Horses as helpers

A rural Hartley woman is using her four-legged friends to help local children gain trust, confidence and friendship.

Darcy Morphew founded T Time Equine Assisted Coaching this fall and has been working through the certification process. Once she gets the stamp of approval, local youth will be able to visit her farm and enjoy a variety of horse-related activities with multiple social benefits.

"Horses are special in the way they are calming and nonjudgmental," Morphew explained. "My focus is helping youth by being a good listener, teaching new things and expressing the importance of feeling good about yourself."

Morphew has three horses in the stable at her farm, which sits between Hartley and Everly on Highway 18. Her mare, T, is quiet, gentle and loves attention. Joe, a gelding, is a gentle giant that prefers to hang around and eat. Mini horse Rocky is Morphew's newest partner and has a loving, curious and charming personality.

T was the horse that initiated Morphew's interest in equine assisted coaching (EAC).

"It takes a very special horse that has good personality, calm temperament and enjoys attention, but there is no special training," Morphew explained.

Morphew will focus primarily on children age 7-17. Interaction and equine activities are all done at ground level, and there is no riding involved. Coaching with the horses takes place through a safe, slow and one-on-one environment.

The goal of EAC is to form a strong bond between the horse and the client to help process feelings, gain skills and alleviate fears.

"Being with a four-legged furry friend results in healthy emotional and physical benefits," Morphew explained. "In the presence of a horse, stress is lowered and a wonderful feeling of inner peace is felt. This is when the magic happens."

Each EAC session is approximately one hour long. First, time is spent connecting with one of the horses. Additional sessions highlight safety, health, nutrition, grooming, ground exercises and many other topics.

"The main goal for me through EAC is to help children trust and learn in a calm and positive environment," said Morphew.

The new venture isn't Morphew's first foray into horse-related therapy. She's volunteered several times at Reins of Hope in Spencer, which offers differently-abled youth and their families the opportunity to connect with horses.

Morphew, who's been around horses her entire life, has seen the benefits of EAC firsthand and encouraged people to give it a try. So far, she's been familiarizing her horses with different people by bringing in friends and family to her farm. Additionally, she's taken Rocky to public events like Hartley's Hometown Christmas, where children were able to pet him and pose for photos.

Morphew was excited eager to get started and share her love of horses with others.

"I truly enjoy helping people and the sense of purpose," she said.