles of supporting others.
“We encourage everyone to carry these [TALKS] principles into their everyday interactions by checking in on friends, creating space for meaningful conversations, and showing up for one another TALKS Week and beyond!” Head Manager Sharnujan Sivanenthira wrote in a statement to The Journal.
While university life is often marked by academic chaos, Mischief and Mayhem’s calming presence reminded students to unwind, kick back, and hit the hay.
Tags
Animal-assisted therapy, horses, Peer Support Centre, therapy
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