Hi Caitriona,
Thank you for taking the time to chat to Irish Sport Horse Magazine about your work.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
Well I am a secondary school teacher of Engineering and Design and Communication Graphics and Wellbeing Coordinator in Piper’s Hill College, Naas. My passion for horses has led me to train as an EAGALA Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy facilitator, a Monty Roberts Instructor and a Lead-Up Instructor. I also run my yard from a rural settling in North Kildare close to Edenderry.
When did you first Start to Ride?
I started riding at age 8 and I was lucky enough to get my first pony at age 12. I have been riding since then and currently compete with Mo Chara Riding Club. When I was a teenager, I was introduced to Monty Roberts’ concepts by my dad, in an effort to keep me reading, and Dad bought me Monty’s books.
At What Point did you Train in the Monty Roberts Methods?
I started training in Monty’s methods in 2010 , I attended a Join-up Course in Kildare and progressed on to doing the Introductory Course the following November. The course covered everything from Equine Anatomy and Physiology, Breeding, Nutrition, to Husbandry; and hands on practice – working with horses using Monty’s concepts. I had a couple of ponies at the time that were hard to catch and the methods worked brilliantly with them, this was proof for me that the methods worked.
In 2012, I passed the Introductory exams, a week before the birth of my daughter, and that October I headed to the Monty Roberts International Learning Centre in California to do the Advanced Course. I returned the following year to do my Advanced exams, under Monty’s watchful eye. This involved several aspects: taking a complete starter into the round pen and within 30 min, have them accept a saddle, bridle and do their first long-lining session, a session with untouched horses – getting a halter on and leading them, a presentation in front of Monty and his team of instructors along with a 3 hour written exam.
I was invited back to complete the final part of my training which was a three month Instructor’s internship at the Monty Roberts International Learning Centre in California. I spent the summer of 2014 there and was awarded my instructorship. Since then I have been running courses in Monty’s Methods and I have been helping owners and horses sort out lots of issues, from loading, to clipping, to day to day issues with horses such as, fear of objects, plastic, puddles etc.
Do You only Work with Horses at Your own Yard or do You Travel?
I do take horses in for training, but I also travel to people’s yards, working with the horses and owners on a one-to-one basis to help them overcome any problems or issues they may have. I am all about educating horses and people to support each other. I advise the owners/handlers about what works for their horses and how best to progress with the training and I support them through the process.
We know that you are very involved with Equine Assisted Therapy; can you tell us a bit about that?
I trained to be an Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy facilitator with EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association). I have been running sessions since 2012. The EAGALA model involves a three team approach- an Equine Specialist (me), a Mental Health Specialist (Jean Robertson- Blue Feather Counselling and Psychotherapy) and most importantly the horses. All tasks are tailor made to suit the participants and they are all on the ground (no riding involved).
I was first introduced to Equine Assisted Learning into Piper’s Hill College in 2012 when the school piloted a project, with students with behavioural difficulties. The students went to a yard in Edenderry and took part in specifically designed tasks in Equine Assisted learning sessions. The project worked well and feedback from students, parents and teachers was positive. Following on from this I ran further sessions from a yard in Naas. I brought my own horses to the yard and facilitated sessions with a co facilitator. These sessions were designed again for behavioural issues and also for building teamwork and problem solving skills within class groups.
Is EAT still used in Piper’s Hill School?
In 2017, Piper’s Hill College took a new approach to Wellbeing which included both staff and students. They looked at changing the physical environment in which students attend classes, from indoor to outdoor and added horses.
Staff took part in Equine Assisted Learning as part of Wellbeing and Teambuilding Activities. Teachers who had heard me talking about it, but didn’t understand it, came back with “now I understand what you were talking about”. One of the joys of experiential learning is that you learn your own way, through doing and figuring out the task, at your own pace and in a way that works for you.
The Logistics of running Equine Assisted learning sessions for the students was becoming a problem, so I began looking at various different ways in which we could run sessions closer to the school without students missing out on too many classes.
In the summer of 2017, I completed a course in UCD on Entrepreneurial Education where I got to trial my idea- to approach local builders in Ballymore, beside the school, for the use of a paddock, and so the Collaborative Community Equine Education Project was born! Don McMahon and Liam Flynn, in Ballymore, were more than accommodating. They organised a paddock, cut the grass, fenced and gave access to the paddock from the school grounds. Then I brought the horses with me to work on days that sessions were happening.
Do You Find the Results of EAT & EAL Positive?
As part of the New Junior Certificate Wellbeing Programme, a team looked at the topics that could be covered using Equine Assisted Learning and included it on the scheme. Last year, as part of the SPHE course, the students learned Communication skills with themes of teambuilding, problem solving, confidence building, leadership, resilience and decision making, outside, with the horses.
The paddock beside the school meant that students could walk out the door and into the paddock, have their SPHE class and go back inside. I trialled it with class 1 Erne, and the range of learning that the students fed back was mind blowing.
It’s experiential, so students learn for themselves, at their own pace, and find the way that works best for them. They get to trial ideas, get feedback from the horses as to if it worked or not, and review or change the plan and trial it again. There is no right or wrong.
The Wellbeing Guidelines state that;”Students’ Wellbeing is present when students…..”
• Realise their abilities
• Are physically well
• Can cope with normal stresses of life
• Have a sense of purpose
• Are part of the wider community
These themes are interwoven in the Equine Assisted Learning Sessions. While still covering the course, students are helped to develop a sense of self, realising their abilities, giving them a sense of purpose, and building their self-esteem, as part of a community, in a safe environment. This year three more groups took part and there are plans for more in the pipeline.
That’s Great News, what are your plans for the future, any more courses on the agenda?
When Monty Roberts launched the Lead-Up programme, the brainchild of Katie Cunningham, I flew back to the USA to up skill in the programme. It had amazing results in creating peaceful leaders, reducing violence against women and horses in Guatemala where it was trialled. Lead-Up incorporates Monty’s Join-Up methods into activities along with breathing techniques and activities to build self-awareness. I hope to roll this programme out in Ireland in the near future.
Well, we wish you all the best with that Caitriona it sounds fantastic. Many thanks for taking the time to chat to Irish Sport Horse Magazine.
This Interview was originally published in the December 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. If you would like to contact Caitriona about the services she provides you can do so via her website www.caitrionaomeara.ie NB* All Pictures in this Interview are Courtesy of Caitriona O’Meara.