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Equine-Assisted
Therapy & Counselling
Step outside the traditional therapy room and into a more connected, experiential way of exploring your wellbeing. Equine-Assisted Therapy brings horses into the therapeutic process as respected co-facilitators, offering a calm, responsive presence that can support emotional regulation, self-awareness, connection and personal growth. Guided by a qualified practitioner, each session is shaped around your individual needs and may include observing, grooming, leading, connecting with or working alongside the horses — with no previous horse or riding experience required.
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Private Counselling with Horses
Equine-Assisted Therapy is a gentle, experiential approach to counselling in which horses become part of the therapeutic team. Rather than relying only on conversation, sessions create opportunities to explore thoughts, emotions, behaviours and relationships through real-time experiences alongside the horses. Horses are highly perceptive and naturally respond to changes in body language, energy, emotion and nervous-system state. Their immediate and non-judgemental responses can help bring greater awareness to patterns that may be difficult to recognise through conversation alone. Depending on individual goals, a session may involve observing the horses, grooming, leading, completing guided activities or, where appropriate, participating in mounted work. Every experience is adapted to the individual and supported by our counsellor Ella.
Why Equine-assisted counselling?
Working alongside horses can create space to explore areas such as trust, boundaries, communication, confidence, emotional regulation and relationships at a pace that feels manageable. For people who find traditional clinical settings overwhelming, or who sometimes struggle to express themselves verbally, the presence of the horse can offer another pathway into the therapeutic process.
The horse is not a tool or a treatment technique, but a respected co-facilitator in the therapeutic process—offering honest feedback, authentic connection, safe touch and a powerful opportunity to experience new ways of relating to ourselves and to others.
What to expect
During an Equine-Assisted Therapy or Equine-Assisted Counselling session, you’ll spend time alongside our horses in a calm, supportive environment rather than a traditional therapy room. Depending on your goals, your session may include observing the horses, grooming, leading, completing guided activities or, where appropriate, participating in mounted work.
We are located just 25 minutes from Brisbane city with an easy drive through the Western Suburbs. You'll arrive at our beautiful, accessible property and immediately feel a shift. Our approach to horse therapy is experiential, which means the focus is not only on talking about thoughts, feelings or behaviours, but also noticing what happens in the moment as you interact with the horses. Because horses are highly responsive to body language, emotion and nervous-system changes, they can offer immediate, non-judgemental feedback that may help you recognise patterns around trust, communication, boundaries, confidence and relationships.
Equine therapy for anxiety, emotional regulation, confidence and trauma can be particularly helpful for people who feel overwhelmed in traditional clinical environments or who find it difficult to express themselves verbally. Working with horses can support grounding, present-moment awareness and a greater sense of connection, while giving you space to explore your experiences at a pace that feels manageable. Every counselling with horses session is guided by our qualified practitioner and adapted to your individual needs. No previous horse or riding experience is required. The horses are respected as co-facilitators in the therapeutic process, with their own boundaries and choices, helping create an authentic and supportive experience through therapy with horses
How to Book
To book an Equine-Assisted Therapy session with Ella, please call us direct on 0452 045 046, email info@racinghearts.com.au or use our Contact Us page to submit a request. If this is your first session, we’ll be in touch to confirm your booking and ensure all relevant intake and consent paperwork has been completed before your appointment. No previous horse or riding experience is required.
