Horse Powered Holistics

29/08/2025

✨️✨️Meet the herd✨️✨️

I've been slacking a bit and didn't do the last introduction! 🙈

Finally meet MOJO!!!!🐎

Mojo was my return to riding horse 🐎, after a 20yr break!! I found my Mojo 😍✨️
Of course the sensible thing to do, was to buy a Thoroughbred ex racer 😂

It was a bit like buying a house, I went to see him first and loved him ❤️
I did shop around but I came back to him, also before buying him, I did one of my EAL assessment sessions with him and he was just amazing 😍🐎

I have to thank Andrew Ross for introducing us and I spent many a lesson with him just trying to get me to just stay on Mojo, while leading me 🤣🤣

Mojo is 16 yrs old now, I don't ride him anymore, partly because I don't have the time to keep him and me properly fit! 💪(Anyone have a big armchair cob instead 😂)

However he just loves his new place with Minnie and the donkeys🫏🐴. Company and lots of space to roam! I did worry about moving him yards but he's the most relaxed i've seen him 😌

He is literally a gentle giant, he is very intuitive🪬, being the sensitive type and is very good at letting me know how others are feeling🔮.
He also has great boundaries and will let me know if he has had enough during a session🕐

He really is majestic and just beautiful to watch when cantering round the field🐎🐴
I always get a neigh from him when I arrive at the yard 😍🥹
A firm favourite with all my clients 🦄 ✨️

27/08/2025

✨ Back-to-School Reminder ✨️

Thinking of everyone facing a tough week, if you have a child with anxiety based school avoidance💔

I know, even before you arrive at school, there may already have been many challenges...

The worrying all night about the next day 😟
The one to get out of bed🛌
The one to please try and eat some breakfast🥐
The one to get their uniform on
The one to get their lunch and bag ready🎒
The one to get into the car to go to school🚗
The one to get out of the car at school
THEN it's the one to get in the school doors 🏫

These are the battles behind closed doors 🥺
The ones no one else witnesses, the ones that leave you and your child physically and mentally exhausted😫

Yet they are expected to just be able to walk in the door and start learning📚

💛 Please remember—you are doing your best in a very tough situation
Your care, love, and presence matter more than you know 🫂

You don’t have to “fix” everything right away

Small steps, rest, and patience are enough

Reaching out for help is a strength, not a weakness

You and your child are worthy of kindness, compassion, and understanding
Take it one day at a time—you don’t have to do this alone 💕

And if all else fails... there are always other ways

23/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Gc58tFyqR/

23/08/2025

This weekend in The Irish Field, Dr Jill Carey tells Lesley Hunter-Nolan about the ambitious plans for the new home of Festina Lente, which could open its doors within two years

21/08/2025

✨️✨️🐎Free Equine Wellbeing Sessions 🐴✨️✨️

😊 Back to School😭

These words generally have one of two reactions... excitement and looking forward to a new year 😜 or dread and worry about what's to come😪

Anxiety-based/Emotional based school avoidance is much more common than you realise, even though it can feel very isolating when you are in the middle of it😩

For the child, the school environment can feel overwhelming, causing serious worries— fear of failure, social expectations, separation from home and parents 📚

School feels unsafe and unbearable, leading to distress that can manifest as headaches, stomach aches, being withdrawn, panic attacks 🤢

As a parent you empathise with your child but equally feel immense stress, guilt, and frustration battling the system, worrying they are missing out. Feeling you aren't doing enough or the right thing 😵‍💫

I can say this first hand, having two kids who will not, at this moment be returning to school.
We are in the middle of statements and negotiations and uncertainty and worry🫂

However I know at the minute, this is the best thing for them until someone shows they actually understand them and can provide the right environment. I have released a certain amount of guilt, I sold their uniform! 🎉I know they aren't returning to the school they were attending.

