Equine Skills Program

If interested, please contact Heather Suoto - hsouto@farmingtonpolo.com

The Hometown Foundation Inc.’s Equine Skills Program focuses on the therapeutic healing a horse can provide for program participants, while building a community and network of individuals who will support one another in an inclusive and accepting environment. Our Equine Skills Program offers equine-assisted activities and equine skill services to individuals of all ages who possess impairments, functional limitations, intellectual or physical disabilities, as well as those who suffer from PTSD, abuse, trauma, or psychological disabilities.

Our Equine Skills Program takes place at The Farmington Polo Club property, which is a versatile club offering an array of equine opportunities. The 80-acre property in the heart of the Farmington Valley has 44 year-round horses utilized for activities such as polo and hunter/jumper events as well as five horses that will be directly utilized and dedicated for the Equine Skills Program. The horses utilized in the Equine Skills Program are currently part of the Club’s riding academy and polo programs and have been selected based on their disciplinary experience and background, exhibiting a calm temperament and positive interactions with a diverse range of riders from beginner to advanced.

The Equine Skills Program is focused solely around ground training work between the program participants, the horse, and the staff member. The focus is on the interaction between the participant and horse to enhance communication with the animal. Horses overall can provide an extreme amount of emotional support for an individual, which is why equine skills is vital to use in various therapeutic settings as the presence of the animal allows for a stronger breakthrough for the participant.

The goal of the program is to build self-confidence within our program participants while increasing their emotional awareness and intelligence along with increasing their communication skills. The program works to establish trust in other and trust in self, increase empathy, establish impulse control, and assist in increasing the participant’s comfort levels and emotional awareness.

Through this program the horses provide a beneficial sense of non-judgmental and unbiased peace as they interact with the participant’s socioemotional and behavioral actions. The participant and horse can communicate through behavioral actions rather than words with a therapist. In many cases, this allows the participant to first improve their communication with an animal and others around them.

The Equine Skills Program directly represented the efforts of The Hometown Foundation and Farmington Polo Club with the overarching goals to benefit individuals in need and bring the community together.