September - The Rider

|By Kelly Bowers
Melanie Gray of Melody Acres has
been involved in horses since she was a child.
She is a Certified Coach, Judge, and Equine &
bovine massage specialist, and is well known in
reining and judging circles. For years now, she
has been running an equine assisted behaviour
modification program for troubled youth. Even
though their program has been very successful,
things are about to change, big time.
On Monday, Aug 11th, Bruce-Grey-
Owen Sound MP Larry Miller made an
announcement on behalf of federal Justice Minister
Rob Nicolson regarding the government’s
national anti-drug strategy. He stated that The
Partners in Process Equine Learning Centre,
based at Melody Acres will receive $250,000
over three years to administer her project, known
officially as “Connecting Youth in the Justice
System with Equine Assisted Illicit Drug Addiction
Therapy.” Miller stated, “It’s another step in
this government’s fight against illicit drugs which
undermine healthy families and safe communities,”
“This is something new that’s never been
tried before” beyond the local level.” It’s a one of
a kind pilot project and the first program in Canada
of this type funded by Youth Justice.”
The money will help Partners In Process
Equine Learning Centre to continue the
work they’ve started with youth in crisis, helping
them build self-esteem and make changes in their
own behaviour which can in fact change their
lives once they learn to think for themselves.
Melanie Gray and Al Edwards of Melody Acres
are excited about how many more children and
teens they will be able to help with the expansion
of their program.
Gray is appreciative of the Partners in
Process board of directors who, operating alongside
supporters in the local legal and judicial systems,
pushed the project along and won the attention
of Justice Canada. It took about a year and a
half to get funding approval but it is hoped that
success of this will lead to other programs being
offered throughout Ontario and across Canada.
The goal of Partners in Process is to expand the
program to all those it may benefit regardless of
their issues.
Gray and Edwards have already had
great success with young people who have come
to Partners in Process through other avenues.
Melanie is certified by the Equine Assisted
Growth And Learning Association and uses their
techniques as well as others to help facilitate the
process, helping the human understand what the
horse is saying through body language, like a
mirror.
Melanie Gray first started using horses
to work with teens years ago when she was working
with a private girls school which housed girls
from all over the world, some with serious problems
resulting in behavioural problems. These
included drugs & alcohol, criminal behavior, self
mutilation, prostitution, truancy along with some
really bad attitudes, Melanie developed a program
to help develop their self-worth and assist
them in seeing how they portray themselves. It
is said that the girls often made such dramatic
changes in their behaviour afterwards, their parents
said it was like having a completely different
child, the child they used to be.
Most experts agree that much
of the bad attitude and behavior
that results in crimes perpetrated
by young people is symptomatic
of deeper issues. It stems from
what the young person feels such
as sadness, loneliness, abandonment,
grief, anger, resentment and
stress. Many issues can be traced
back to low self esteem, and once
a person believes that they are not
worth anything, it can be very difficult
to help them.
What is it that a child in turmoil
like this can learn from a
horse? First, a child needs to
learn that what they do has consequences.
A horse reacts to the
behavior and inner feelings of the
person who is approaching them.
The horse, as a prey animal is
always on the lookout for predators
and acts as a mirror to the
child. For instance, if a boy
comes into the arena, who is feeling
angry and aggressive, the horse
will do wide circles keeping a
great distance from the negativity.
If the boy approaches with a calm,
gentle, patient demeanor, the horse
will respond in a similar way.
Another example that may be used:
Melanie starts by giving the youth a task without
directions on how to accomplish the goal. This
may be as simple as asking the teen to move just
one horse from a small herd of three into a round
pen. When the student questions her about how
they should proceed, she asks them for ideas of
how they think they might accomplish the task.
Brainstorming, in a way they come up with some
ideas that might work and decide which should
work best. Next, the young person lists specific
SEPTEMBER 2008 THE RIDER /17
Federal Funding For Partners In Process
via Melody Acres
Bill Coke, a founding member of Partners in Process, Melanie
Gray, Program Director of Partners in Process Equine Learning
Centre and Larry Miller, MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, meet
Whisk, one of the horses that will take part in the new drug treatment
program for youth.
Photo by WILLY WATERTON THE SUN TIMES
actions he will need to take to increase the chance
of success. Finally, he goes into the arena, follows
his plan, making adjustments as needed and
progresses towards his goal.
Unlike just about anywhere else in a
child’s life, this program has no pass or fail.
Nobody sits and judges. After each session, the
participant is asked to evaluate their own
progress, consider their actions and corrections
and decide what worked and what did not, what
they can try next time. This encourages the
child to recognize that they have the ability to
think for themselves, be creative, work a plan,
evaluate progress, adjust strategies and work
towards success.
Even when they don’t succeed the first
time, the teens are attaining skills along with the
positive attitude they need to succeed in life and
they know just where to start the next time they
walk into that arena. They learn that confidence,
calmness, gentleness, patience, peacefulness and
safety attracts the trust of horses and people too.
This program is not intended to replace
current programs available for troubled youth.
But should be viewed as an additional option
available for those that may benefit. Team work
is another skill taught, by working in groups,
toward a common goal. If you would like to
know more about this program. check
www.melodyacres.com
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