The EARTH Centre

2026 is International Volunteers' Year.
The Earth team takes time to remind our volunteers, who give so generously of their time and love, that we would be unable to achieve what we do without them.

To many, a couple of hours a week may seem insignificant. We know just how impactful their effort can be.
We know that every rider's progress also touches our volunteers in many ways.

"Impact another human Life"

We thank You.

Volunteer, 2026 belongs to you: The International Volunteer Year 2026 Volunteers listen, rebuild and support in clinics, in communities, ...

There are moments that make all our efforts worthwhile.
The school therapist had said that a particular young learner is non-verbal.
We understand that she may not express words, but we still encourage her.
Today, she recited the whole alphabet, spontaneously.
Prompted by a visual cue in our sensory trail (an alphabet created by plastic soft drink bottle caps), she pointed to each letter and read them to the volunteer sidewalkers.
The therapist was noticeably moved by the feedback: that this non-verbal young lady is indeed verbal, when calmed by the interaction with our ponies.
What the equine therapy achieves is remarkable

Healthy teeth = happy horses 🐎🦷

Keeping a whole herd healthy takes a village, and we have the best community support. A huge, heartfelt thank you to Andrew Portch of AP Equine Dentistry for donating his incredible skills to our horses!

Annual dental checks keep sharp hooks at bay so everyone can chew comfortably. We couldn't do this without generous hearts like yours, Andrew 💙

Swipe to see our patients in action ➡️

Tune into KofifiFM 97.2 at 13:00 tomorrow Wed 20 May to hear our very own Kirsty Popplestone speak about therapeutic riding with the Randburg Clinic School on Empowerment Hour! 💚🌾🐴

This Wednesday on Empowerment hour… we speak to Kristy from about horse riding as a form of therapy for special needs children.

Join in the conversation on our page or Tune in to KofifiFM 97.2 at 13:00 💫💫

Last week the Nomfundo Zondo Foundation brought special needs children from the Lutendo Centre for a equine experience, and we shared their courage, wonder and joy.🐴🌱🌻

🙌🎉Our website finally has a new lick of paint and we joyfully invite you to explore our new digital home at https://earthcentre.org.za/!

Click on the link to to find out more about our work and how best to work with us; explore our volunteer opportunities, or make a secure donation (any amount, however small, is a meaningful contribution!) so that we can expand our LSEN school partnership programme to transform the lives of more children.

A heart-felt ❤️💚🩵thanks goes out to our Chairman and Netwise Multimedia, for bringing our new site to life. 🐴🐎🦄

About Us - The EARTH Centre Through our Equine Facilitated Therapy and Learning programmes, we empower and educate people with disabilities and disadvantages, assist with minimising barriers to opportunities in mainstream society, and improve quality of life across all spheres that we work in.

A sincere thank you to the HHCU team for an invitation to view and consider two of their horses for adoption.
We have been looking for suitable horses to join our therapy team and the invitation was perfectly timed!

Except, as we drove through their gate, one pretty mare immediately caught my eye.
As Inspector Ashley greeted us, she said there is one more that may be suitable... It was exactly the horse that stood out to me on arrival!

Watch this space...

Thank you to the volunteers, new and (dare I call them) old, who attended volunteer training, last Thursday and today.

There is a lot of information that is shared during training, and the items covered in training are likely to become much clearer when assisting in actual riding therapy lessons.

Always be open to learning more, in every sphere of your life.
There is a "take-away" message in each learning: a piece of information that sticks with you and adds to your understanding.

Photo is one of our loyal volunteers having a cuddle with young Pixie