Twenty-year-old Megan Shook began riding at The Shea Center when she was five and continued intermittently until the age of 13. Born prematurely, Megan spent her first three months in the NICU, and even as an infant, she showed sensitivity to loud sounds. Diagnosed with autism at a young age, one of the ongoing challenges she faces is severe discomfort around loud and sudden noises—an aversion that contributes to heightened anxiety and impacts her overall quality of life. After taking a break from riding, Megan returned to The Shea Center to participate in the Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program.
The EAP program focuses on building trust and emotional awareness through groundwork. Clients are paired with a horse specifically chosen to help them meet their clinical goals. As they work together, the client forms a bond with their horse while addressing mental health challenges, emotional setbacks, or communication difficulties. Horses are incredibly perceptive and often act as “feedback machines,” reflecting the emotional and physical state of the people they work with.
Megan works with Auggie, a well-loved horse who happens to be uneasy around pool noodles, which are used by therapists and adaptive riding instructors in session activities. This shared sensitivity has created a unique opportunity for Megan and Auggie to support each other in overcoming their fears. “My goals are helping Auggie to be brave and for me to be brave too,” Megan explains. “Sometimes when I’m at Shea, I feel nervous, but I want to work on my noise problems—and I want to help Auggie with his trauma sticks.” (“Trauma sticks” is Megan and Auggie’s nickname for pool noodles.)
“Auggie helps me be brave when I have uncomfortable moments, and I like helping him face his fears with the trauma sticks,” she continues. “He makes me feel a little brave, and I’m trying my best to get rid of my noise problems. Facing my fears is really scary, but I’ve been trying different techniques to be more confident outside of Shea.”
Megan’s therapist, Leeanna Rice, remarks, “Megan has made great progress in the five months she has been enrolled in EAP sessions. Megan loves helping Auggie face his fears and become more comfortable around the trauma sticks. Megan can identify that if Auggie can be brave, she can be brave too. Recently, Megan has been able to walk around the barn with Auggie while volleyball players are practicing next door. The yelling and cheering from the players are incredibly distressing for her, but she has been able to stay grounded and focused on Auggie, which has reduced her level of distress.”
When asked what she would say to someone thinking about joining the EAP program, Megan says, “Don’t worry, the horses will help you. It’s OK—I’ll show you around and introduce you to Auggie so he can help you with your own fears.”
