Vanessa ,14, has been coming to A Taste of Paradise for one year. Working with the horses has been a healing process for Vanessa. She loves to feed them, pat them and groom them. Vanessa relaxes when she is with the horses. The horses respond to her gentle pats and grooming. To date, most of Vanessa’s interactions with people have been painful and negative. However, the horses never reject her. They never make her feel like she isn’t good enough. In fact, they respond to her and make her feel loved.
The trust and relationship Vanessa has built up with the horses has begun to impact the rest of her life away from the farm. Very slowly her carers are seeing that she is making attempts to relate to others, and not fear the pain that rejection can bring. Her confidence and self-esteem is improving and she is starting to trust people. The safe and nurturing environment at A Taste of Paradise is allowing Vanessa to overcome her challenges and establish herself in life
