Raven Hill Farms is a Private Riding Club specializing in dressage, created to enhance the equestrian experience for the rider who is seeking to be a member of an active and social group focused on deepening and strengthening their partnership with their horses. At RHF we combine our love of horses with friendship, parties, clinics, trail rides, horse shows as well as other equine adventures!  We support and encourage one another in a non-judgmental atmosphere where we all strive to improve our riding skills and to achieve harmony with our horse.

Medical students enhance patient skills by interacting with horses

The exercise at Raven Hill Farms in Warwick is to understand the value of non-verbal communications

 PUBLISHED MAR 17, 2016 AT 3:02 PM (UPDATED MAR 17, 2016)

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The program was originally developed by Dr. Beverly Kane and Dr. Allan Hamilton and initiated at Stanford University in 2005.

The program has expanded around the globe and is incorporated into the curriculum at Mass General University, UCSF, and University of Arizona to name just a few.

The session at Raven Hill Farms began in a newly constructed conference room with an overview of the program, a review of horse dynamics and an emphasis on learning in a non-judgmental, open-ended manner.

Facilitators included Director of Development Deirdre Hamling, owner and operator of Raven Hill Farms, equine specialist Susan Stegmeyer and licensed clinical social worker Bonnie Malajian.

Following the introduction, the group moved to the large indoor arena where five horses of different shapes, sizes and temperaments were the focus of the students to use their observation skills to interpret the horse’s behavior.

Breaking into smaller groups the students chose the horse they preferred to work with.

As they groomed the horses they became aware of how their approaches needed to differ from horse to horse and were surprised by how much their intention effected the reactions of the horses.

In the second exercise, the group was asked to construct a pathway out of various poles, rubber cones and assorted balls that would represent their journey through medical school. And his or her task was to get each horse to travel the pathway without the help of any halter or lead ropes.

Each and every moment was filled with learning opportunities that were later discussed when the students returned to the conference room, where there were numerous comparisons of how the horses behaviors mirrored the intention of the students, often in remarkable ways.

These moments were designed to enable the students to discover how their actions, whether conscious or unconscious, played a pivotal role in their relationships with their patients as well as with the other students.

“As prey animals,” said Hamling, “horses are sensitive to everything they see, hear and feel which can be interpreted by understanding their body language. We might even refer to them as living, breathing biofeedback machines.”

The skills learned working with horses, she explained, help participants build confidence, mindfulness and emotional intelligence.

“Interacting with horses,” said Hamling, “enables us to learn clear and effective ways to build trust and gain respect. Their cooperation with the students was based on a number of factors, such as rapport, trust, clear communication, patience, tone, body position, eye contact, respect of boundaries and how, if and when to touch. It is clear that these are the very same factors that enable patient compliance, cooperation and improved outcome.”

The entire program was embraced by all the students.

“This was an exciting, interesting and unique educational opportunity for the medical students from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said Dr. Alex Joanow, a founding partner of Horizon Family Medical Group and adjunct clinical assistant professor at Touro College. “It provided an experience to develop communicative skills that hopefully, the students will use throughout their careers. It certainly melds with the holistic philosophy that is the foundation of osteopathic medicine.”

In addition to this program, Equi-Power Solutions offers corporate development, team building and leadership workshops as well as personal development sessions for individuals, couples, families and groups. All sessions are unmounted, interactive, solution-based with no previous horse experience necessary.

Raven Hill Farms is a private riding club and home to Jockey Hollow Pony Club as well as a full service equine boarding and training facility.

For additional information contact Hamling at 845-987-6965.

FLORIDA — The East Coast Mounted Patrol Association is an organization that promotes professional training for law enforcement units and civic organizations involving horses.

Its mission is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the civilian community through the medium of horses and training.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, East Coast Mounted Patrol Association founding members Mary Elena Moran and Ric Sutton offered “A Mounted Police Experience” clinic, hosted by Deirdre Hamling and her Raven Hill Farms in the Village of Florida.

It was a unique training opportunity for local horses and riders as well as guests from out of town. The clinic focused on developing confidence for both horse and rider through sharing training techniques commonly used by mounted police organizations.

The two instructors emphasized formation riding, crowd control, basic search and rescue, desensitization, and obstacle training.

Instructor Moran of Goshen is member of the New York State Police Department’s Mounted Unit and professional horse trainer whose “From Kill Pen to Cavalry” program transforms rescued horses into confident police horses and then donates them to mounted police units.

“I like to give people a plan for how they can desensitize their horses to various stimuli and empower them to have the same confidence to apply those methods at home,” she said. “Whether facing a jump, a dressage judge, or riding into an unruly crowd to make an arrest, the partnership between horse and rider is paramount. Trust is the key to that relationship and the training we provided today focuses on developing that trust. It was an absolute pleasure to work with these folks.”

Sutton of Chesapeake Virginia, a member of the Virginia Beach Police Department, has 33 years experience as a multi-disciplined instructor with an emphasis on mounted police operations.

He is also a Level 3 American Riding Instructors (ARIA) certified instructor.

“I want to provide civilians with an inside look into how mounted police training is conducted to create the brave, fearless, and trusting police horses that they see on the street,” he said, “and to give people those same tools to develop that confidence in their own competition and trail horses.”

Hamling, who has known and worked with Moran for several years, reported that she was very impressed with the clinic and the dynamic synergy of Moran and Sutton’s expertise.

“We are planning several more clinics with this amazing team,” she said, “including desensitization for the dressage rider and a two-day adult summer camp.

For dates and additional information visit Ravenhillfarms.com and Face Book.

Source: http://www.warwickadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20180301/NEWS01/180309973/-1/NEWS