Fifteen-year-old Liam has been a Shea Center client since he was seven and has always had an affinity for animals. He now participates in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and likes everything having to do with horses, especially learning the horsemanship skills needed for training therapy horses. EAL is an experiential learning approach that promotes the development of life skills for educational, personal, or professional goals through equine-assisted activities, including ground work, leading, and work at liberty.

Liam says, “My favorite type of horses are the more forward ones. I like working with the newer ones so I can help train them.”

Liam describes his time spent at Shea as “excellent.” He says, “EAL [the Equine Assisted Learning program] has helped me figure out how to calm myself down in situations where I didn’t know how to. It has also taught me a lot of patience. You have to be calm and patient when working with horses.”

Liam has also participated in adaptive riding at The Shea Center, and his leadership skills and love for Shea horses have helped him become a volunteer, most recently during our Summer Horse Camp and at our 45th Annual BBQ & Family Faire.

Liam’s grandmother states, “Before The Shea Center, Liam could be destructive and angry. Being here has helped him grow, and he is a completely different person.”

Kelli Navarro, our Equine Assisted Learning Program Administrator and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) says that Liam loves learning new skills and has mastered staying present and reading the horse’s body language.

“He stays patient and calm and has become a great leader for our equines – all characteristics needed to achieve higher level horsemanship skills.  He has grown so much socially and in his communication skills.”