Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Services - OATS

Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Services - OATS Occupational Therapy services facilitated by animals, in a rural environment, surrounded by nature.

16/12/2025

When you build a shelter, and the rabbits promptly sign their seal of approval with a nose kiss out front 🛖🐰💚

There's something powerful about making something that matters.Today, this young person built a shelter for our rabbits,...
16/12/2025

There's something powerful about making something that matters.

Today, this young person built a shelter for our rabbits, so they can have a safe space to hide when out and about in their garden.

At OATS, self-belief grows gently through care, creativity and connection 🌿🐰💚

(PS, swipe to the end to see a sneak peak of Garfield's skin care routine! 🤣🐰💅🏼)

Our wonderful Occupational Therapy Students, Alice and Oriele from Brighton University have truly left their mark on OAT...
12/12/2025

Our wonderful Occupational Therapy Students, Alice and Oriele from Brighton University have truly left their mark on OATS during their Diverse Settings Placement this term. 💚

Using thoughtful clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice, they designed our brand-new Animal Level Up Boards — a brilliant tool to help children notice their own energy levels, tune into the animals’ needs, and set everyone up for safe, meaningful interactions. 🌞

They also created personalised individual boards for our young people to take home, supporting emotional regulation and communication well beyond their sessions at OATS. 🍃

We are so grateful for Alice and Oriele's creativity, hard work and the enthusiasm they brought to every day on placement. We wish them all the very best as they step into their next adventures — and a huge thank you for everything they’ve contributed to our herd, habitats and community. 💚🐴 🐔🐰🐶 🐐 🌿

Christmas is Christmassing at OATS this year! 🎅🏼🦌🎄☃️Among the baubles, pinecones and animals, our young people have been...
11/12/2025

Christmas is Christmassing at OATS this year! 🎅🏼🦌🎄☃️

Among the baubles, pinecones and animals, our young people have been taking a breath, settling into nature’s rhythm, and discovering joy in the simplest moments. 🎄

Whether it’s creating something beautiful with their hands or sharing a festive frosty walk with the ponies adorned in their Christmas headcollars, these sparks of creativity and connection remind us how much calm, confidence and courage can grow outdoors and with animals. We’re so proud of each person who has added their own bit of magic to OATS this Christmas.🦌🎅🏼🎄☃️

Here's hoping the powers of Facebook can help us!We are looking to buy some land to be able to continue to grow our serv...
07/12/2025

Here's hoping the powers of Facebook can help us!

We are looking to buy some land to be able to continue to grow our service to meet the needs of more children who require our support.

It is not always easy to find the right piece of land, so we thought we would come to Facebook to ask if anyone has a parcel of land they maybe don't have a use for anymore, or would benefit from a cash injection from selling.

We are looking for 5+ acres, accessible via car (we are happy to create gateways / hardstanding), ideally some grazing land and some woodland, but we are open to anything! Ideally looking as close to Billingshurst as we can get, but for the right piece of land would definitely look further afield!

We would use the land to run our Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy services for children and young people with social, emotional, mental health and special educational needs.

We provide therapeutic, nature-based interventions that help young people to build confidence, develop self-regulation skills, and reconnect with education, community, and daily life.

We teach our young people the value of connecting with nature, respecting the wildlife and environmental conservation.

We were lucky enough to find our current piece of land through Facebook and to have had the support of the most wonderful landlord we could have ever wished for for the last few years, so here's hoping the powers of Facebook can work in our favour once more!

If you have a piece of land you are thinking of selling, or would consider selling for a good cause, please, please do get in touch!

Warmest Regards,
Jess and all the OATS team!

I absolutely love catching these guys having a nap in the sunshine! ☀️🤍🤎🩶☀️🤍 Classic Gandalf standing watch over everyon...
30/11/2025

I absolutely love catching these guys having a nap in the sunshine! ☀️🤍🤎🩶☀️

🤍 Classic Gandalf standing watch over everyone!
🩶 Classic Fleur looking very demure, very mindful!
🤎 Classic Alphie laying flat out in the deepest sleep!

I love how these guys each have such strong, individual personalities and characters, and how you can capture so much of them in one photo! 🤣

I wouldn't change any of them for the world! 🤍🤎🩶

The boys made the most of yesterday's sunshine and enjoyed a good forage and hop-around in their garden.Scroll to the ri...
27/11/2025

The boys made the most of yesterday's sunshine and enjoyed a good forage and hop-around in their garden.

Scroll to the right to see Poppy finding a little sunbathing spot as close to the rabbits as she could get 🐔🐰🧡

There’s something magical about days like this…🩵A crisp blue sky, frost sparkling underfoot, and the sun weaving its way...
26/11/2025

There’s something magical about days like this…🩵

A crisp blue sky, frost sparkling underfoot, and the sun weaving its way through the trees. The Shetlands grazing together, the chickens foraging nearby — simple moments, slow rhythms, and the kind of peace you can feel settling in your chest.

Winter reminds us to pause, breathe, and savour the little things. And here at OATS, it’s often these small, gentle scenes that bring the biggest sense of calm. ❄️🫶🌞

24/11/2025

Our newest office assistant was caught sleeping on the job today! 🤣🤣🐔

Poor Poppy is going through a very severe moult at the moment and was seen shivering in the cold outside. We offered her the opportunity to come and take a warm nap indoors and she jumped at the chance!

We all have moments where we need a little extra care, and today it was Poppy's turn! 🐔 A little reminder that when life gets a bit too cold, it's ok to take shelter and rest! 💕

19/11/2025

Gandalf's review of his freshly made bed: "⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ would roll again"

😂😂🐴🤍

This was Gandalf's way of saying a massive thank you to the young person who helped to clean his stable today in their session! It took a bit of muscle pushing the wheelbarrow of new shavings all the way to the stable, but at least the physical work kept us all warm in the freezing temperatures today! 💪🏼❄️

POV you're an Occupational Therapy student on placement with us, and this is what your clinical supervision sessions lo...
18/11/2025

POV you're an Occupational Therapy student on placement with us, and this is what your clinical supervision sessions look like! 😂😂💕🐓🐕

We love having students joining us at OATS. They always bring buckets of enthusiasm and fun ideas! We particularly love the Interoception programme and clay tree spirits projects that our current students have taken on! 🌳🍁🌿🌼

We hope this makes a positive change from stressful hospital placements for them!

23/08/2025

🌿 Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Services Autumn Term Availability - email to enquire🌿

At OATS, we believe every child deserves a safe space to feel calm, confident, and supported. Nestled in the West Sussex countryside, we combine the healing power of animals and nature with specialist therapy to help children and young people thrive. 🐴🐕🐓

We offer:
✨ Occupational Therapy
✨ Speech & Language Therapy
✨ Physiotherapy
✨ Therapeutic Alternative Provision

Whether your child needs support with confidence, anxiety, emotional regulation, school attendance, or simply a space to connect and grow, OATS provides gentle, personalised sessions in small groups or 1:1.

Our animals play a special role in helping children learn new skills, build resilience, and discover their own strengths – all while enjoying the peace of the outdoors. 🌳💚

📍 Based in Billingshurst, West Sussex
💬 Message us to find out more or to book a free 20-minute meet & greet visit.

OATS.JC@outlook.com

Let’s help your child take their next steps with confidence – together. 💛

www.oats-uk.org.uk

Address

Billingshurst

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