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Author: Natalie Davis
Happy Hooves Wellness, a Dexter family farm that focuses on social, emotional and mental health, is one of 80 organizations across the country taking part in the “Seeing Through the Horses” campaign this May, which marks Mental Health Awareness Month.
Happy Hooves Wellness founder Crystal Birchmeyer said the farm’s staff of equine-assisted learning coaches, psychotherapists, teachers and horse specialists work with clients and classes to improve mental health by incorporating horses, nature, education and mindfulness practices.
Photo by Crystal Birchmeyer
Birchmeyer hopes to raise $2,500 from Horses for Mental Health’s “Seeing Through Horses” campaign to help those less fortunate access sessions at low or no cost.
“It would be great if we could achieve our goal. I’m going to reach out to other local nonprofits like Garrett’s Space and Elle’s Place,” Birchmeyer said. “One of my goals is to reach out to those nonprofits and form a group and see if we can cover a majority of the costs of paying for the coaches and the farm and everything through Scene Through Horses.”
Happy Hooves opened in 2010 when Birchmeyer and her husband purchased the family farm her father built. It started out as a traditional farm, but began transitioning to a wellness farm after Birchmeyer met mentor Jillian Kleinbling in 2019. Birchmeyer says human health and horse health are interconnected.
“When we work with horses, we can’t just have one or the other because every time we interact with them we affect them and every time we’re around them they affect us,” Birchmeyer said.
The farm offers yoga, private psychotherapy sessions, agility summer camps and more.
Photo by Crystal Birchmeyer
“Everything you learn about the farm and what you learn on the farm can be incorporated into your life,” Birchmeyer said. “You come once a week and you spend hours a week there. The idea is to put what you learn into practice. For example, if someone sits all day at work, they can participate in chair yoga, because it gives them tips on how to move while they’re sitting at a desk.”
The farm is open to anyone from kindergarten age onwards, Birchmeyer said, and most customers come once a week, with about half being youth and the other half being adults.
“What the session looks like is up to the individual. We’ve had everyone from kids looking to build life skills to retirees looking to find connection and emotional security,” Birchmeyer says. “Some clients are under a lot of pressure at work and just want to unplug and unplug.”
She stressed that although Happy Hooves offers classes for youth, the farm isn’t just for kids, and there are plenty of options for adults as well.
“We don’t want adults to think they can’t do it,” Birchmeyer said. “An adult who comes in here may have a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder and may be stressed and exhausted. In a session, they come in here for 45 minutes and learn how to manage and cope with stress.”
Birchmeyer said Happy Hooves will be parked near Anchor and Beacon Elementary School on June 6 and 7 to promote literacy. Happy Hooves is offering horse-powered reading services.
“Horse Powered Reading integrates social-emotional learning with academics, so by creating metaphors for the skills involved in reading, students are able to see and experience reading with their minds, bodies and emotions,” the Horse Powered Reading website states. “As students interact with horses from the ground, they use toys and props to identify obstacles and learn five key reading skills: phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.”
For more information about Happy Hooves, visit www.hhooves.com.
Photo by Crystal Birchmeyer
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