‘I love a sunburnt country’…. But!

It’s been a trying start to the year. Continual heat, very little rain, storms and of course
terrible fires. And it’s not over yet. It’s no wonder that our resilience gets sorely tested when
these elements pile on top of what we already face day to day. Resilience is the ability to get
back on your feet after a setback, be flexible in the face of challenge, and keep on moving
forward with determination. And we think it’s fair to say we’ve all seen plenty of this in the
last 3 months.

Our horses have demonstrated their resilience. They have developed their own coping
strategies with lots of time in the shade, the occasional dip in the dam and a calmness in
their manner to each other and to us.

Horses are the masters of calm, and this weather really fosters it. They seem to be spending
extra time managing their emotions, not getting flustered and staying cool and relaxed.
The horses’ state of calm has impacted our clients. Our sessions are grounded in
mindfulness and clients respond to the horses’ stillness with a natural calming of their own
emotions. Clients can see that the horses are making even more effort than usual to self-
regulate and they are responding accordingly. As our clients work with the horses, there is
a gentle rhythm for client and horse that promotes trust and acceptance. They’re working as
a team to build resilience in each other.

If you would like to learn more about equine assisted learning please call Annie on 0411 549562 or e mail her on annie@hamerequine.com

You may also like to check out a short video about us that ran on TV in early August 2023.