Horses have proven to have a healing power that humans are incapable of imaging. The crucial role that horses played in the rise of Temple Grandin from an autistic youngster to a professor of animal science at Colorado State University is the perfect example of what has just been said. A paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health outlines that journey, describing the bullying she endured at high school and the importance of horses as she grew up.
The case report (How horses helped a teenager with autism make friends and learn how to work), written by Grandin, is part of a special issue of the journal exploring the psycho-social impact of human-animal interactions. Let’s have a look at the abstract of her work, “I was born in 1947 and had autism with speech delay until age four. I am now a college professor of animal science.
Horse activities enabled me to make friends through a shared interest in horses. This paper describes the benefits that I experienced from working with horses and my friendships and work skills. A close friendship developed with another student through both riding and horse craft projects. Keeping employment is a serious problem for many people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The responsibility of caring for horses and cleaning stalls every day taught me good work skills. My experiences suggest that there were valuable outcomes from working with horses. This may be a beneficial intervention to include in programming for youth with ASD.” If you want to read the full version, here is the link https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/13/2325/pdf
