BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A 6-year-old horse was the guest of honor Friday at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, as equine-assisted therapy company Equi-librium held a demonstration for students.
Equine-assisted therapy gained popularity in the 1960s, and has had some measured physical and mental health benefits, though some experts advise it should not replace other physician-prescribed treatments.
- A therapy horse visited students at Liberty High School in Bethlehem
- Equine-assisted therapy has some evidence for its effectiveness, but "science can't really put into words" the rest, according to one program director
- Students say they enjoyed meeting Pippa, the 6-year-old horse, and say she brightened their days
"Horses have this ability to connect not only with each other, but with humans in ways that science can't really put into words," said Christina Cox, program director at Equi-librium. "So you actually have to feel it to experience it."
Cox says loves her job, "because I get to play with horses every day," she said with a laugh. "But I [also] get to share what I know about horses and how amazing they are, what they can do for humans, and I get to share that with those in need."
'Heartbreaking' mental health trend for students
Schools in the Lehigh Valley have recently made headlines for statistics on suicide attempts,and Liberty High specifically has been making efforts to address mental health issues.
"As far as what's going on, it's heartbreaking, it's terrible," said Nikolas Tsamoutalidis, assistant principal at Liberty High. "But we don't just sit around and talk about it, we're doing things about it."
Tsamoutalidis said he hopes to have opportunities for therapy involving dogs available to the students in the future as well.
"It was pretty cool seeing an animal, I mean, it got us out of class for a little bit," said Chris Cruz, a student at Liberty High School. "It was a nice little break I guess, and it was a pretty cool experience."
Cruz and other students shared their day was feeling little stale before Pippa came into the picture, and that it felt brighter after.
"I actually had three tests today," said Angelica Santana, another student. "So being able to take this break was great."
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Pippa
Cox, Pippa's trainer, had a strategy for keeping Pippa still and easygoing: giving her a giant bucket of hay to munch on while Cox spoke and introduced her to the students.
But the strategy appeared to only go so far because after she was full she wants to to go for a walk.
At one point, Pippa attempted to jump into the bucket, evoking a laugh from the crowd of kids.
Cox said Equi-librium is always accepting volunteers. More information is available on its website.
