Juliette Thompson has years of experience in providing animal therapy to adults, children and seniors. She started developing Alegria Therapeutic Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 2009. Situated on 40 acres in Bush, Alegria is a full-service animal assisted therapeutic center, complete with over 60 animals. Thompson is a PATH International certified therapeutic riding instructor and a certified Special Olympics Equestrian coach. She has completed rigorous training and education to work in the therapeutic environment with people with disabilities and is held to high safety and instruction standards.
Thompson is also certified in mini horse therapeutic activities, CPR, first aid, mental health first aid and is a certified pet therapy handler. She is a member of the Miniature Horse Association, Certified Horsemanship Association, the American Paint Horse Association and the Louisiana Equine Council.
Tell us about the mission of Alegria.
Alegria means happiness in Spanish and that’s what we try to provide through animal assisted therapeutic activities. Really, the mission is to improve the quality of life for seniors, adults and children with special needs.
We focus on physical, psychological, educational, social skills — everything that we do is customized to the participant, even in a group setting.
Our No. 1 focus is safety. This is a very safe environment, physically as well as emotionally.
Did you have a horse as a child?
I had a horse growing up, and my family life was a little challenging, if you will — and my horse had a tremendous impact in my life. It fostered confidence and love. My lifelong dream was to have a ranch and use animals to help people. I personally felt the impact of that.
I got certified through PATH International, which is the gold standard. It’s been around for probably close to 50 years now. It teaches you how to understand disabilities and then how to use that in a mounted riding environment.
What was your horse’s name?
She was an Appaloosa named Glory. I’ve got a picture of her up on my refrigerator from when I was 12.
What are some of the programs that Alegria offers?
I have some folks that are in wheelchairs or for whatever reason don’t want to or don’t have the ability to get on a horse, so I have miniature horses, miniature donkeys, chickens, sheep, cats and dogs, and I use all of the animals in sessions. We have on-site and off-site programs. Every activity is impactful on different levels. I do private unmounted lessons, group unmounted lessons and group riding.
With horseback riding, it’s not just about learning how to ride a horse properly. In a typical mounted lesson, we go through a variety of obstacles, and I change those every few weeks. For example, I have an obstacle called the Beyoncé because you have to put a ring on it — they have to ride the horse up, I have a 4-inch ring, and they have to ride up, stop the horse and put the ring on it. Then I have a mini one that we call Tiffany, like Tiffany’s, for those who don’t ride, but they’re working on core abilities, core strengths, balance, hand-eye coordination, verbal and nonverbal cues to your horse.
I have a group that comes from ARC in Covington every Thursday, and we will do an educational farm activity. For example, we’ll play farm bingo. We talk about the different animals that are on the ranch, how they get used, what makes a rooster different from a chicken, things like that. The other part of the session will be an actual animal-engaged session. Last week we did pin your name on the horse.
And then we have Minis to Me, which is a mobile therapeutic program. My miniature horses have actually been trained to ride in elevators, they walk up and down stairs and other things. For the program, we bring the minis to whomever — I’ve been to schools, senior homes and have done private lessons. Wherever there’s a need, I will go. As long as I can park a horse trailer.
I’m also a Special Olympics equestrian center, so I have a Special Olympics team that competes in Special Olympics in the state. We’ve just been invited — we’re the only ones in the state to represent Louisiana in the national games.
How do the programs impact the people involved?
I have one rider in particular, she was nonverbal. She was 4 years old when she started and now is talking a bit and riding independently. It's impacted her home life. Her mother says, “I can’t believe she gets up and gets herself dressed now. It’s something with the horse.” It’s like a light switch went off in her.
I took the miniature horses to a dementia unit, and there was a woman in a wheelchair, eyes closed, totally catatonic. I brought the miniature horse up, she’s kind of slumped up in her chair, I picked up her hand and put it on the horse. We pet the horse, and she opened her eyes and smiled. The staff said that is the first time that she’s ever done that the entire time they’ve been there.
With the volunteers, the impact on them is just as great as it is on the participants — to seeing the progress, the baby steps and the big steps.
It’s very impactful on so many levels, on so many different people. And I don’t attribute it to me, the animals are the vehicle.
How can community members help?
There are a lot of different opportunities available, but you know 99.999% of the people don’t want to clean horse poop, which is OK. There’s no experience necessary and very easy training. Somebody can participate in the group lessons, go to senior homes and more.
Volunteers with Alegria can assist, lead or act as a sidewalker in lessons. Community members can also serve as groomers, barn helpers and event helpers. To learn more about or volunteer with Alegria, visit alegriatherapeuticcenter.com.