Jonas Family

by Sara Raynor

We did a story two years ago about Cole, one of the Jonas family members. A lot has changed for the Jonas family since then. Inspired by Cole’s needs, and unhappy with what services were available in Douglas County, the family started Building Blocks Equine Therapy. The whole family has benefitted from moving onto the farm and having interactions with the animals.

The idea began for Ally Jonas (mom) when Cole was still receiving services in Eugene. Commuting from Roseburg, therapies up North took a whole day out of each week. It was already difficult with a child that experienced social anxiety. Then when he was referred to Equine therapy, the family couldn’t justify more time on the road. Ally believed that they would all benefit from Equine therapy, and thought it would be even more amazing to share that with the community. Their family has greatly benefitted from bringing therapy home and being together on the farm.

They originally bought the property to have some cows and have a place for the kids to roam and discover. They began boarding horses and someone dropped off a horse and he turned out to be really good with the kids even though he had a reputation of being kind of cranky. They had a few more horses donated. Some worked out and some didn’t. Ally had grown up around horses but besides helping out at Wildlife Safari in the elephant pens, she didn’t have direct experience taking care of horses. They all learned together and attended training through PATH, which is the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.

Ally and her sister had previous experience with a nonprofit, training service dogs. She carried her experience over and jumped in with both feet into equine therapy. Her husband, Alex, her sister, and her mom all help in one way or another with the children and the business. At first they were doing all of the work, but eventually they began hiring instructors and they have teenagers help with the barn chores after school.

With the therapies, Cole and other children like him get proprioceptive feedback from the horses. Laying on the horses is useful for children who need pressure to sense their environment. Simply walking, stopping and starting, they can work on patience and executive function. There is a lot of learning through games and since horses are very social animals, they use a lot of non-verbal language and give physical feedback.

After a session, most of the children are visibly more relaxed, sometimes for days after. The Jonas brothers all enjoy the horses and it makes them happy that they can share these things with friends. The oldest brother, Blake, is especially aware and proud that they are helping the community. He benefits from having the horses too because his desire to be with the horses overshadows his anxiety and fear of them. He is helpful with chores, which is a family project. Everyone helps with horse and chicken chores, and all of the children think it’s fun to collect eggs. They also love to help with the yearling.

Since having the horses, and experiencing the interactions with them, Cole has shown meaningful improvements in daily life. He doesn’t normally like to leave the house. His parents are thrilled when he decides to go up to the barn! He likes to ride, but he has to be in the right mood. Cole had a history of very rigid thinking. They have noticed since they have lived on the farm, he has learned to accept smaller changes in routine and other lifestyle shifts. Cole has become more independent, accepting more responsibilities, and even taking initiative. He seems to really thrive being in a familiar environment all the time, so the Jonases are glad they have so much room to call “home” so he can have varied experiences in a familiar environment.

Elias is the youngest brother and since we talked to the Jonas family last, he has been diagnosed with global dyspraxia and SPD. Having experience with the other children, Ally and Alex know the benefits from some of the same therapies and approaches. Elias likes to hug everybody but he doesn’t control his body movements well. He loves to ride horses and he is somehow able to sit up more steadily when he is riding. The trouble is getting him off the horse!

The children found a good fit with Baker Web Academy. They do all of their lessons at home, while there is always someone around with them. Cole gets special education through the distance charter school as well as some private services. Doing school at home works well for many reasons, but mostly, it just fits their lifestyle.

Ally says the biggest things she has learned from raising her boys and this new adventure is that it is OK to ask for help. She works part time as a PSW and her mom also works as a PSW for her boys. She says it’s hard to find good PSWs and that is definitely something our community needs. She hopes as they grow, they will be able to hire more help, offer more services and even bill insurance. In the meantime they love what they do and what this lifestyle has done for her whole family. Something they originally learned just to help Cole is now benefitting so many people! Ally says that they have their fair share of struggles but she focuses on how rewarding it is to help others.