Meeting Minds - Healing Through Horses

12/06/2026

What happens above is happening below.
What happens within is happening without.

09/06/2026

We managed to bag another rain free day for our group therapy. We have been so lucky with the weather - long may it last!!!☀️🌞

09/06/2026

I think one of the reasons humans value obedience so highly is that it makes the world feel predictable.

If the horse always does what we expect, we can relax.

We know what will happen next.

There is comfort in that.

But trust and predictability are not the same thing.

A horse can be predictable because they have learned they have no choice.

A horse can be predictable because they have given up trying to communicate.

A horse can be predictable because they are afraid of the consequences of honesty.

From the outside, all of those things can look successful.

But trust is something different.

Trust is not knowing exactly what another being will do.

Trust is knowing they can tell you the truth.

A trusted friend is not someone who agrees with you all the time.

A trusted friend is someone who can disagree with you honestly.

I think horses offer us the same invitation.

Not to build relationships where every answer is yes.

But to build relationships where every answer can be real.

Because real relationships contain preferences.

Boundaries.

Questions.

Misunderstandings.

Differences.

And still remain relationships.

Sometimes I think the future of horsemanship may depend on our willingness to trade a little certainty for a little more truth.

Because certainty feels safe.

But truth creates connection.

And in the end, I would rather share my life with a horse who feels safe being honest than a horse who feels obligated to be predictable.

One relationship is built on control.

The other is built on trust.

26/05/2026

Mossing on in for a feed.

23/05/2026

This is so true and it is such a priority for us at Meeting Minds. Our horses get to just be horses and after every session they get hay and are left to their own devices to unwind and process in peace. It is very important to allow them the opportunity to recharge. Thanks to Equine Dynamics for sharing this post!!

One thing I think we need to talk about more in equine-assisted work is what happens for the horse AFTER the session. 🐴

Not in a“they absorbed the trauma” way.

But in a very real nervous-system, behaviour, and welfare-based way.

Horses are incredible beings. They are constantly scanning body language, tension, unpredictability, movement, tone, breathing patterns, and environmental changes around them.

During sessions, many horses are exposed to:
• heightened emotion
• dysregulation
• sudden movement or noise
• inconsistent energy
• crying
• frustration
• hypervigilance
• multiple handlers or clients across the day

Even very experienced horses can become mentally fatigued.

That does not mean they are “bad / not for use "therapy" horses”.
It means they are living beings participating in emotionally demanding environments.

As facilitators, part of ethical practice is learning to observe not just obvious stress signals, but subtle cumulative ones too.

Things like:
• increased tension through the face or jaw
• frequent yawning or licking
• walking away more than usual
• becoming shut down or overly compliant
• irritability with herd mates afterwards
• increased startle responses
• changes in appetite or engagement
• difficulty settling
• repetitive behaviours
• tension during catching or tacking up

Sometimes what a horse needs after sessions is not more work, training, or stimulation.

They need decompression.

That might look like:
🌿 turnout and free movement
🌿 access to herd mates
🌿 quiet hay time
🌿 mutual grooming opportunities
🌿 rolling and natural behaviours
🌿 lower stimulation
🌿 consistent routines
🌿 pauses between clients
🌿 facilitators regulating themselves before the next session

Good equine-assisted practice should include emotional and physical welfare planning for the horse, not just the client.

Because welfare is not just about food, rugs, and saddle fit.

It is also about respecting the horse’s emotional bandwidth, choice, communication, and recovery. 🤍

21/05/2026

The dogs enjoying a cuddle from Heath my official photographer and my son😜😉

16/05/2026

Love these beautiful photos of dear Cricket🩵🦗 and a really awesome plaiting job done by Katie!!

15/05/2026

Ponies enjoying the ☀️

14/05/2026

Chilly mornings just chillin 😎

14/05/2026

Bliss……
💤💤💤