2454 Monument Rd
San Diego, CA 92154
619-662-9700 (office)
619-977-8496 (cell)
contact@therivervalleyranch.com
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Meet Martha Torkington and her stable of therapists
Many people know Coronado
resident Martha Torkington as an interior designer and a real estate
broker, but lately her passion for horses has her moonlighting as a
full-fledged ranch owner and founder of a soon-to-be Equine Assisted
Learning center.
Torkington first fell in love with horses when she was six years old after
her parents, Dr. Jim and Carol Cahill, bought 21 acres along the Tijuana
River Valley and gave each of their six children a pony.
"People either are or are not 'horse people,'" Torkington explains. "I
mean, with horse people, you just are - you just love them. If you're
raised around them or have had exposure to them, they just become part of
your life."
Her early exposure to horses led to a dream of owning her own ranch - a
dream that recently came true with a 14-acre purchase on the same stretch
of land that housed her first pony. A mere 15 minutes south of Coronado,
most people don't even know this rural ranch community exists, says
Torkington. "We call it the 'Last Frontier.'"
She explains that the Tijuana River Valley has gotten a bad rap because of
past floods and its proximity to Mexico's border, but that it is an area
rich in California history and a designated national reserve, complete
with estuaries and white sandy beaches - perfect for horseback riding.
"Without venturing down there," Torkington points out, "people just have
no idea how beautiful it is."
And with big plans for her River Valley Ranch, venturing south is exactly
what Torkington hopes people will do.
Torkington's plans call for a high-end training facility that's close to
home for Coronado residents and their neighboring urbanites. Her plans
divide the ranch into four areas to include a training facility for
reining discipline and riding, an English "dressage" training facility and
a separate area for trail riders. But ultimately, her pride and joy will
reside in an area of the ranch called The Stable Place. It is here she
will open her Equine-Assisted Learning Center.
Torkington is masterminding this vision via her position as the Director
of Equine Therapy at Casa Palmera, a residential treatment center for
eating disorders in Del Mar. With an education that includes a masters
degree in arts and counseling and a bachelor of arts in psychology,
Torkington often wondered how she could combine her love for horses with
her commitment to helping people. Enter the folks at Casa Palmera who
hired Torkington to help develop an Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)
program.
EAL (also referred to as EAP, or Equine Assisted Psychotherapy) is an
experiential learning experience where horses are used as active
participants. Ultra-sensitive creatures with an uncanny ability to
communicate nonverbally, horses offer unconditional reactions to the
behaviors and attitudes expressed by the human participants. The way in
which participants interact and react with the horses is usually similar
to the way they interact and react with their peers, work groups and their
own families. Thus, successfully communicating with the horse provides the
means to learn better ways of coping with other human beings.
"They really do act as mirrors to our emotional selves," explains
Torkington. "They are going to react to you as you are reacting to them."
Torkington's teachings are based on the EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and
Learning Association) model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.
Recalling a quote that explains their philosophy, Torkington recites,
"What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; what I do, I understand."
With the horses serving as metaphors for real-life interaction and
providing immediate cause-and-effect situations in a non-threatening
environment, EAL helps to break defense barriers, build trust and empower
participants to change. EAL is effective for many situations: treating
eating disorders; stress, anger and depression; attention deficit and
behavioral issues; couples therapy; parenting; and corporate
team-building.
"Family sessions are great because they really show each person their part
in the dynamic," say Torkington, "and the corporate team-building sessions
are good because it's like watching a movie play out, but it's done
without personalization."
Recently the staff of Coronado Lifestyle visited the ranch to participate
in a mini-session. During an abbreviated exercise, Publisher and
Editor-in-Chief Kris Grant made a connection. She and Managing Editor
Becky Emerson were told to silently walk a horse back and forth through a
series of cones, after they had previously done the exercise without this
direction. The duo commented that the second exercise went smoother and
Grant realized she had a compulsive need to fill up space with small talk;
it struck her that mindless chatter is almost the same as clutter.
"Time to clear it out!" she later commented, amazed at how such a little
lesson could hit her with such clarity.
And clarity is exactly what Torkington is experiencing these days, and she
shows no sign of slowing down. Having already received certification in
equine therapy, she plans on pursuing a degree in marriage and family
therapy. Among other items on her to-do list are rehabilitating racehorses
and providing clinics for disadvantaged children and local school groups.
In addition to maintaining her niches in design and real estate, she
figures she'll continue to work the ranch and equine programs until she's
90, at least.
"People always ask me how I can do so much, but to me it's all the same,"
she laughs, adding that it doesn't matter if she's helping someone buy a
home, design a home or helping them solve their problems. "My passion is
about people," she says, "helping people get to where they want to go."
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