Well and Horses
The horse-human connection is powerful, and with a horse as our therapist, there is an opportunity to see our internal landscape through the gentle, non-judgmental eyes of a horse. There, we can experience compassion, humility, and challenge, which are necessary for supporting self-awareness, well-being and growth. When a horse and a human form a bond, an extraordinary amount of emotional support and trust develops. They are incredibly therapeutic animals to spend time with, and they can assist us in navigating challenging emotions and experiences.
Project Overview
A qualified equine coach and trauma specialist provides sessions for individuals to help deal with stress, reduce anxiety and enhance emotional healing. There will be 3 programmes in total, each will consist of five 3-hour sessions for 3 people, each session aims to address a specific issue, including body awareness and self-regulation, healthy boundaries, authenticity, emotional regulation and relationships, giving individuals the ability to build good quality relationships with family and friends, and function in their everyday life. We have received funding to run equine therapy sessions at Well and Horses, a not for profit organisation offering wellbeing sessions with horses
Well and horses have partnered with 2 organisations in Leicestershire:
1.Leicesteshire Partnership Trust is active in providing support services to local veterans, reservists and military families living in Leicestershire, their aim is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Armed Forces veterans and their families. The LPT have a communications team who promotes the wellbeing programme. Early interest has suggested 6 individuals are interested in this programme.
2. HAB - Harborough Antibullying & Mental Health (Registered charity 1185297). The service supports adults who need support with their mental health and at least 3individuals have currently shown interest in the Well and horse programme. The programme will be evaluated by using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) before, during and after the sessions to monitor the success outcomes.
Well and horses has also met with 2 doctors who lead the Urgent Care Psychology team in Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust who have agreed to do both a service assessment and offer a medical student the opportunity to conduct a thesis on this innovative therapeutic approach within mental health.
Why are we crowdfunding?
There are 2 parts to the programme, we deliver the programme theory inside our cabin and the experiential learning part of the programme outside with the horses in a space field shelter is no longer fit for purpose, and with a field shelter. The current filed shelter is no longer fit for purpose and we are looking to replace it with a new shelter costing £6,500. If we are successful in our application this will hopefully be ready to start the programme in spring this year.
Check out the live projects we're supporting
Little Lifts
‘If someone had described it to me beforehand, I would have thought it a ‘nice idea’ without having given much thought to how important the sentiment is … With one box, I no longer felt that we were alone dealing with a life-changing situation … It is not a Box of cutlery and tea bags, it is a gesture of compassion and understanding sent without judgement and with no expectation, from fellow members of a club that no one wants to be part of’ - Little Lifts Beneficiary
