Equine Assisted Therapy
What makes it so effective?
Horses remind us to be present in the moment and in our surroundings
We will practice this every time we interact with them
Equine Assisted Therapy and other well-being services provided at Stable Surroundings - Singleton
When you choose your preferred option from our range of services, you have shown courage and a commitment to yourself.
A gift of time for your own self-care, to spend time in nature, and experience co-regulation with horses. Exploring in this way, is how you can discover more about your own authentic self, in an engaging and meaningful environment.
What are these Non-Therapy services on offer?
Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Activities
Mentorship for youth
Meaningful Engagement and Well-being programs
Adaptive horsemanship
Horsey time - A mentoring program at feed time
There is no requirement for any previous horse experience – only that safe covered footwear must be worn.
There is no horse riding involved, and our services do not offer any ridden instruction.
All sessions at Stable Surroundings - Singleton, are delivered by an qualified Equine Assisted Mental Health Pracitioner (Registered Counsellor)
*For all NDIS Clients, we still need to work according to your plan and approved funding, which means giving consideration to meeting your goals, therefore, a therapeutic practice will still need to be in place, with which ever type of appointment you choose.
Even the Non-Therapy programs, can be therapeutic in nature.
Your experience during any of our non-therapy activities, (more appropriately defined as an Equine Guided Intervention) well-being programs or workshops, can result in discovering experiential benefits such as:
Meaningful engagement, Connection and empathy
Trying new things, combined with a sense of wonder
Being present in the moment, with awareness, focus and clarity
Build confidence and a sense of purpose, belonging and self-worth
Physical benefits of improved mood, stress reduction
Enhanced immune function, with the potential to improve sleep quality
When does it become Equine Assisted Therapy – The Therapeutic Relationship ?
I guess you could say, when you’ve come to talk….. and learn about yourself.
The session becomes your opportunity to open up, and make it about you, and your needs, then we’re talking therapy…..
When you choose to participate in Equine Assisted Therapy, we can integrate any of our other services and activities, alongside the therapeutic relationship so that you can still expect your sessions to be meaningful and interactive.
We will initiate the sessions with an intake, to cover the important aspects and get to know each other, applying a person-centered approach to discovering your goals and what is important to you. Together we create a plan to work towards your therapeutic outcomes, ensuring we align with a clinical rationale for providing equine assisted therapy.
Your plan will be tailored to your individual needs and will include a focus on building your resilience and strengths, for self-regulation. Integrated into each session are evidence-based modalities, such as social emotional focused techniques, in the form of solution focused brief therapy, all delivered in a somatic and experiential way, to enhance the therapeutic process. This type of integrated approach will build on empowering you with building your own capacity, guide you through new thought processes, and in doing so, you also experience a sense of community participation.
Horses offer unbiased,
authentic and immediate bio-feedback,
in a non-verbal way, which is directly relatable to
everything they sense in their environment, and
includes what is going on amongst the herd
and the humans around them.
Through a non-pathologising approach, your sessions will be guided by a counsellor, trained to specialise in Equine Assisted Mental Health, with a sensitive attunement to facilitate the relationship between both the horse and your nervous system, as well as noticing and learning about the horses’ behaviours.
Delivered with an organically natural approach, this type of integrative therapy can achieve positive results in shorter time frames, all whilst empowering the person with their own resourcefulness for positive responses.
Your privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance and your trauma informed practitioner will work alongside you in a professional and ethical manner.
Additional Equine Assisted Therapy Services
We can also offer room-based counselling, outside of the paddock. A dedicated office and an undercover alfresco area, overlooks the paddocks from the side of the barn shed. This provides a comfortable, all weather, private space for counselling, and all the benefits of the natural environment, with a view of the horses, without any requirement to enter the paddock.
*All regular bookings made will be conducted at the ‘Stable Surroundings’ Singleton facility.
However, by special arrangement only, we could arrange a Collaboration to travel to you, to offer Equine Assisted Therapy or other Equine Assisted Services, with your own horses. Please contact to discuss your requirements, booking details, availability and costs.
There is growing evidence that Equine Assisted Therapy Services can help many people
Sessions can provide therapy, enhance the therapeutic process, and provide support and learning outcomes for individuals, corporate groups, families, couples, adults, elders, teens and children with difficulties such as:
Autism and Aspergers
ADD and ADHD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Traumatic Brain Injury
Mood Disorders including Depression and Bi-polar, Anxiety, Addiction,
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Eating disorders, Stress related conditions
Relationship difficulties (with family, friends, partners or colleagues)
Attachment issues, including adoption and adjustment
Low self-esteem
Bullying – both for the committer and the victim
Learning difficulties and developmental delays
Negative behavioural issues, Oppositional Defiant Disorders
and “at risk” behaviours in children and adolescents
Can Equine Assisted Therapy be helpful with PTSD?
The experience of a therapeutic relationship in the presence of horses has the most unique way of being effective without re-traumatising the person, as there is no requirement or expectation to re-tell any details of the traumas, whilst processing some of the internal effects without any words.
Practising safety and awareness, combined with the co-regulating nature of the person, horse and therapist dynamic, provides a cohesive experience in close proximity with the horses. The interactive work can assist with building emotional resilience, explore trust, boundaries, calm, focus, the power of non-verbal communication and the energy within the nervous system. These new inter-relational connections are key to enhancing your journey to Post Traumatic Growth.
It is a unique ability of horses, to sense, value and
respond genuinely to authentic emotional connections
*It is important to note, that being around an animal with such a big heart and energetic field, can bring up emotional responses in people, unexpectedly.
Be assured that every session will be guided by a trauma-informed practitioner, with the non-judgemental support of the horse,
and a safe space will be held for you to pause, work through what comes up for you, or process an emotional release.
Making the choice to take any step,
is already one step forward on your personal growth journey.