All About the Horse

03/10/2024

Our curated, three-part series

18/06/2024

*Connect with nature to support your wellness this Saturday*

Women's Collective Ireland-Donegal are offering the "Wellness through horses' workshop for women, on Saturday 22nd June 10.30am-2.30pm in the Letterbarrow. During the session you will discover the benefits from interacting with horses including improved self-awareness, confidence, empathy, emotional regulation, trust, setting healthy boundaries, patience, becoming more present and more.

This is an empowering and unique experience of interacting with some fab horses, facilitated by Claire a professional Horse Trainer and Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator from All About the Horse.

The workshop fee of €40 with a light lunch provided. We have limited places, so if would like to sign up please fill in our online form here https://forms.gle/zf8AnmKCB8b1y5vd6 or text WCI-Donegal on 0858638419

23/05/2024

Another fabulous workshop with a beautiful group of women, such a pleasure to share my beautiful horses with you all and Thank you all for taking the time out of your day for you and for spending it with us 🫶

14/05/2024

*Discover the empowering and unique experience of interacting with horses to support your wellness*

Women's Collective Ireland-Donegal have a few places remaining for the "Wellness through horses' workshop for women. Through this workshop you will discover the benefits from interacting with horses including improved self awareness, confidence, empathy, emotional regulation, trust, setting healthy boundaries, patience, becoming more present and more.

This is the third time we will be working with Claire a professional Horse Trainer and Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator from All About the Horse. This is an empowering and unique experience of interacting with some fab horses.

The workshop will take place on Saturday 18th May 10.30am-2.30pm in Frosses. The workshop fee of €40 with a light lunch provided. If would like to sign up please fill in our online form here https://forms.gle/nCAtRgqworkWmfUm9 or text WCI-Donegal on 0858638419

01/05/2024

*Discover the wellness benefits of interacting with horses*

Life can be stressful, it’s therefore important that as women we take time to do something nice for ourselves not just for others. Women's Collective Ireland-Donegal are delighted to be offering again the "Wellness through horses' workshop for women, where you will discover the benefits from interacting with horses including improved self awareness, confidence, empathy, emotional regulation, trust, setting healthy boundaries, patience, becoming more present and more.

This is the third time we will be working with Claire a professional Horse Trainer and Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator from All About the Horse. This is an empowering and unique experience of interacting with some fab horses.

The workshop will take place on Saturday 18th May 10.30am-2.30pm in Frosses. The workshop fee of €40 with a light lunch provided. We have limited places, so if would like to sign up please fill in our online form here https://forms.gle/nCAtRgqworkWmfUm9 or text WCI-Donegal on 0858638419

17/02/2024

This is well worth a read for both our horse and human relationships

I heard a great quote the other day that I've been thinking a lot about lately. "The most honest person in the room is the problem child".

When it comes to horses, they are naturally designed to be good liars. From a prey perspective, they're supposed to lie to predators about their physical and mental weaknesses, because their very survival depends upon it.

"Good" horses are good liars. They're stoic about physical ailments, they tolerate mistakes, and they can perform their duties without needing to be heard by their human handler, or requiring a lot of skill from a rider. These are horses we value a lot in our equestrian society, and they're great for many reasons.

Problem horses are very bad liars. They cannot just go on with life when they are hurt, or upset, or feeling like their needs are not acknowledged or met.

They either find somebody who understands that, or they are sent to a trainer who's main job is to teach them to learn to SUPPRESS this urge to constantly communicate their emotions and needs, effectively becoming better liars. Some horses can learn this, but the ones that cannot are labelled permanent problems, and often find themselves shuffled around.

But what happens if we begin to value communication over compliance? What if we prioritize the relationship before our egos, and trust before our human goals?

We can all agree that we would prefer to be in a meaningful human relationship that ivalues empathy to a different perspective/reality. Why wouldn't we consciously cultivate the same relationships with our equine partners? Would that not be beneficial for everyone?

The next time you find yourself making a binary judgement about your horse's behavior, pause for a moment instead and consider the root cause of it. What are they trying to communicate? How can you help meet their needs and build trust instead of prioritizing your ego in that moment and demanding compliance because you've arbitrarily decided you deserve it?