HoofPrints Growth, Development and Therapy Centre

08/12/2023

Today was such a special and fun day! Loki and Santa’s two helpers delivered the Christmas gifts to our Little Hoofprints school kids! Our own little Reindeer😍🥳🌈☺️ Silke Jordaan Jeanne Janse van Vuuren

05/10/2023

Are you or your organization still looking for a cause to sponsor for 2024? Please consider our horses!

Contact us for more info and to find out how it works. You will also have the opportunity to meet the horses and decide which one to sponsor. Alternatively we do have a document with all the work they do and all their detail if you prefer that option.

04/10/2023

“If we listen to horses, we have an opportunity to re-learn what we already know in our hearts, our bodies, our minds and our beings. Allow horses to guide you back home to yourself, towards greater fulfilment and engagement in your relationships, and in life.” - Meg Kirby

04/10/2023

19/09/2023

Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common conditions that is diagnosed among children.
A common misconception is that ADHD only impacts children. Children with ADHD can continue to have signs of ADHD as an adult. An estimated 8.4 percent of children are diagnosed with ADHD. Two-thirds of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to have signs of ADHD as adults. An estimated 2.5 percent of adults are diagnosed with ADHD.

If left untreated, ADHD can cause significant impairment in school, at work, and in an individual’s social life. (via Psychological)

25/08/2023

Happy Birthday to our Klara! jy is vrek oulik!!! She was born at Hoofprints and we jus adore her🫶🏻🤍🤍🤍🤍

18/08/2023

18/08/2023

Dates for September! See you all there!

09/08/2023

07/08/2023

👉 People who have struggled to make progress or achieve their treatment goals have made significant breakthroughs with the aid of horses in their therapy sessions. Research has confirmed many benefits. Interacting with horses can lower blood pressure and heart rate, alleviates stress, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.

There are several life skills that are learned with horses in a way that feels engaging and emotionally safe, some of which include identifying and coping with feelings, setting boundaries, overcoming fears, and forming healthy relationships with others and self. 👌
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07/08/2023

Addicted to Stress

The need to be busy.
Of always having
something
that needs
to be done.

The endless
thinking,
planning,
doing.

Stress is the
master chameleon.
It may appear
in the body as
urgency,
excitement,
activity, drive.

Feelings of
never quite arriving.

While not all stress is bad
- prolonged high level stress
that keeps your nervous system
in an elevated state is.

Our body,
mind
and soul
need rest.

Time for space.
Time for nothing.
Even time for what
those addicted to stress
would think of as boredom.
Time for balance within
our states of being.

Time with a herd,
to just be, without
wanting or needing
that moment to be
anything else offers
us that time, space
and balance.

Even if for just a moment.

01/08/2023

“We will never have to tell our horse that we are sad, happy, confident, angry or relaxed. He already knows - long before we do.” - Marjike de Jong

There is something about being seen and heard by another living being who seems to know us even better than we do. For instance, when we think we are acting confidently, the horses can tell us if that is authentic by how they respond to us. As we interact with them, they help us look honestly at ourselves, going deeper than our surface layers of what we hope to portray.

In mental health sessions incorporating horses, clients experience their conscious and subconscious masks coming down as they feel seen by the horses in a way not usually experienced in other relationships. 🐴

👉Interesting fact: “In a study at the University of Sussex, researchers videotaped 28 riding school horses, as they were shown four photographs of two male models, each with a smiling expression and an angry expression. Each horse’s heart rate was also monitored while viewing the images. When shown photographs of angry expressions the horses tended to look at the images with their left eye longer than they did the positive images. Their heart rates also increased when they viewed negative facial expressions.”

Source: https://equusmagazine.com/horse-world/horses-read-human-emotions-52910/?fbclid=IwAR3FETNr5tANz9StsGfVp715O3MF8rvB26-uRZZhWoGZHDhWin1S3yddtO0

24/07/2023

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬...

Forget about the riding, about the ribbons we have won, forget about the ability of our horses and all our successes. When this has gone and we are left with just a horse, this is when we will see the value of horses.

We need to not miss the miracle before our eyes, we shouldn’t wait until we have a non-ridden horse to see them for what they truly are. We are selling yourself short if we are not aware of the miracle before our eyes, the healing power the horse has and the lessons they are trying to teach us.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 "𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥" 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. How many of us can count on our hands the last time we were truly 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 with our horses, without worrying about what we are going to cook for tea, without training them for our next competition, just being 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 with them.

