For over 40 years, Jensen Beach’s Hibiscus Children’s Center (HCC) has been a refuge for kids who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. As the largest provider of youth foster services on the Treasure Coast, the center offers a supportive environment where kids can start to feel safe again. “We help them emotionally regulate, heal from the trauma they are going through, and build trust and self-esteem,” says HCC executive vice president. Rey Navarro. “We get them back on track and allow them to be a kid again.”
Now, HCC is partnering with Justin’ Time Stables in Palm City to work with many of HCC’s kids through an innovative equine therapy program. “Horses are perceptive. They can actually feel your heartbeat and your breathing,” says barn owner Kim Pitts-Svoboda. Interacting with the horses teaches kids how to regulate their breath in stressful times. “When you’re walking a horse, you become their leader. Sometimes the kids are timid, and I tell them as a leader, they can’t be timid,” says Pitts-Svoboda.
The farm is also home to many rescued animals who have their own history of trauma. “Their experience doesn’t define who they are,” says Pitts-Svoboda. “We talk about how we take that experience and move forward to the next phase of our lives.” Navarro says his team sees remarkable differences in the kids when they come back from the barn. “We get kids who act out or refuse to go to school. Through equine therapy, these kids are more motivated and have more self-esteem.”
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