Back in 2008 PWF wrote about Dr Maggie Broom and her business Grey Horse Growth And Learning. In Australia Maggie has been trialling Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) for some years, a therapy already well established in the US and Europe, particularly the UK and Germany.
Maggie explains:
“Just as art therapy involves creating art works and reading meaning into the experience, and dance therapy involves using the body to experience meaning, horse therapy involves undertaking a simple activity with a horse or horses and reflecting on the the experience and the thoughts and feelings that arise from it. You’ll be surprised at the things the horses can teach you about yourself!”
Social media has exploded onto the scene in recent times and last week I received in my inbox the following request from Maggie via a Californian Crowdfunding organisation www.GoFundMe.com:
“Zachary is sixteen and would dearly love a career with horses but a history of medical problems prevents him from riding. However, he has a strong affinity with horses and forms close relationships with those he comes in contact with. For the past two years he has volunteered his time on Saturdays to come and help at Grey Horse Growth and Learning, getting to know each of the six horses there and learning about ground skills and horse handling. He now has the opportunity to attend an Equine Touch horse massage course in August, and is keen to raise the money to attend. Coming from difficult family circumstances, he is finding it hard to save the money for the course and the accommodation he needs. This is a great opportunity for Zachary to begin to develop some skills that may take him into a career with horses.”
Maggie has now booked Zachary into the course and is very happy and greatful for all those small donations which have added up to the $700 goal.
GoFundMe is a personal fundraising website that has helped thousands of people raise millions of dollars for the things that matter to them most. Wikipedia explains:
“GoFundMe allows users to create their own website to describe what they are raising money for. During this process, members can enter the fundraising cause, the amount they hope to raise, and even upload photos or video. Once the website is created, GoFundMe allows users to share their project with people through integrated social network links (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and email. People can then donate to a user’s cause through the website and track the progress of their funding. Those who donate can also leave comments on the website in support of the project. GoFundMe generates revenue by automatically deducting a 5% transaction fee from each donation a user receives. If the user receives no donations, then no charge is made.”
Fantastic!