Hope Through The Herd

28/05/2026

Four months ago, an outing for Bert ment being ready to race, travelling fast pumped with adrenaline.
This weekend, he stepped into his very first eventing competition. 💙🐴
For a former racehorse, transitioning into life as an event horse is about far more than learning dressage, show jumping, and cross country. It’s about learning safety,regulation, patience, trust.
At the beginning, every outing sent Bert’s nervous system into overdrive. New places meant pressure, adrenaline, and anticipation. He arrived tight through his body, mentally switched on, and expecting to perform the only job he’d ever known.
Over the last three months, we’ve worked patiently to help him discover a different way of being. A calmer rhythm,softer communication. The understanding that he doesn’t always have to be “on” and ready to go.
Now, instead of being ready to run, where his nervous system works in flight mode he’s beginning to relax.
Instead of reacting, he’s learning to process.
Watching Bert settle into this new chapter reminds us why Hope Through the Herd matters so much. Horses and humans are not so different — when the nervous system feels safe, learning can happen, confidence can grow, and real transformation becomes possible. ✨
We are so proud of you, Bert. Here’s to the beginning of your next career. 🐎💫

22/05/2026

Sometimes the quietest moments say the most. ☀️🐴
Connection doesn’t always need words.

For many people, being alongside a calm, accepting horse can create a space where they can simply breathe, regulate, and feel safe to just be themselves.

On warm sunny days like this, we’re reminded how powerful gentle connection can be — two nervous systems Bert and a client both slowing down together, reflecting calm, trust, and understanding.

22/05/2026

Check out this free webinar.
Equine Assisted Services is evidence based this has been researched in depth by Kez Sullivan and Anne Hemingway.
Kez has been supporting our work here and we are collaborating soon !

🌟🌟🌟WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT🌟🌟🌟

On 22nd May, we have the wonderful Sullivan and Prof. Ann Hemingway joining us to discuss research and outcomes in EAS. This discussion will look at current research into the outcomes of equine assisted services and provide the opportunity to discuss ways to integrate research methods with practice.

This webinar is open to EVERYONE! So please feel free to share it with your non-HETI friends and colleagues (while you encourage them to become HETI Members😉)

To learn more about this webinar and to register, visit:
https://hetifederation.org/webinar/research-and-outcomes-in-equine-assisted-services/

18/05/2026

At Hopes of the Herd, our horses’ wellbeing will always come first ❤️

These incredible horses give so much emotional support, confidence, calmness and connection to the people they work with — so it’s our responsibility to make sure they receive the very best care in return.

Regular physio, health checks, rest, understanding and compassionate handling are all part of keeping our herd happy, comfortable and able to thrive.

Because if our horses aren’t feeling their best, how can we expect them to help others feel theirs? 🐴✨

A happy, healthy herd is at the heart of everything we do.

15/05/2026

🌿 Exam Stress? Come and Breathe with the Herd 🌿
Exams can leave young people feeling overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, and under pressure to constantly “perform.”
Sometimes the best thing for a stressed mind isn’t another revision session — it’s space to slow down, reset, and reconnect.
At Hope Through the Herd, our one-to-one Equine Assisted Services offer a calm, non-judgemental environment where young people can step away from the pressure of school and exams for a while.
🐴 Spend time with horses in a peaceful setting
🧠 Build confidence and emotional resilience
🌱 Learn grounding and self-regulation skills
💬 No pressure, no expectations — just support at their pace
Horses respond honestly to emotion and energy, helping young people become more aware of stress levels and learn healthier ways to manage them. Many leave sessions feeling calmer, lighter, and able to think more clearly.
Exam season can be tough — but no young person should feel they have to carry that pressure alone.
📍Based in a calm, outdoor environment
📩 Message us to find out more about our upcoming sessions and Open Day.

11/05/2026

My therapist was good.

She asked the right questions. I gave her the right answers.

Neither of us knew they were performances.

Then I started working with horses.

The first time I walked into a round pen and the horse walked away from me — I felt it.

I was performing again. Even with an animal.

Horses don't respond to your rehearsed version. Only your real one.

That round pen showed me more about myself in six weeks than six years of sessions.

Not because therapy is wrong.

Because some truths only show up when something living looks straight through you.

The horse showed me who I actually was.

Then I could start doing something about it.

11/05/2026

I asked one of my teenage clients who has AuADHD diagnosis why she found our sessions so helpful. I was moved by her response. If you are wondering what the benifits are please read on.

'Fridays were always really hard for me because it's the end of the school week and I'm mentally exhausted. However, since I started going there, it made it so much more manageable for me, knowing after school I could go to a place that made me feel safer. I started going on Wednesdays to help out too, and this is really good as it helps to break up the difficult school week with something that I actually enjoy. It's the only thing I choose to go out the house to do.

I feel calmer there and more in touch with my emotions. It brings out the more positive feelings. When I'm at school I'm always anxious and dread the next lesson I have to go to. When I go to the horses I feel I have a connection with them that I can't really make with people. I don't have to mask in front of the horses as I don't feel judged by them. It's like a weight off my shoulders.

Alison is really kind and understanding. She teaches me breathing techniques and other ways to cope when I'm anxious. I also learn a lot about horses and do some work with them that helps both me and the horse calm down. '

10/05/2026

Hi everyone 👋🐴

I just wanted to say a huge welcome to all the new followers who have joined Hope Through the Herd CIC recently. I’m incredibly grateful for all the support, shares, and kind messages, they have re-enforced my belief that this community service is much needed 💚

For those who are new here, I thought I’d do a little reintroduction…

Hope Through the Herd CIC was created to provide a safe, calm, and non-judgemental space where children, young people, and adults can simply be themselves. Through equine facilitated learning and interaction, the horses help teach confidence, emotional awareness, communication, boundaries, trust, and respect in a completely unique way.

We work with people facing challenges such as anxiety, low confidence, neurodivergence, mental health struggles, trauma, addiction recovery, and social isolation. Sometimes people arrive feeling overwhelmed or disconnected, and the horses have an incredible way of helping them feel grounded and understood again.

No experience is needed — sessions are entirely groundwork based. The focus is on connection, emotional wellbeing, and personal growth, not riding ability.

This journey is something I care about deeply, and it means so much to see more people following, supporting, and believing in what the horses can do ❤️🐴

Thank you for being here. Whether you follow, share posts, enquire about sessions, or simply cheer us on from afar — it all helps ❤️

05/05/2026

This book was recommended to me by a friend who received a late-life diagnosis of AuADHD. I highly recommend it, whether you have a diagnosis yourself or are close to someone who does.
It gives a good insight in to the daily struggles and some great tips to help not only the person but to their support network.

28/04/2026

Whatever our age, when we least expect it, horses can bring us moments of pure joy through the simplest, non-judgmental connections—a quiet glance, a gentle nudge, a shared breath. In those unspoken moments, free from expectation or judgement, everything else fades and we’re reminded what it feels like to just be.