No matter how deadly you are, there's no one that doesn't need a hand from time to time. This research program proves that horses can provide that help.

Yawardani Jan-ga is a first-of-its-kind wellbeing program in the Kimberley that's changing lives.

Developed in response to community concerns over youth social and emotional wellbeing, Professor Juli Coffin's equine assisted learning program works with horses to build healthy relationships and coping skills among Aboriginal youth.

"We are working hard to provide solution based culturally secure prevention, intervention and treatment in the social and emotional wellbeing space for Aboriginal young people and youth in the Kimberley region," Professor Juli Coffin said.

This involves "hanging out" and building relationships through opportunities such as grooming, leading, haltering and specifically safe and structured time interacting with horses.

Participants are guided through these different experiences with our horses, designed to increase mindfulness, self-awareness, confidence and regulation, learning new ways to be confident in themselves and in life.

Practicing these skills each week, participants become better equipped to handle other challenges in everyday life.

The program is the subject of a new documentary by The Guardian, which can be viewed below.

"Every session is different. Our young people work with horses, yarn about learnings and how they feel each week," Professor Coffin said.

"Through attending these sessions young people develop their own leadership style to support them with life's challenges."

Importantly, the program was not only developed by and for Aboriginal people but is also delivered by Aboriginal people too.

The benefits of human-animal relationships on neurodevelopmental processes suggests that horses offer uniquely enriching experiences that can help build those skills.

Developing new and innovative ways to engage young people in programs like Yawardani Jan-ga is particularly important for Aboriginal youth, due to cultural differences relating to the acceptability of traditional Westernized therapies based in clinical settings.

Aboriginal people have strong historical ties to horses in Australia through their work on farms and stations and are still considered some of the country's best horsemen and women.

The equine assisted learning model provides a vehicle for Aboriginal practitioners to provide culturally secure and appropriate interventions to improve mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.

The program is a central part of the Yawardani Jan-ga Research and Advocacy Centre at the Ngangk Yira Institute for Change.