Registration is now open – Spaces are limited — book early to reserve your spot.
At our Wardsville farm, we offer Equine-Facilitated Wellness — hands-on, ground-based sessions (no riding) that use partnership with horses to build practical tools to improve mental health, communication, and emotional balance. Led by a Registered Social Worker (MSW/RSW) and an equine specialist, sessions blend counselling and experiential learning in a safe setting.
Horses read the world through body language and energy. They never lie. When you step into the arena, they respond to you exactly as you are — calm, stressed, unsure, hopeful. Their honest feedback helps you notice what’s happening inside, adjust how you show up, and feel the difference right away.
Whether you’re a farmer, frontline worker, caregiver, professional, part of a group, or a teen, this is a space for everyone to slow down, reconnect, and build practical skills that can be used every day — at work, at home, in school, and in life in general.
Why It Works
Horses live through presence and truth. They respond to what you show, not what you say. That honest feedback turns awareness into action.
Research shows EFW helps people to:
- Reduce anxiety and improve focus through physical regulation.
- Manage fatigue or burnout by rebuilding awareness and pacing.
- Heal from trauma without sharing the details of their story.
- Process grief or loss through quiet, non-verbal connection.
- Build motivation and confidence through achievable progress.
- Strengthen relationships by practicing assertiveness, trust and boundaries.
- Improve teamwork through better cooperation and clarity.
It works because it’s honest, immediate, and felt in the moment.
What Sessions Are Like
We use guided, horse-on-the-ground activities—no riding—to help you practice calm, clarity, and connection. Think leading a horse through an obstacle, adjusting your pace to match theirs, or problem-solving together when things don’t go as planned. You start to notice how clear signals, patience, and kind, quiet leadership create trust and willingness — the same skills that make a difference back in everyday life. It’s experiential, reflective, and respectful of culture and community.
Modalities we use
- EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning): structured, ground-based activities with clear roles that turn real-life challenges into simple, doable steps.
- Polyvagal (nervous-system) work: learn your “green/yellow/red” states, find cues of safety, and practice fast, gentle resets.
- Wholistic & relational approaches: support the whole person—mind, body, spirit, community—and center healthy relationships with self, others, horses, and the land.
- SFT (Solution-Focused Therapy): build on what’s already working and choose the next small step forward.
- MI (Motivational Interviewing): explore your own reasons for change—no pressure, no judgment.
Coverage & Booking
Sessions with a Registered Social Worker (MSW/RSW) are covered by many health benefit plans. We provide direct billing for NIHB and select insurance companies and issue detailed receipts for reimbursement.