The Equine Assisted Learning program is trying to make a difference to the high rates of suicide in the Aboriginal community.
© ABC/Matt Bamford
By Matt Bamford/ABC
Champion Kimberley rodeo rider Kadin Bauer has lost his brother and some of his uncles and aunties to suicide.
“For a while there, every time the phone rang you thought it was another one, you didn’t know who was next,” he said.
Sadly, the West Australian rider’s experience is not unique.
More than 80 Indigenous Australians have taken their lives this year, including several young people from the Kimberley.
Suicide rates among Indigenous children and young people in this remote region are some of the highest in the world.
Something that has helped Mr Bauer hang on through dark times is his love of horses.
“Riding is my way of releasing the pressure so it doesn’t build up and explode,” he said.
To help others handle life’s challenges, he’s become involved in an Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) program in Derby.
You can read the full story here courtesy of ABC News.
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