Little hooves, big hearts

Rainbow Dreaming CIC provides therapy pony visits to care homes in, and around, Skegness, Lincolnshire. The company was formed in September 2021 after taking my pony to visit my mother in a local care home, and seeing the positive impact on the residents. Mum suffered with dementia, and quite literally came back to life when she saw the pony - the effect on other residents was equally amazing.

Whilst the majority of care homes work hard to provide suitable activities for their residents, many simply do not have the budget to fund regular visits from external agencies, and when they do, these tend to be singers, or to provide physical activities such as chair exercises. In contrast to these types of activities, there is something incredibly comforting and non-judgmental about interacting with animals. Anecdotal evidence indicates that more residents want to get involved, and are therefore able to benefit from the sessions when animals visit. The effects of animal therapy are fairly well understood, and spending time with the ponies seems to help individuals in a number of ways, both physically and psychologically.

Since its inception, Rainbow Dreaming CIC’s ponies have visited over 80 care homes, with over 1000 individuals benefitting from meeting, and interacting with them. Feedback from these visits is always positive, and care homes have reported that the sessions are incredibly beneficial in terms of boosting residents’ mental health – stress and anxiety seem to reduce, as do feelings of isolation and loneliness. Communication and interaction improves during contact with the ponies, and the mood of residents is lifted. This is particularly noticeable with residents who are bed-bound, have dementia, or who are generally withdrawn.  Interacting with the ponies stimulates conversation, even from the quietest of residents, and many enjoy reminiscing about animals they’ve had, or have worked with in the past. In addition, many residents who are otherwise sedentary, love stroking and brushing the ponies, often standing up to do so.

The impact that a visit from the ponies has cannot be understated, and the smiles on the residents’ faces say it all. Unfortunately, as funding is an issue for many homes, they either can’t afford to pay for therapy visits, or they have to limit visits to once or twice a year. We subsidise our therapy visits as much as possible through the other services we provide e.g. pony parties, weddings, unicorn appearances, and educational visits, but external funding increases the number of therapy visits we can do (and keeps the costs to the care homes as low as possible). We want to ensure that residents living in care homes with limited funds do not miss out on the unique and unforgettable experience of meeting the ponies. Happiness should be accessible to all, and not a lottery based on which care home an individual lives in.

Rainbow Dreaming CIC aims to improve individuals’ physical and psychological health, communication, self-confidence, and general well-being, through interacting with miniature therapy ponies. This uniquely engaging experience allows individuals of any age, in almost any setting, to enjoy time with our tiny ponies without needing to leave the comfort of their own (temporary or permanent) four walls.

The effects of animal therapy are fairly well understood – blood pressure, stress and anxiety seem to reduce, and communication, movement and interaction seem to improve; this is particularly noticeable with individuals who are bed-bound, have dementia or other complex needs, or who are generally withdrawn.

Most people, whether they like them or not, take access to animals for granted, but for those who have previously had animals, but who are no longer in a position to keep them for whatever reason, the loss of that companionship can leave a huge void that only another animal can fill. Add to this the fact that very few residential settings are equipped to keep any pet much larger than a fish, small mammal or small bird, and it’s no wonder that visits from animals are so popular, and generate so much excitement.