An elderly horse is helping a teenage girl in far-west New South Wales overcome her autism. Rachel Kellie, 15, has been receiving equine therapy at the Murray River border town of Buronga, near Mildura, for more than a year. “Whenever I’m around Psalm, I’m a lot calmer and a lot more courageous than I would normally be,” Rachel said.
“When I’m not around horses, there’s just a lot of things I never say.” But after a session with Psalm, Rachel’s mother notices the change in her daughter. “[Mum] thinks I’m a completely different person and she says it’s like seeing the real me for the first time,” Rachel added. harness their energy to direct the horses.
“A lot of people who come to us are quite shy and not particularly vocal in their communication,” Dr. Abbenhuys said. “And so they are automatically using their physical skills and their body energy if you like, and the horses do pick up on that because that’s how they communicate with each other.”
Dr. Abbenhuys said Rachel’s bond with Psalm had brought the teenager out of her shell. “I’ve been astounded by the level of detail that Rachel has been able to verbalize, things that she probably knew last year but didn’t have the confidence to say.