News & Updates

We’ve waited a few weeks before writing this.  Weeks that have been spent mourning the loss of Red – our beautiful friend. Red came to us 3 years ago. He…

With Spring slowly making an appearance, we’ve been pleased to welcome groups back to H.E.A.L. There’s something quite special about working with groups and seeing how the power of shared…

First off the good news- we’re half way through Winter- and the bad news?  We’re halfway through winter. The last couple of weeks have seen frosty cold mornings with the…

Like many  in Victoria we’ve been experiencing the really cold nights. Getting up the other morning I found that the horses’ water buckets were frozen and even the hose pipe…

Possibly the number one issue we encounter with people of all ages is negative thought patterns.  It’s a vicious cycle that seems to feed on itself- always looking for proof…

For those of a certain age -which includes us !!– you probably recall the old Bing Crosby song- Accentuate the positive.  The chorus goes – Eliminate the negative And latch…

Just recently, we attended an online lecture on stigma. The guest speaker had spent their career looking after people living rough -often with significant health and mental issues.  He referenced…

In our last post we reflected on the challenge of change and how it is that we often hang onto practices and behaviours that don’t serve us well.   We…

Chances are, that if you made a new year’s resolution back at the start of the month , then it’s probably already gone by the board. John Elder in the…

We kick off 2024 with the final profile in our series-‘ From the horse’s mouth’- where we profile our herd-one by one and for a bit of fun get them…

In this blog we want to introduce you to Redmond or [Big] Red as he’s affectionately known. Red is a rescue horse who came to us from Project Hope. Project…

As the weather warms up and the winter rugs go into storage, its wonderful to see the horses grazing the property at liberty. Traditionally, over the winter months, they stay…

It’s coming on 2 years since we started HEAL. During that time we have worked with dozens of clients- either individually or in groups. One thing that constantly surprises us…

Ernest Hemingway once wrote- “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” Yet for quite a few of our clients, trust is a…

The latest Australian Unity Wellbeing Index reveals the lowest wellbeing satisfaction ratings in 21 years. The Index measures how satisfied people are about their personal wellbeing and mental health. After…

On a glorious winter’s morning, Racing. Com visited our Macedon Ranges property to shoot a short film for their Love the Horse series. This went to air on the 13th…

One of the first things we talk to clients about is the relationships that exist amongst the horses.  As they observe the herd, clients are often surprised to realise that…

It’s said that the expression ‘straight from the horses’ mouth’ originates from the idea that if you wanted to know how a horse might run in a race -you’d be…

Psychologist Russ Harris defines acceptance as- ‘the ability to be open to our inner experiences.’ Acceptance does not mean putting up with things or giving in. Acceptance is about building…

Difficult emotions are an inescapable part of life.  At different times all of us will find ourselves at some point- sad, angry, diminished, dismissed and in pain . The thoughts…

‘I can’t do that’.   It’s a common response when we ask someone to do something new with the horses. The words are often spoken before we’ve finished asking the…

One of our younger clients put his arms around Red’s neck, looked back and said- ‘I think he trusts me’. It was a powerful moment of connection from a child,…

It’s a sad reality that quite a few of our clients, adults and children alike do not feel psychologically safe and in some instances don’t feel physically safe. For most…

The festive season is nearly on us. The shops are full of Xmas stuff and there’s an unmistakable sense of holiday in the air. Yet, for many, the upcoming period…

There’s no doubt that the last few weeks have been very testing. Nature has bared its teeth and shown us all its devastating power.  Like many others, our property is…

Back in 1969, psychologist John Bowlby said that touch is ‘a fundamental element of human development in the process of attachment’ (Bowlby, 1969). Bowlby is famous for his work on…

We ran an exercise with a group the other day, in which we asked participants to identify a core strength they see in themselves and then focus on how that…

In her book ‘Language, Signs and Calming Signals of Horses (2018), Dr Rachael Draaisma describes over 20 different signals that horse give to each other when they are trying to…

So first off, who the heck is Carl Rogers?? Rogers [ 1902-1987] is one of history’s most celebrated psychologists. He Is the founder of humanistic/ person centred therapy, which is…

When young people first come to us, for many, it is their first close experience of a horse. Up until then, their exposure to horses has usually been limited to…