Our History – Christina Dominguez has always had a passion for animals and enjoys sharing them with others. She has seen and experienced firsthand how animals can help people with different emotional trauma. She has been sharing her animals and helping kids and adults to learn to ride for over 18 years. In 2022 she put her passion and lifelong dream into a reality founding Hooves & Paws Healing Hearts to be able to help even more people in the community.
Who We Are – Hooves & Paws Healing Hearts is a volunteer based non-profit in Loomis, CA. Our Mission is to help improve the lives of people through Animal Assisted Interactions. We currently run by appointment only. We serve children ages 2 years old and up. After our instructors evaluate each new client and discuss personal goals with the client and create an individual lesson plan and track their progress.
Benefits – Here are some benefits of Animal Assisted Interaction. The human-animal bond helps healing and positive change for people dealing with a variety of concerns including anxiety, grief, depression, isolation, high blood pressure, physical abuse, substance abuse, trauma & ptsd.
Horses’ sensitivity to non-verbal communication assists patients in developing greater awareness of their emotions, the non-verbal cues that they may be communicating, and the important role of non-verbal communication in relationships.
Learning to trust an animal such as a horse or a dog also aides in the development, or restoration, of trust for those whose ability to trust has been violated by difficult life experiences such as physical or sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect, or marital infidelity.
Through grooming activities and other types of care for a specific horse or dog, patients are able to put aside the absorbing focus of their mental illness, such as depressive ruminations, and instead to direct their attention and interests outwardly toward safe and caring interactions.
Many studies of human-animal interaction show that contact with animals significantly reduces physiological anxiety levels. Some patients are initially afraid of horses. But horses’ genuineness and affection allay these fears, helping patients to embrace exposure therapy for their anxiety issues.
The Benefits of Horseback Riding
Horseback riding promotes increased balance, coordination, mobility, strength, postural control, and communication. Our clients benefit from physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as mental and emotional development, while they are riding. When a horses move the rider must engage their core muscles in order to stay upright and centered. Stronger core muscles lead to fine motor skills and speech production. The relationship between the rider, horse, teacher and volunteers promotes a “can do” attitude, social skills, self-esteem and feelings of accomplishment. Horses bond with their human companions. They are nonjudgmental companions, only asking for love, care, play, and feeding!