As part of the awareness week, I would like to offer 3 individual free 30 min sessions, these can either dive right in exploring why school is difficult using the Equimotional - Trauma-Informed Training & Resource Hub resource

Or it can be to totally decompress and help regulate the nervous system and emotions, ignoring the school word 💚🧘

Or it can be for you the parents.. so you don't completely lose your sanity🤯

It will be first come gets the sessions, so please comment below if you would like to avail of this offer.. 🥰😍❤️

14/08/2025

Back to some Horse Powered Reading®️!! 🐎🐴, It was lovely to explore our 'word herds' sorting our word families into groups 📚
Thank you to Raya for being amazing, maintaining focus and learning new words! 😍

14/08/2025

A few more of the lovely ladies enjoying the sunshine with Mojo, Minnie, David and Rosie!

14/08/2025

I had a lovely morning with these ladies, thank you so much for coming to see me and my little herd 🥰🐎🦄

14/08/2025

This is amazing, something to aim for in the future!! 🐴🫏 What an amazing collaboration it could be! Now who can give me 52 acres? 😍🤣 Well I'd settle for 25 😂🤔

It may seem radical to send children outdoors year-round in rain, frost or sunshine, but an increasing number of parents are doing just that.

In a time of digital distraction and rising anxiety levels, outdoor schooling offers something many people want for their kids – slow, grounded learning rooted in the rhythms of nature.

“If we only teach children to go outside on sunny days, then we teach them to only look forward to those days. That’s not very good for anyone’s mental health," says Louise Nelson, principal of the Outdoor Primary School.

Nelson will open the school's doors for the first time this September in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

Students will learn the skills of the Irish national curriculum but with a key difference – they’ll be learning outdoors. It’s the first school of its kind in the State.

“Any lesson that can be taught indoors, you can do outside as well,” says Nelson. “You can do maths outside with pine cones for example. And the weather is just another teachable resource.

"While working in conventional primary schools in the past, I’ve had sixth class kids come to school in February wearing thin hoodies and ankle socks and then wonder why they’re freezing at break time on the yard, turning blue.

“And by contrast, at an outdoor creche I worked in, I’ve also seen kids react to rain by just getting their coats and going back out to play, without being told to do so. They’ve learned that’s what you do. It’s not an issue.”

12/08/2025

Yes, yes, yes! All of this 💯❤️

Let’s dive into a hot topic that’s close to our hearts at Equimotional: the misuse of the word “therapy” when it comes to equine wellbeing coaching (EWC).

At Equimotional, we’re all about raising standards and being crystal clear about what we do—and what we don’t do. Words like therapy, therapeutic, and wellbeing aren’t just interchangeable terms; they carry different meanings, responsibilities, and implications. That’s why we avoid using the word “therapy” unless it’s absolutely accurate and delivered by a licensed professional.

🐴 Why is this so important?

The word “therapy” implies a clinical, regulated intervention provided by someone like a licensed counsellor, psychologist, or occupational therapist. Misusing this term doesn’t just confuse—it can mislead clients and families, blur ethical boundaries, and create misconceptions about what equine wellbeing coaching actually is.

Equine Wellbeing Coaching is a non-clinical, relational process designed to support personal growth, emotional wellbeing, and self-awareness. While it’s powerful and often life-changing, it is not therapy. It’s about connecting with horses in a way that fosters learning and healing without stepping into the clinical realm.

✨ What we say instead

We use terms that reflect the supportive, non-pathologising, and relational nature of our work:

Equine Wellbeing Coaching (EWC)

Equine-Facilitated Learning

Equine-Assisted Wellbeing

These terms describe what we do accurately, keeping the focus on empowerment, personal growth, and connection—without the clinical connotations of therapy.

💡 Why does this matter?

Clarity: It sets realistic expectations for clients and families, making sure they know exactly what we offer.

Integrity: Staying within our scope of practice ensures we’re working ethically and honestly.

Professionalism: Using accurate language strengthens our field and builds trust in equine wellbeing coaching as a distinct, valuable approach.

🌟 Our challenge to the EWC community
Let’s educate ourselves, our clients, and the wider public about the power of words in equine-assisted fields. By using precise, intentional language, we can protect the integrity of what we do, avoid confusion, and help our industry grow in credibility and trust.



What are your thoughts on this? Let’s open up the discussion! 🐴💛