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RICHMOND, Mass. — It’s so cold that pigeons have sought refuge in the barn; they flutter and coo in the rafters. Chunks of ice lie by a water trough with no hope of thawing. And in the center of the arena, six teens wearing thick winter coats jam gloved hands into jean pockets, trying to stay warm, but failing.
Nonetheless, the therapist is in and ready to work.
He approaches one of the boys, looks at him intently, and with no thought of propriety, licks him on the cheek. "Ah, thank you," the teenager says, and turns to his companions with a grin. “I got horse snot all over me,” he says.
Welcome to equine-assisted psychotherapy at Berkshire HorseWorks, where people tackle their mental-health issues by getting up close and personal with thousand-pound hairy beasts with whiskers.
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