In these moments of 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 is where the greatest lessons are taught. In these moments of 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 the horse is teaching us how to present in the here and now, the horse is teaching us how to be self-aware. In these moments of 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 the horse is teaching us self-love and self-acceptance.

Horses show us self-love and acceptance because they have abundance of self-love and acceptance for themselves and their fellow herd friends. They don’t worry whether they have a symmetrical face, or a beautiful appearance.

They have gratitude for their bodies for keeping them alive, they have gratitude for their deep-rooted instincts for keeping them safe, they have gratitude for themselves.

If we could only be 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 with horses, humanity would learn something that can’t be bought.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬..

Written By - The Fearful Rider & The Write Lead Freelance Equestrian Writer

Needing a content writer/equestrian magazine writer? I offer freelance services ✍🏻♥️. Send me a message for more information.

Art Work By - Dorota Kudyba Art

- Total Contact Saddles
- EDIX saddles & bitless bridles
- The Western Saddler Ltd.
- Equine Products UK

21/07/2023

If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?
What would happen if you slowed down and sat here?
What does this moment have to offer you?
- The Embodied Therapist

20/07/2023

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning can offer clients of any age a corrective experience, such as meeting their core developmental needs for movement, touch and holding. Our experiential approach allows clients to integrate this experience not only cognitively but through their entire being as well. This experience can be life changing.

08/07/2023

“If we listen to horses, we have an opportunity to re-learn what we already know in our hearts, our bodies, our minds and our beings. Allow horses to guide you back home to yourself, towards greater fulfilment and engagement in your relationships, and in life.” - Meg Kirby

07/07/2023

Our second fun day for the holidays✨✨✨🐴🐴🐴

30/06/2023

S E N S E S

Horses live in the moment. Attuned to their present moment's experience through their bodies and their senses. Horses live in this state of awareness, they notice their experience, respond as needed and then return to grazing. Ready for the next moment of life.

What can you notice through your senses right now?



📸 Briannagh Clare Photography

30/06/2023

Come join us!! Ages from 6 years🤍

25/06/2023

"Horse wisdom can remind us to experience life in every moment and remember that life can be about - living, learning, choices, taking responsibility, fulfilment, and connection to something greater than ourselves."
- The Equine Psychotherapy Institute Horse Wisdom Program

08/06/2023

Most horses don’t care if you ride them. In fact, some would prefer if you didn’t.

The past couple of years as we’ve started working with lots of different people, and lots of different challenging horses, we’ve seen a re-emerging theme. Many people want to learn liberty to strengthen the relationship with their horse or work on a certain issue, but many come to learn it because they either don’t want to or can’t ride their horse.

There’s a stigma in the horse world that if you don’t ride you’re not really a true horse person. There’s also a stigma that if a horse is not rideable, or no longer rideable, it no longer has value.

We wholeheartedly disagree.

You see, we’ve met many people whose joy with horses doesn’t come from riding. It comes from simply being with them. And we’ve met many horses who love to be around their human, but don’t want them on their back.

We’ve met many people who can no longer ride, due to an injury or illness or some other factor. We’ve met many horses who can no longer be ridden, due to the same wear and tear life has shown them.

We’ve also met some extremely high level liberty performance horses, who in most people’s eyes have reached the definition of success, but aren’t really ridden.

We feel that liberty gives a beautiful gift to the people and horses in this boat. An ability to grow their relationship, set goals, work through challenges, without ever riding.

The first step in making the world a better place for these people and horses, is accepting them for who they are and not viewing them as less than. Due to this, we’re spending some time this next year really promoting the horse human liberty connection and value, for non-ridden horses.

Picture credit: Jennifer Bechard Photography ❤️

06/03/2023

Heartbreaking loss for the horse lovers and fans of this beautiful stallion. Our condolences to Hitoshis family amd to Nicole. Colic is just such a horrible thing horses have to deal with. What a magnificent horse💔💔💔💔

HITOSHI

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that our legend, our dearest Capital Hitoshi, an emblem of the “Iconic Grey Capital Stallions”, left us today.

His passing today leaves behind a great emptiness. Our team is devastated.
Hitoshi's time was cut too short; he braved a tough battle over a year ago with colic, which we thought we had won.

He left today with Nicole by his side and surrounded by the love of his caring team.

🤍💙CAPITAL HITOSHI
10 July 2007 - 3 March 2023

“What a horse; we’ll miss him enormously.”

🤍🕊️

14/02/2023

14/02/2023

❤️Loki our therapy miniature horse, kind and sensible soul❤️