RMPBS News
These Rescued Horses Have a Powerful Lesson for Teen Girls
2/15/2025 | 3m 29sVideo has Closed Captions
Rescued horses teach teen girls the power of setting boundaries and standing up for themselves.
At Metaphorse, a equine therapy center in Montrose, rescued horses help teenage girls build confidence by setting boundaries. Founder Jody Nixon teaches them to push horses away, showing how the same skills apply to standing up for themselves in real life, whether in relationships, friendships, or everyday situations. Produced by Ziyi Xu, Rocky Mountain PBS.
RMPBS News is a local public television program presented by RMPBS
RMPBS News
These Rescued Horses Have a Powerful Lesson for Teen Girls
2/15/2025 | 3m 29sVideo has Closed Captions
At Metaphorse, a equine therapy center in Montrose, rescued horses help teenage girls build confidence by setting boundaries. Founder Jody Nixon teaches them to push horses away, showing how the same skills apply to standing up for themselves in real life, whether in relationships, friendships, or everyday situations. Produced by Ziyi Xu, Rocky Mountain PBS.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIf you can get that 1,200 pound animal out of your personal bubble.
That boyfriend, that girlfriend, that whoever is not respecting your boundaries, then you can stand up, state for yourself what your needs are.
And the horses are so good at helping us do that.
I am Jody Nixon.
Metaphors rescues horses who rescue people.
We are stopping the cycle of slaughter of older horses, and we're giving them a home.
And they are perfect for therapy, for teaching for teaching children to ride, for the workshops that we do.
Today we're gonna learn about boundaries because you're all teenage girls, and there will be boys in your life and or other girls in your life that will make advances toward you.
You start with a kiss, and then your boundaries say, that's it.
I don't want to go any further, but the guys boundaries don't.
So we are going to now go into the pen with those six horses.
I think he's going for it now.
Right.
So what does it take?
How do you get them off you?
How do we get him from following your apples around?
Have you raised your energy at all?
No.
Come on.
Yes.
Like you mean it.
I feel like I've always been light with my boundaries and not very assertive.
I do have one friend that's really clingy, just really huggy and stuff.
And I always like.
I'm fine with it for a while.
And then he gets past my boundary and it gets uncomfortable.
So I end up just like pushing him away.
And then he still repeats the process.
Todays workshop.
It's kind of special because a lot of these girls started riding with me when they were eight.
They know these horses and they know their limits with horses, but it's never been put in that context.
What if this is a guy and you can't get him off you?
Now, are you going to apologize to the guy?
I mean, no.
No, right.
So this is how confusing it gets.
You've got to get big.
You've got to say.
Hey.
I said get off of me!
Get off of me!
Get off of me!
And I dont have to keep following her.
I made my point.
She said oh, okay.
Right.
I feel like a lot of women and young girls were brought up to not be confrontational and always, you know, listen.
But there's definitely times where you need to be assertive and need to be aggressive.
So that was assertive.
I want you to be aggressive.
Like you never want to see her again.
Yes.
Yes.
When we did the exercise with moving the horses.
And it makes you realize how assertive you can be.
I think I'll definitely know how to confront situations better and make decision ones clearer.
When you get big and you find that power, you won't forget it.
RMPBS News is a local public television program presented by RMPBS