original Research

We develop and deliver pilot projects, in collaboration with academic establishments, which feed into ongoing research into the effects of EFLHD and Natural Horsemanship in a therapeutic context.

Regional context

According to the Enquiry into Poverty in Wales 2015, more than 1 in 5 people live in poverty in Wales and Eurostat identified West Wales and the Valleys as being in the top 5 poorest areas in Western Europe. Poverty is recognized as one of the primary ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ or ACEs and its effects on people’s health and wellbeing, including age related diseases, is widely documented, along with its related social and economic consequences. Educational attainment in those less advantaged is significantly lower in Wales than in England. In 2012/13, there were 99 permanent exclusions and 15,323 fixed-term exclusions from schools in Wales.

Figures for 2008-09 indicated that more than 120 children under the age of 12 in Wales were referred for specialist help for drug and alcohol problems. There has been a steady increase in the amount of alcohol consumed in the UK over the past two decades with Wales now having amongst the highest levels of alcohol consumption in Europe in young people. 1 in 4 people will experience mental health issues in their lives in Wales and this will often start early in life due to deprivation, including poverty.

In the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD), Swansea, Bridgend and Rhondda Cynnon Taff were in the top 10 areas of multiple deprivation in Wales, with Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire also being designated as Communities First Cluster areas. Within Carmarthenshire, these clusters include Trimsaran and large areas in and around Llanelli. According to the WIMD, Pembrey and Burry Port fall within the seven most deprived areas of Carmarthenshire. These geographic areas are either within our immediate vicinity or within a 60 mile radius of our business base.

Identifying and developing innovative, effective and long lasting interventions that help to address and ameliorate the effects of poverty and deprivation is vital in combating inequality of opportunity. We strongly believe that working with horses in a therapeutic environment can radically transform people’s lives, especially those who are hardest to reach through conventional interventions. We want to make this little know and untested model of work available to those members our community who’s life chances and opportunities are most limited.