DreamCatcher Farm

While the Director of the Mobile-area YMCA’s special populations program, Susie Foster wanted to give her participants in the program opportunities and experiences outside of the “white coat” environment. She had heard about using horses for therapy. A West Mobile veterinarian allowed her to bring special needs kids to work with some of his horses. She says, “They had a blast!” That was the beginning of her dream to one day have a place where children and adults with special needs may experience Therapeutic Riding and Equine Assisted Learning.

DreamCatcher Farm was established seven years ago. Susie wants “every participant’s dream to come true,” so she named her farm in Silverhill “DreamCatcher Farm.” The programs she offers serve children and young adults on the Autistic Spectrum, with Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, ADHD, Spina Bifida, and emotional issues like anxiety and coping skills.

Excited to talk about her dream, just as we sat down in her stables, a beautiful Friesian horse named Gavreel, (which means relationship) is cooling off from his morning workout. Relationships are what her riding program at DreamCatcher Farm is all about. Relationships between horses, riders, facilitators, and volunteers.

Susie says, “Everyone involved is like family. The horses do the therapy.” Because the programs are varied based on the individual client and their needs, she may start the clients with an easy approach to the horse to help them get comfortable. She assesses each participant and individualizes their session according to need. There are no more than three clients in a class who work on similar skills during the session. She depends on volunteers to help run the program and they say it’s one of the most satisfying and rewarding things they’ve ever done. All of her business is by word of mouth.

“We work on social skills. Feeding a carrot to the horse, grooming, etc. is therapeutic.” Susie implements both groundwork and mounted work in her programs. “This is a safe place.” She tells us, “groundwork is more relational. Horses will pull the issues out of you. If you’re in a big hurry, they will make you patient.” Horse therapy helps with social comfort issues. The results have been significant.

“Horses provide a calmness, and because my participants experience levels of high anxiety and overstimulation, a child or adult riding a more active horse can experience a calming effect as their emotions connect with the rhythm of the horse and they relax almost immediately’” she says. When ready, students in the Therapeutic Riding program will begin riding bareback so they can feel the horse, maneuvering with the body as opposed to a saddle.

“We work on exercises to enhance core strength, balance, and overall spatial awareness. Everything is engaged when riding.” They may ride with their eyes closed, which builds self-esteem, confidence, and independence. Susie uses obstacles, arena work, and trails. Her first goal is to create a relationship between the horse and the client. Safety is a priority at the Farm and clients have volunteers who help lead the horses and side walk. Helmets are always worn.

As far as qualifications, Susie is Path certified (Professional Association Therapeutic Horsemanship) as a Therapeutic Riding Specialist and also Eagala certified as an Equine Therapist. She has a ground program, Horse Powered Reading and Math, that uses horses to help students enhance their reading and math skills. She has partnered with Full Life Ahead, and they work on “life skills” with young adults 18 and older.

To learn more about the programs or to volunteer, please contact Susie Foster at 251 454 0080.

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