Through our weekly enrichment opportunities within the school day, we have already seen how beneficial riding lessons have been for pupils across the Prep School and the happiness and confidence these sessions bring. As a school which aims to educate characters, as well as minds, we wanted to build upon this and extend the experience so that it was accessible to more children. 

One aspect we explored was that animals and humans don’t require words to communicate. The communication that we saw was solely on an emotional level, allowing the children to be more vulnerable around animals than they may be with other people. It was both fascinating and hugely rewarding to see this personal development being modelled by the children in Year 3 during an outdoor learning session with Rocket.

Being around horses also helps to open up a non-judgmental and unbiased relationship in which a person can learn to express and understand themselves better. The horse will intuitively mirror feelings, making them very empathetic. Again, Rocket was a superstar in mirroring curiosity as he stopped by the Prep School classrooms, and then calmness and enjoyment when he was out at Forest School.

It was a hugely successful visit and a lovely addition to the multiple activities that took place during Children's Mental Health Week. 

The children were a delight as ever, and Rocket thoroughly enjoyed his day out!

Mrs Coombs, Year 3 Teacher