A number of students are afraid of examinations. Many students even show signs of anxiety and spend sleepless lights worrying whether they will succeed to get good results or not. There are such children also, who even struggle to get a pass grade and getting a pass grade becomes a challenge for such students. When a student fails to get the desired grade, then his self-confidence gets crushed and he feels as if he will not be able to perform better in the future. Keeping such children in mind, the Singapore Government has taken a new initiative - EQUAL-ARK horsemanship programme. EQUAL-ARK is specifically designed with a view to assist students improve vital life skills that are considered fundamental to the performance of students at school. The programme also helps children in their social interactions with family members, their peers and within the broader community.
Three major components of the programme are stable management, riding and horse therapy. Although, these components are different; however, they share a common goal that is the encouragement and development of the child's sense of companionship, responsibility, confidence, empathy and effective teamwork. There are many pupils, who are scared of going near horses; however, this programme impressively builds and strengthens children's new horsemanship skills. The participants of this programme are told to confidently groom, ride, track along with managing and directing horses in an open area. This way, they are given an opportunity to experience different, unique, profound and happy interactions with horses. This can further helps children to extend the same positive emotions to their relationships with their friends, family members and other people.
Many people find this 'horse therapy' unorthodox; however, the reality is that it has improved the social skills, as well as, learning ability of children who participated in the programme. Both horsemanship and school education require similar skills to excel. For example, the right attitude towards learning, persistence to succeed and discipline are some of the things that are required in both horsemanship, as well as, school subjects. Many students participated in EQUAL-ARK horsemanship classes after failing their PSLE examinations. Many of them were extremely low on confidence and not willing to study after getting poor academic results. These classes not only helped them build up their confidence, but they also learned how to encourage others.
The people, who are associated with the programme, feels that it is the public support and donations that keep such programmes going. The annual expenditure to run the EQUAL-ARK programme comes out around $300,000. Most of the expenditure relates to the horses' upkeep, teaching amenities, the pay of the instructors along with training courses for volunteers employed for EQUAL-ARK. The participants of these programmes can, after completing their graduation, give back by volunteering providing horse therapy sessions at the hospitals and charitable organisations of Singapore.
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