Right Track Horsemanship Academy

About Stable Life

With a future residential facility in mind, Right Track offers the "Stable Life" Program. This Program is specifically for youth who may be termed "At Risk" and are four years old and up.

Stable Life uses the equine experiences as a tool for emotional growth and learning. The program is not limited to just the art of riding. It also utilizes the task of caring for the horses and the bonds that form through this caring as a means to establish trust, respect and responsibility. The goal of the program activities is to motivate, diminish anxieties, develop trust, learn self-evaluation, increase self-esteem and develop or enhance socialization skills.

Stable Life encourages a healthy balance between the development of group skills and focus on self. Learning how to interact appropriately with authority figures and to treat others with respect are key objectives.

We have several missions to this program. First, to provide facilitated equine experiences designed to enhance psycho social development, growth and education. Second, to utilize equine facilitated psychotherapy as a treatment approach providing youth with an equine experience designed to promote self-awareness, self-esteem and self-responsibility. Last, but not least, to educate and assist others in working with the horse in the treatment of youth with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges.

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Benefits

Benefits seen are a sense of self-worth and confidence. Participants come about with the sense of connection in the responsibility of giving care and comfort to another living creature. Bonding, that naturally develops between the human and the horse, is a powerful anticdote as these animals, by nature, can reflect our own innermost feelings.

Skills naturally evolve for a child who is eager to be with a horse because a horse is extremely "hands on". Horses are bigger, therefore, respect happens naturally. Boundaries and limits make sense. Order prevails. It makes sense to the student to follow directions, do things in a logical sequence, work with the group, focus, finish the job and trust those the horse trusts.

As these critical skills are practiced, rewards for the student happen naturally and automatically. Best of all, the student can feel that he did it "right" because the horse responded. No judgement, no blame, no shame.

Fun, relaxation, pleasure, renewal, refreshment, friendship and connection all start to work their magic in the human spirit. Lives change for the better. Good citizens are made. Our world becomes a better place thanks to the healing and loving presence of a horse.
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Referrals

Referrals must be made by one of the following.

~ Parents and foster care givers who have exhausted other avenues.

~ Teachers and school councilors who know that a child learns better when they feel good about themselves.

~ Therapist, social workers and child protective services who hope that horses can reconnect lost feeling, bring back "good touch" and rekindle the love that has been missing in lives which have endured years of sexual abuse, physical violence and neglect.

~ Psychiatrists who know that thrill seeking needs can be met in a healthier way than drugs.

~ Probation officers that do not want to see the cycle of poverty, abuse and detention continue in yet another generation.
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Program Staff

Our Staff is comprised of wonderful people.

~ Our Program Facilitator, Kathy Baczsnki M.S.L.C.P., is a Texas licensed professional counselor in private practice working with state and local pre-adoption and post-adoption facilities for treatment of children and families. Her experience includes dealing with post adoption attachment issues, emotionally disturbed children in foster care, case load management of hospitalized adolescents, group therapy for emotional issues and chemical dependency. She is also an avid and accomplished equestrain certified through CHA.

~ The Horsemanship Director is Darla Ryder. Darla has 35 years of experience with horses and is a clinician of and certified a Master Instructor of both western and English through CHA. She is also a certified instructor through the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, NARHA, and section member of Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association, EFMHA. She has 20 years teaching experience of riders with physical, mental and emotional challenges.

~ And it all wouldn't happen if it were not for the volunteers and instructors involved with the clients. All staff working directly with clients are trained, investigated and qualified prior to acceptance. Strict confidentiality is enforced.


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