Horses as Teachers: Developing Confidence Through Equine Connection
Excerpts from an interview between Lynn Diettrich, owner of Diettrich Farm, and Carly Andrews, Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood, in August 2024 at Diettrich Farm in Salem, Wisconsin.
From a Goodnight Story to 60 Horses: A History of Diettrich Farm
Carly: I'd love for you to tell me a little bit about the history of Diettrich Farm and how you got involved.
Lynn: Well, my family homesteaded in Glencoe in 1832, and when I was growing up, obviously the farm was gone. But my father, every time he put us to bed at night, he would tell us stories about the Diettrich Farm. As soon as I could spring loose, I found a place to go and live on a farm. I've been here [Diettrich Farm] for 38 years.
We came as hobby farmers. We had 3 horses, and people started knocking on the door to see if they could board their horses here, because we live right on the edge of Bong Recreation Area, which is a state park that has 13 miles of horse trails. So, 60 horses later I became a boarding facility. And from that, I had people that needed help and people that wanted lessons. Even though I had taken lessons as a young person, it was time to learn more.
And that's when I did a deep dive, got more education, and then was able to help support people, and their relationship with horses.
Summer Programs and After-School Lessons
Carly: Tell me more about the summer camp programs and lesson programs.
Lynn: So, it was a natural progression that we created a summer camp program. And we've been doing summer camps for almost 20 years now. Wow. It's been a while.
Carly: And what ages do you serve in your programs?
Lynn: In the summer camp programs and lesson programs, we have children as young as 4. But in the summer camp programs, they're around 5 to 12. And then we have teen camps after they turn 13. And then we have educational support. When they get to be older, they can be CITs, which are counselors in training. It's like an internship program, but then they can be counselors and get paid the next year.
I had a seven year old that came here one year, and she went home after the first day of camp and she said, “Mama, I'm going to be the director of the Diettrich Farm summer camp when I grow up.” I love it. And she was here for three years. Oh, she found her joy and inspiration.
Building Confidence and Body Awareness
Carly: I'd love for you to share a story of where you've seen significant positive change in a child's confidence or self-esteem.
Lynn: One of the stories is about mothers who have come to me, and they've had girls that have been painfully shy and not involved in school at all. And after taking lessons for 6 months, they come back to me and go, “Oh my God, I don't even recognize my daughter. She is now the captain of the swim team”, or “she's the captain of the soccer team”, or, “she is now able to go out and participate in a leadership role, which she never imagined [would be] possible.”
I've seen children overcome fears. [There was a story of] the little girl in the weeds where the horse lay down in the weeds and she was terrified.
She was raised on a lake in Burlington where they have weeds, and she wouldn't go in the water. And here's one of my horses laying down in the water, and we went into the park and she figured out how to get back on. I supported her, and on our way home her sister was laughing and I said, “What's so funny?”
And she said, “Well, she's terrified of the weeds”. And I said, “Well, how do you feel about the weeds now?” And she's like, “Oh, I'm okay. It's not a big deal anymore”.
And that horse was 4 and now she is 29, and she has never laid down in the water again. So how did the horses know what a person might need in that moment to help build their confidence?
And they do that all the time. All the time.
Carly: That's amazing. It leads to my next question: What role do horses play in helping a child with emotional regulation and self-awareness?
Lynn: So when you teach somebody out of the gate to be curious and to be aware of what their bodies are doing at any moment, horses are feedback machines and they operate through rhythm and through the life in [the rider’s] body.
And when you're teaching a person to ride, whether they're 5 or whether they're 75 and the person starts to say, “he's not listening to me. He's being crabby,” and you're looking at the person's body, and they're holding the reins tight, they're squeezing the horse, and they're looking down at the horse. So they're not really giving the horse any direction. So you're not being critical with the [rider]. You're just saying, “Well, what is your body doing that might be interfering with his understanding?” Because if he doesn't feel any pressure, he might not do what you want. So you help that person to develop that awareness: “Maybe put a bend in that”, or “pull the rein a little bit so the horse is looking where you want them to go, and then loosen and put a little life in your legs”.
And it's amazing how little it takes for the horse to do what it is you really want them to do. That moment is when you start to become more responsible for your body.
And that's the benefit. Because now you understand how powerful your body really is, and it's not something that you're telling somebody that they need to know. It's something that they learn by doing, by feel. And it's like that. That's the piece where as they mature in their understanding of their inner power, now, they can walk into a room and they feel that confidence.
They feel that, that movement of their body and how that influences the environment around them. So it's a fascinating opportunity for children to learn or for anybody to learn.
Working Through Fear
Carly: How do you address and support children who might be experiencing anxiety or fear around horses?
Lynn: You know, one of the things that we do is have them watch the horses so that they can see how the horses lower their head. Why is the horse lowering their head? It's because the horses are submissive. Which means? And you explain to them that they feel the horses feel safe when they lower their head.
[Horses are] curious about what is going on with you. And when they look and they do this all the time, though, and that's licking and chewing, and that's a sign. That's what the horses are saying. “Oh, I can do this. I'm okay with this. I'm okay. You're okay.”
They put their hands on the horse and you walk around the horse with your hand on them. And there's something about the energy of the horse that helps to bring that anxiety a little bit lower. Walking with the horse and seeing that the horse isn't going to run away. He's not going to bite you. He's not going to run over the top of you. That's a huge way to help with anxiety.
And we've had kids that have a real hard time getting on. And you just take the time it takes, you know, they just put their foot in the stirrup and maybe take their foot out and the horse has not run away. It’s still there. And, we've had kids that have taken a couple of days before they got out. But the accomplishment and the confidence that it builds [is seen] when they finally do and they're walking the horse around at the end of the week and showing their parents, “look at this”.
And so they really have a huge [sense of] accomplishment.
For more information about Diettrich Farm and its programs for children and adolescents, please visit https://www.diettrichfarm.com/.