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We are delighted that Mac the Mossburn Rabbit now has his own book.
The story follows our very own Mac on a voyage of discovery with the help of Fern the Deer and the Rabbit Rescue Squad, amongst others.
MOSSBURN DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Dumfries & Galloway Council have approved funding for the Project Officer’s salary for the next three years through to March 2012.
The Mossburn Development Plan was approved by the Mossburn Steering Group in November last year and progress is now being made towards bringing this into a reality:
Outdoor Curriculum - Educational visits and tours - and exploratory garden
Getting Ready for Work and qualifications in animal care and welfare
Animal Assisted Learning and Therapy
Blacksmithing
Hoof Camp, Equine Assisted Learning, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
If you've heard of boot camp...... you can imagine hoof camp...... it's a fun way of learning about yourself... and others...
- bringing together two professional fields – horse and psychological therapy/learning
- collaborative approach – therapeutic team
- a short term ‘brief’ therapy
- experiential in nature - ‘being’ and ‘doing’
- activity and processing
- a unique ‘relational dynamic’
Evidence is available to show that the method can help with;
- Behavioural issues
- Attention deficit disorder
- Addiction
- Eating disorders
- Abused and Abuser
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Communication issues
We now have two teams trained to deliver Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and have another to deliver EAL and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). Please contact us for more details.
ASDAN qualifications - Mossburn is now registered to deliver ASDAN Short Courses. Not surprisingly these courses can involve working with animals and observing their behaviour although this is not essential. The Short Courses of 10, 20 or 30 hour modules can all be used towards the ASDAN Bronze and Silver Awards.
In the future we hope to offer services to more young people on placement and also to work in partnership with schools and other agencies to offer an alternative to full time in the classroom for youngsters who could benefit from a few hours spent learning in a different way.
EDUCATIONAL VISITS AND TOURS - We have a range of educational materials for use in and around Mossburn. Primary schools and nurseries can enjoy a guided educational tour led by qualified members of Mossburn staff. Work sheets, quizzes and fact files based on nature, animal care and welfare, different breeds, habitats etc are available, as well as access to our small classroom and IT equipment. We accept visits from small groups at a cost of £3.50 per child.
Future developments include the complete renovation of the current Mossburn garden - we certainly have grand ideas for it but no funding, yet!!!! Our idea for the garden design is for it to be fun, interactive, multi-sensory and scientific as well as peaceful and therapeutic.
Getting ready for work and qualifications in animal care and welfare - For young people who are leaving school or considering their options, or for older people who want to learn something new or consolidate what they already know Mossburn is an ideal place to gain some work experience and/or a qualification. We can offer an understanding of all things to do with work including an introduction to health and safety, child protection, work based policies and good practice. In the field of animal care and welfare there are opportunities to learn about the needs of a wide variety of animals. In conjunction with Unique Solutions we are able to offer the SVQ Level 3 in Animal Care and Welfare. Any age can apply and no previous experience or qualifications are required. Please contact us to find out more.
Animal assisted learning and therapy At the moment we are running a pilot scheme for 8 young people. It is an exciting one off project that will run for a period of 6 months. Working in partnership primarily with the Leaving Care Team and Careers Scotland with funding received from Awards for All and the More Choices, More Chances Intervention Fund 16+ we hope to give 8 young people an experience we hope they will never forget. The pilot scheme will involve - young people, working with and for animals, learning about themselves and their own needs in comparison. Add literacy and numeracy, horticulture, market gardening and finally hoof camp to the equation and we hope they leave Mossburn better equipped and filled with ideas and vision for their futures. Referrals can only be made via The Leaving Care Team or Careers Scotland.
The whole pilot scheme will be carefully monitored, evidenced and evaluated.
We think Mossburn has something unique to offer. We think it could perhaps make a difference that has not been made before..... The Mossburn Learn scheme is a fantastic opportunity for us to find out for sure.......
Blacksmithing Stan Pike the blacksmith works here at Mossburn producing works of art and one off commissions as well as fixing broken items and doing more routine metal work. He is also qualified to deliver training courses, click the link to be taken to his own site http://www.stanpike.com
Our future plans, apart from utilising Stan's gate and hinge mending skills in a practical fashion, include educational tours of his workshop and an introduction to blacksmithing for any interested young people who may be attending or visiting Mossburn.
The Equine Touch™ is a gentle, non-invasive, non-diagnostic approach to body work that anyone can learn to help keep their horse or pony sound, supple, healthy and happy. It works on a holistic level and involves working over the horse’s muscles and other soft tissue to relieve any tension, tightness or sore spots. Horses love Equine Touch™, even if they don’t have any health issues as it helps them to relax at a very deep level.
The Mossburn horses and ponies benefit from a regular monthly "makeover" by Sue Grout, a qualified Equine Touch practitioner. They actually love it so much that they are now beginning to queue at the gate when Sue arrives. Having seen the benefits to our own herd we can offer other horses the opportunity for their owners to learn about ET. Sue is running courses over the coming months. There are 3 certificated levels of Equine Touch™ with Level 3 leading towards Practitioner status. However, there is no need to study all three levels in order to benefit your horse. Level 1 provides a fantastic "toolkit" in its own right. In addition Mossburn can offer an "Introduction to Equine Touch" which is designed to give horse owners an understanding of ET along with some useful tips and basic guidance for beginners. Experience how ET can help and say ‘thank you’ to your horse or pony after every ride you have on him. You will observe a full body demonstration of ET, partake in a question and answer session, identify communication between horse and owner, and learn some practical everyday ET basics for you and your horse.
To find out more about The Equine Touch™ click this link to be taken to the official web site www.theequinetouch.com
Contact us: If you want to know more about any of our Development News, or want to discuss making a booking for any of our services please make contact Mossburn by telephoning 01387-811288 or e-mail mail@mossburn.org