News & Updates

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…

 One of the key requirements for Equine Assisted Learning is the promotion of a calm environment where horses and people come together. Our physical location really helps with this.  From…

 Some of our clients find it very hard to connect with their authentic self. Often driven to conform to the expectation of parents, friends, partners they become stifled in understanding…

As participants leave the round yard or the paddock, we often hear the comment- ‘I never thought I would be able to do that’. You can feel and often see…

When we ask clients how they feel when they interact our herd, we often hear the response ‘they make me feel safe and I feel I can trust them, and…

Oscar Wilde said, ‘With age comes wisdom but sometimes age comes alone’.  It is not a far stretch to say that a horse has wisdom, but if the wisdom word…

No-one likes to feel vulnerable. As children we learn ways to protect ourselves from vulnerability- from being hurt, diminished, and dismissed. We learn at an early age to put on…

During a break in a group session last week, we were debriefing the reactions participants had when engaging with our herd. One participant said that they had particularly connected with…

The other day, when we asked a client what he had felt when stroking and grooming one of our herd, he replied ‘Power’. He paused and then added ‘I felt…

Bearing grudges is a common and destructive issue. Many people carry long standing grudges against others who were once friends, colleagues or even family members. Often those grudges are so…

One of the key Social Emotional Learning skills is self-management- How one manages and controls behaviours and practices. Learning self-management skills gives people the opportunity to make choices for themselves.…

In a previous blog, we looked at how horses can be helpful in fostering Social and Emotional Learning [ SEL] skills. It’s widely acknowledged that SEL can assist participants nurture…

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” – said  Greek philosopher-Socrates. How often do we hold…

There’s a part of our brain- the limbic system, that manages and regulates our emotions. One specific  part of the limbic system- the amygdala [Greek word for almond] manages how…