{"id":73654,"date":"2025-05-04T10:50:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T10:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/73654\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T10:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T10:50:13","slug":"meet-the-co-down-man-using-donkey-assisted-therapy-to-boost-mental-health-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/73654\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Co Down man using donkey-assisted therapy to boost mental health in schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Co Down man who runs a farm specialising in donkey-assisted therapy has told of the \u201cpowerful impact\u201d the animals can have on mental and emotional wellbeing. <\/p>\n

Equine facilitator Robert Wallace runs Kinedale Donkeys in Ballynahinch<\/a>, a farm which offers unique hands-on animal interactions aimed at promoting wellness.<\/p>\n

Robert explains that he and his family have always been donkey <\/a>lovers, dating back to when his grandfather used a donkey and cart to get about instead of a wheelchair in his later years. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always been big animal lovers in general,\u201d he says, while giving the farm\u2019s springer spaniel and resident greeter, Cu\u00e1n, a scratch behind the ears. <\/p>\n

\"Historic<\/a>\"I’m<\/a>\"RobertRobert explains that he and his family have always been donkey lovers PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

\u201cIt comes from my mum\u2019s side, her family had a farm with donkeys \u2014 and when my grandad lost his legs, he used to drive Mickey Finn the donkey around so he could still do farm work. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen when my mum met my dad and moved to Ballynahinch they still had donkeys, even though it was a dairy farm back then. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got my first donkey when I was year old and then when I was six, I got Denis who kind of started the complete obsession with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it wasn\u2019t really until lockdown that I started to fully appreciate how lucky I am to live here with the donkeys I\u2019ve had since I was a child \u2014 especially as we were looking at potentially selling some of them.”<\/p>\n

The fear of losing some of his donkeys, combined with his desire to prove that \u201cthey still have a purpose today\u2019s society\u201d, inspired 35-year-old Robert to open the farm to the public in 2020. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to donkeys people have this preconceived notion that they all bite, kick and that they\u2019re stubborn,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they have been so integral to human history for the last 7,000 years since they were domesticated. <\/p>\n

\"RobertKinedale, which is now home to 26 donkeys, specialises in anxiety treatment working alongside mental health practitioners PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve moved from northern Africa to ancient Greece to the ancient Romans, then the Roman Empire brought them worldwide, they hit Britain around 43AD, but they didn\u2019t come to this island until the 1500s.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in that very short space of time they made such an impact in terms of helping people and now, 500 years later, everyone knows what a donkey is, but they don\u2019t think they have anything to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I just think it\u2019s really sad that we keep seeing more of them with no purpose and no drive and they live far too long to be ignored.\u201d <\/p>\n

Kinedale, which is now home to 26 donkeys, specialises in anxiety treatment, working alongside mental health practitioners to make difficult topics surrounding mental health, self-care and emotions easier to handle, particularly among children and teenagers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring Covid, which was a really stressful and anxious time, the donkeys were always my solace,\u201d Robert recalls. \u201cI thought it was something worth sharing with other people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we originally opened, we offered scheduled cuddle sessions and donkey treks for people just to come and spend time with them. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe therapeutic side of it didn\u2019t really come into play until I was contacted by a child psychologist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were working very hard during Covid to keep up with the number of young kids struggling with the idea of going back into school. <\/p>\n

\"RobertRobert Wallace takes his donkeys into schools, care homes and hospitals PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

\u201cShe asked if my donkeys would be able to come out to a school and help children with things like emotional regulation and self-care techniques. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did our first project with a school in Drumaness and the feedback was phenomenal – the kids got so much out of it and I think the donkeys did too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, Robert has secured contracts with both the NHS and Education Authority to use his donkeys for therapeutic work, taking them into schools, care homes and hospitals. <\/p>\n

He believes a big part of their universal appeal is down to the fact \u201cthere\u2019s absolutely no judgment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with animals is scientifically proven to release serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine \u2013 all those feel-good hormones – but also there\u2019s no judgment with animals, especially the donkeys,” he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have nothing but kindness for people and I think because of that it\u2019s sometimes easier to speak to them than trying to speak to another person. We might give you an opinion or say something back whereas the donkeys just listen. <\/p>\n

\"RobertRobert believes a big part of the donkey’s universal appeal is down to the fact ‘there\u2019s absolutely no judgment’ PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the big ears help with that.\u201d <\/p>\n

