Self-confidence and personal strength are key factors for young people's resilience in the face of negative opinions. With horse-based strength coaching for children and young people, the RuF Fürstenau offers young people the opportunity to give important impulses for their path during the "Days of Tolerance" at the IGS Fürstenau (August 7-9, 2024). The Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation supports this project and, in future, the innovative Fürstenau educational cooperation "Hippocampus". Back in 2018, the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation supported RuF Fürstenau with its project "Strengthening children with horses from nursery to A-levels", primarily by creating infrastructure on site. This will now be followed by strength coaching on the "Days of Tolerance" at IGS Fürstenau. Then, in a second, larger step, the "Hippocampus" educational project will be the next stage of the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation's sustainable support in Fürstenau. This cooperation project, which IGS and RuF Fürstenau initiated together and have been running successfully ever since, will be the core of the collaboration between the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation and the project sponsors in the coming years.
Visit to the RuF Fürstenau facility
"We are delighted to support a project and its sponsors, in which innovative educational opportunities for pupils in Fürstenau are made possible with great energy and a great deal of expertise," says Christian Schiffbänker, Chairman of the Board of the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation. "Perhaps the Hippocampus can also serve as a role model for other educational locations to show how equestrian sport and school can go hand in hand," Schiffbänker continued. During a visit to the RuF Fürstenau facility, Schiffbänker, deputy chairwoman Birgit Bohnenkamp and project officer Anette Schiller gained an impression of the conditions on site. Doris Bregen-Meiners (1st Chairwoman, RuF Fürstenau) and Jürgen Sander (Headteacher, IGS Fürstenau), together with many colleagues from the association and school environment, provided an in-depth insight into the work of the Hippocampus. The representatives of the foundation also had the opportunity to talk to Matthias Wübbel, the municipal director and mayor of the joint municipality, who emphasized the importance of this cooperation between civil society on the one hand and public institutions on the other for his municipality with his presence.
In equine-assisted coaching, horses give us the chance to experience and perceive ourselves in a completely new way. Horses, which react very sensitively to human emotions and body language, reflect individual patterns of thought, feeling and behavior and make them visible to the outside world. They give us non-judgemental and authentic feedback, which can be experienced with the help of guided self-reflection. In an increasingly demanding and media-driven world, it is more important than ever to develop tolerance and mutual respect towards people and animals. As part of the Days of Tolerance, some pupils were encouraged to discover and reflect on individual strengths and experience what is important in a team through horse-supported coaching.
Finding solutions together with horses
Pupils in years 8-10 first completed an individual exercise with a horse in hand. Through guided self-reflection and feedback from the group of students, each individual became aware of the horse's reactions and experienced their own strengths. The students then noted down their perceived strengths on so-called encouragement cards, which they had selected at the start of the exercise. In subsequent tasks for the whole group, the pupils found solutions together with the horses. By working together, it quickly became clear that each individual contributes to success, that a lot is said non-verbally and that it is important to wait for the reactions of others.
Giving courage for everyday life
In another "workshop", the Year 6 and 7 pupils worked in teams to complete a course. At the beginning of the course, the pupils also chose an encouraging card that particularly appeals to them and can support them in everyday situations. The teams then rode through a guided course, alternating between leading and riding. When tackling the task together, it became clear that the pupils were highly focused and very attentive to each other. This experience of individual strengths could be transferred to everyday life in the subsequent discussion, as it quickly became clear that this often does not work in school learning. The experience of being able to do it when the goal is in sight and one's own strengths are taken into account was a key experience for some pupils.
As part of the drug prevention days at IGS Fürstenau, horse-assisted coaching sessions were held with eighth-grade students on October 7 and 8, 2025. The aim was to strengthen the participants' self-awareness, self-confidence and decision-making skills - to help them deal with temptations and difficult situations in a reflective manner. A total of four groups of four to eight students took part. Each coaching session lasted around 1.5 hours. The young people worked in team coaching sessions: one team took on a joint task with the horses while the other team observed. One of the observers' tasks was to identify and document the strengths of the individual players. Each student then received individual feedback from the other participants in the observing group - the perceived strengths were symbolically noted on their backs to make them visible and tangible.
The role of the horses
The horses played a central role in this project. Through their fine perception and immediate reaction to the young people's behavior, they acted as authentic mirrors and feedback providers. Horses react sensitively to body language, inner attitude and emotional clarity - they show immediately whether someone is present, clear and respectful. If a horse did not follow a young person in the exercise, for example, this had consequences for the whole team and support was needed. In this way, the young people were invited to consciously perceive and reflect on their own behavior and their effect on others.
Voices of the young people from the reflection round
- "You can either ignore disruptions or confront them."
- "When I am aware of my strengths, I have better self-confidence and more self-awareness."
- "I can say 'no' when someone offers me something I don't want."
- "It's good to have alternatives that make me happy - and I'm a great person with special strengths even without drugs."
- "It's important to set and accept boundaries."
- "Communication and exchange are important."
Conclusion
The project impressively demonstrates how experience-based prevention work with horses can provide young people with impetus on an emotional and holistic level - even in a small time frame and with a larger group. It promotes mindfulness, communication, self-reflection and mutual respect - central foundations of a healthy and self-determined lifestyle.
