Have you ever wondered how horses or music can help people or what makes the horse a great partner when teaching leadership skills or helping people with physical or emotional disabilities? Beginning October 4, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will offer Carousel for Special Needs: Humans, Horses and Harmonies, to it’s members and the public. This mini course, derived from a U of A course in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, is not just about therapy, but the ways that horses and music are beneficial to all.
Together Kathi Jogan, instructor of equine and animal science courses at the U of A, and Dr. Jan Knighten, U of A professor of music education, will explore not only who can benefit, but how and why people are helped with music and equine therapy. “People have a special connection with horses and with music”, says Kathi Jogan. “Horses can be used for many purposes from helping victims of PTSD, to helping people de-stress from a hard weeks work, to helping people learn social or leadership skills.” The course will include three, interactive sessions, allowing participants to see the world through the eyes of a person with disabilities and a trip to Corral Coaching & Counseling Center for a hands on demonstration of how beneficial this therapy can be. “You will get to see firsthand how horses help humans….and maybe even learn something new about yourself in the process.”
The course is offered Wednesdays, Oct. 4, 11, & 18, at 10:00am – 12:00pm. To register visit the OLLI registration site linked HERE. To learn more about this course offering at the University of Arkansas and how U of A students have been impacted by learning about this amazing alternative therapy Click Here.
More on the instructors:
Jan Knighten has Bachelor and Master degrees in Music Education and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education with a conducting emphasis at the University of Texas at Austin. Mrs. Knighten taught middle school band for 24 years in Jacksonville and New Bern, NC, high school band for 5 years in Tarboro, NC, and general music at the Oakwood School in Greenville, NC. In 2001, she represented North Carolina as an educational ambassador for the U.S.-Japan Foundation’s Global Schools Initiative at Hiroshima University and Mihara Junior High School in Hiroshima, Japan. She currently teaches music education classes, supervises clinical interns, and is the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator
Kathi Jogan has managed Thoroughbred breeding and foaling farms and was a licensed trainer and outrider on Thoroughbred race tracks. She has shown, started and trained all types of horses; including race horses. Kathi studied English riding & jumping at the Spanish Military Riding Academy in Cadiz, Spain, and has taught both English and western riding. She is a member of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.
