You may (or may not) have noticed I’ve been a bit absent around here for the last few weeks. Truthfully? I’ve been a little overwhelmed. Actually… a lot overwhelmed. There has been a perfect storm of: too many moving parts too many ideas not enough hours in the day, and exhaustion quietly sneaking up on me from behind! I’ve been so busy trying to keep all the plates spinning that I stopped paying attention to the person spinning them. The ‘plates’ became my focus and keeping them all going just kept getting harder! I really gave it my best shot – until my body said STOP! Sound familiar? Here’s the awkward little lesson horses repeatedly try to teach us: You cannot sustainably care for everyone and everything else while quietly abandoning yourself. Eventually your body, brain and energy notices. And life starts gently (or not so gently) nudging us to pause. For someone who preaches the power of pause, I found it really difficult and uncomfortable to settle into the space of ‘non- doing’. It was so challenging to give myself permission to rest, breathe, and decide ‘What actually matters right now?’ And it was even more challenging to let some things go, for a while. For me, it’s been a reminder that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stop pretending we’re fine when we’re actually running on fumes. And maybe there’s a lesson in that too: Overwhelm is information, not failure. Sometimes it means: - too many priorities - too may projects - too little support (probably because you didn’t ask for help!) - or simply… you’re tired. And tired people are allowed to rest. Anyway, I’m still here. Slightly frazzled. Still figuring things out. Still occasionally resembling an overcaffeinated pony in a plastic bag storm. But back. And grateful you’re here too. QUESTION: What has life been trying to teach you lately — even if you didn’t particularly ask for the lesson?

i first recognised the positive effects horses had on people way back in the ‘70’s - (I’m old 🤣) However, it took until 2014 plus a lot of life experience, training , and finding the right business partner before Horses Connect was born. We started offering therapeutic horse riding and then developed ground based equine assisted learning programs. About 4 years ago - because we had an impossible waiting list with nowhere to refer people - we created our own externally accredited training courses, and are now recognised as an accredited training centre by both ITOL - www.itol.org - and IPHM - www.iphm.co.uk, We train experienced horse people in Therapeutic Horse Riding Coaching and in Equine assisted Personal Development/Learning Coaching. We’re in the process of implementing a licensing system so that suitably qualified coaches can offer Horses Connect Coach Training. It’s a work in progress, but we’re steadily getting the T’s crossed and the I’s dotted. Everything we do is built on the fundamental principle that our horses are equal partners in the work and never considered as tools or props. We’re based in the West of Ireland, where the value of equine assisted work is just beginning to be recognised 😊 Where did your horse adventure begin?

Today, as I packed away the Christmas decorations and prepared rooms for visitors over the New Year — knowing I’ll be away — I found myself thinking about those who didn’t make it this far into 2025. Friends.Family members - Two-legged and four-legged. And I caught myself wondering how many of us will be here this time next year and what we can learn from our horses 🐴 Horses live quietly and constantly. Not in fear — but in presence. They don’t assume tomorrow. They don’t rush past today. They meet each moment as it is, with the bodies and beings who are actually here. The herd teaches us something simple and profound: Be fully with who is here. while they are here. Not perfectly. Not urgently. Just honestly. A breath. A touch. A moment of attention. That is often enough. Invitation Take a quiet moment today and ask yourself: 🐴 Who am I grateful for right now? 🐴 Where might I be rushing past presence? 🐴 How can I meet today more fully, without borrowing worry from tomorrow Horses don’t measure life by length.They measure it by connection. And connection is makes the world go round 💕

As EA coaches, Disability Awareness is ESSENTIAL! The mini-course in the Classroom will give you an overview of what that means in practice. The information refers to the legal requirements in the Republic of Ireland, so please check what's required in your location. Watch this space for a more in-depth accredited version

Introducing 'A Playful Guide to Horse Archetypes' Imagination, curiosity, and ethical equine-assisted personal development combined. This short course is a fun, creative exploration of how horses can appear as characters in a client’s unfolding story during equine-assisted personal development sessions. Before we begin, here’s an important Horses Connect reminder: This is a playful tool. It’s not science, psychology, or behaviour interpretation. We never ‘read’ horses or assign meaning to their behaviour. We do not analyse the horse or the client. We do not symbolise or interpret emotional states. Instead, we: honour the horse as a sentient being stay firmly in the personal-development lane support client agency and imagination let story lead, not analysis celebrate curiosity + creativity Archetypes in this course are simply light, imaginative invitations to notice how a horse’s presence, movement, or stillness can shape a moment, just like characters shape a scene in a story. Because sometimes… - a calm horse can represent an Anchor - a curious one can represent an Explorer - a watchful one can represent a Sentinel - a wandering one can represent a Space-Maker - a steady presence can represent a Companion And sometimes the most meaningful thing is: ‘They’re just being themselves, and that’s enough.’ This course gives you: ✅ A playful, ethical creative tool ✅ Story-based prompts that avoid interpretation ✅ Language that keeps you in your lane as an Equine-assisted Personal Development Coach# ✅ Ways to invite imagination and possibility ✅ A gentle method to your own deepen presence and awareness Who this is for - Equine-assisted personal development coaches - Horses Connect trainees & CPD learners - Anyone who loves imagination, horses, and ethical facilitation Who this is not for - People looking for psychological meaning or symbolism - Anyone wanting to analyse horse behaviour or client emotions - Therapeutic interpretation approaches Our mantra for this course: