Reaching for the Reins: Stories of At-Risk Students Empowered by Serving Others through Equine Therapy

Tara Carlsen wanted to help at-risk students learn without relying on stale, clinical teaching methods. Instead of trying to find solutions in the classroom, the mathematics teacher transplanted failing students from an alternative high school to a horse ranch. There, she encouraged them to reach for the reins, and she witnessed dramatic results.

Students who could not relate to their peers or teachers could relate to horses—and suddenly their futures looked a whole lot brighter. Carlsen an...