Book Club at the Barn

 Berkshire HorseWorks , Inc. will introduce this Spring Book Club at the Barn, an innovative and engaging after-school program where young readers can connect with books and horses in a meaningful way. This equine-assisted book club is designed to foster a love for reading, improve reading comprehension, social- emotional learning, and deepen children’s understanding of literary themes through interactive, hands-on experiences with rescued horses, ponies and donkeys/ The program will be held on the Berkshire HorseWorks campus in Richmond and will be facilitated by Eagala certified practitioners Hayley Sumner, an Equine Specialist, and Caitlin Scott, a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Children will read the assigned book before each session and come together to discuss themes such as friendship, bravery, self-esteem, and care for the environment. Following the discussion, participants will engage in a specially designed equine-assisted activity that brings the book’s themes to life. The hands-on experiences with horses will be based on the Eagala (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) model, a ground-based framework that supports emotional growth, learning, and problem-solving. There is no riding involved in this program and no horse experience is needed. 

Book Club at the Barn is open to all children, regardless of reading level. Spaces are limited! The program will run with a minimum of 4 and maximum 20 participants. We aim to foster a joy for reading, while also offering a space for self-discovery and connection through the human-animal bond.

The program offers two distinct series this spring, meeting on Mondays from 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM. Children can sign up for individual sessions or the full three-part series. Individual sessions are $70 per participant, and the full three-part series is $195. Sliding scales are available to ensure equitable access.