In addition to their wellbeing work the donkeys are also involved in Kinedale\u2019s own speed dating event, Donkey Date Night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realised that adults, no matter how old they get, still want to cuddle animals and play on a farm \u2013 I think that\u2019s a little idea and dream we all have sometimes,” explains Robert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to do something that catered to that, so I decided to set up a wholesome evening called Donkey Date Nights.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the name suggests, visitors (either in groups or couples) get to \u2018speed date\u2019 the donkeys, spending two minutes with each fuzzy suitor, feeding them carrots while listening to Robert explain each of their back stories. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really just to give people a bit of an insight into their various personalities and it really worked, people loved it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think it\u2019s a lovely way of bringing people together.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"RobertRobert with some of his happy donkeys PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

Practising what he preaches the donkeys even played a key role during Robert\u2019s wedding in 2023.<\/p>\n

\n

Working with animals is scientifically proven to release feel-good hormones – but also there\u2019s no judgment with animals, especially the donkeys. They have nothing but kindness for people. We might give you an opinion or say something back whereas the donkeys just listen…<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Robert Wallace<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rescue donkey \u2018Big Meg\u2019 pulled the carriage while miniature donkey Turlough distributed the floral petals to well-wishers and Denis, who has been at Robert\u2019s side since he was six, delivered the rings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife jokes that it was only for content,\u201d he laughs. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very relaxed, we just wanted people to come and have funm and what was really nice was that if it was getting overwhelming at any point we could just step away and chat to the donkeys for a bit and come back in feeling refreshed. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut even before we started properly planning the wedding we knew the donkeys would be there because they\u2019re part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MinatureMinature donkey Turlough at Robert’s wedding in 2023 <\/p>\n

However, despite the evident success of Kinedale, Robert admits running the business does have difficulties. <\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with animals always comes with challenges, but the big thing for me is the stress of disease, sickness, illness and getting themselves hurt. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnimals, particularly large livestock, are always going round getting themselves hurt whether they get their foot caught in a hole or getting their head stuck through a gate, or they could just trip or sleep wrong – just like ourselves – but with their added weight they\u2019re so much more at risk. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just about trying to think from their point of view and being mindful.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"RobertEquine facilitator Robert Wallace with some of his long-eared friends PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

He also expresses concern over the fact animal therapy currently isn\u2019t licensed and therefore not widely regulated. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing a lot of people buying donkeys and offering animal therapy after completing a certificate that takes a week to do online,\u201d Robert explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat puts people at risk because how well do they know those donkeys? I\u2019ve known mine their entire life, I can read them and understand them, I\u2019ve done a degree in equine management. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I feel like I am qualified to \u2018talk donkey\u2019 and understand that side of it but I don\u2019t do therapy, I\u2019m an equine facilitator – I provide the animal and work with a therapist, psychiatrist or counsellor. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s the perfect bridge and I think people who buy two donkeys and do a crash course in animal therapy are dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to see it done properly because my big fear is there\u2019ll be a big fall out and there will just be a big ban on animal therapy and that\u2019s the donkeys out of a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not letting these fears discourage him, Robert says he would love to do more therapeutic work and build on the business\u2019s solid foundations. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe on the August 3 it\u2019ll be five years since we opened.<\/p>\n

\"RobertRobert says he would love to do more therapeutic work and build on the business\u2019s solid foundations PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN <\/p>\n

\u201cI get a bit emotional when I think about where we were at five years ago at this time of year with the fear of Covid and the sudden fear of losing the donkeys. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow we have more donkeys than ever, more goats and I\u2019m getting to do wonderful things, the opportunities have been crazy. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re heading to Scotland in July for a wedding, we\u2019re going to Tipperary in September with them, we\u2019re doing film work, we\u2019re getting interviews \u2013 it\u2019s mad. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just amazing to see that the humble donkey, who gets left behind is now at the head of everything and is involved in every industry I can get them in to.\u201d <\/p>\n

kinedaledonkeys.co.uk<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Co Down man who runs a farm specialising in donkey-assisted therapy has told of the \u201cpowerful impact\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[36499,389,35413,36498,352,105,218,16,15,4950],"class_list":{"0":"post-73654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ballynahinch","9":"tag-children","10":"tag-covid-pandemic","11":"tag-donkey","12":"tag-farm","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-wellbeing"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114449182926653865","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}