Jasper Equine Assisted Counselling

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If any of my lovely clients would like to take part in this research, it is to assist with advocacy of social work as a therapeutic intervention within the NDIS space. Thank you 🙏

At Jasper Equine Assisted Counselling, we want our horses to be well trained—but we also want them to be horses. 💚🐴

We believe a good therapy horse should be well trained, safe and predictable—but they don’t need to be completely bombproof, and they certainly shouldn’t be shut down or forced.

We want our horses to be emotionally present.

Each horse in our herd has their own personality, preferences, boundaries and way of communicating. Some are confident and curious. Some are gentle and nurturing. Others take longer to build trust or are more comfortable setting clear boundaries.

Our horses are not simply tools used in therapy. They are active participants who are given choice and agency. They can move towards someone, walk away, seek connection or say “no”.

A good therapy horse has the training and emotional regulation needed to work safely with people, while still being able to communicate authentically. For example they have manners, they are not aggressive, they can be safely led and handled, but they can also say when they no longer wish to engage, need a break or are unable to do a set task.

Because much of the therapeutic work happens within those moments of connection, communication, trust and boundaries. This is important to understand and to respect, as well as appreciate the mutual respect of relationship, providing a good opportunity to learn more about ourselves.