Not just horsing around

ORANGE — Helena Rouhe gave her students an unusual crash course Saturday in how to deal with a drug-addicted family member.

The therapist, who works with the New Directions for Women clinic in Costa Mesa, set up a makeshift obstacle course around the track at the Riding Academy of Orange County, scattering a bucket full of water and two buckets full of food.

Finally, she led a horse onto the grounds and tied three ropes to its halter, handing each end to a participant.

“So, this is your addict,” Rouhe told the group. “You’re the family.”

The object for the three visitors, who came to the Riding Academy as part of New Directions’ 30th anniversary, was to guide the animal around the track with their ropes and get it to jump over a barricade — all the while diverting it from the food and never letting their ropes touch the ground. They weren’t allowed to talk to each other, but they could address the horse, for whatever that was worth.

According to Rouhe, who has worked with New Directions for three years, that’s what families often go through trying to deal with a substance-abusing member: lack of communication, stubbornness and fear of getting too close.

“The horses’ reactions often remind them of the reactions of other beings in their life,” Rouhe said. “It doesn’t have to be animals. A lot of the time, it’s people.”

The equine therapy session, held Saturday afternoon at the Riding Academy in Orange, marked the second day of New Directions’ anniversary celebration.

The residential treatment facility, located on Willo Lane in Costa Mesa, offers 12-step programs and other treatments for women who have abused alcohol, cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

On the docket for Saturday evening was a luau in Corona del Mar, followed by a spiritual lecture today. Only a small crowd showed up for the equine therapy session, but they got the continental treatment; in honor of the anniversary weekend, a black limousine escorted them to the horse track.

Once there, the participants — including Jess Block, a publicist for New Directions who came out of curiosity — got experience trying to work through barriers.

One of the ropes that Rouhe gave the group was more than twice as long as the others, which she said was a metaphor for family members who tried to help but felt powerless.

“I felt like I was just trying to make it work,” Block said after a go around the track. “Of course, I was handed the make-it-work rope.”