Peaceful Pastures

GROUND-BASED vs. MOUNTED THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES Two different approaches. One powerful partnership.

When we talk about equine facilitated wellness and therapeutic work, it’s important to understand that not all work with horses happens from the saddle.

GROUND-BASED ACTIVITIES

Ground-based work takes place alongside the horse, without riding. Activities may include grooming, leading, observing, navigating obstacles, liberty-based activities, body-language exercises, or simply spending intentional time with the horse.

These activities can provide opportunities to explore:

• Communication and boundaries
• Trust and relationship building
• Emotional regulation and self-awareness
• Confidence and decision-making
• Non-verbal communication
• Connection and attunement
• Personal space and consent
• Leadership and problem-solving

The horse’s responses can become valuable opportunities for reflection. A horse may move closer, create distance, become curious, hesitate, follow, or choose not to participate — providing information that can be explored within the therapeutic or wellness process.

MOUNTED THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES

Mounted activities involve the participant riding or working from the horse’s back under an appropriate professional framework and with suitable safety considerations.

Depending on the program, goals, participant, horse and professional qualifications, mounted activities may support:

• Balance and body awareness
• Coordination and motor planning
• Confidence and self-efficacy
• Focus and attention
• Emotional regulation
• Communication and responsiveness
• Developing trust and partnership
• Experiencing accomplishment and mastery
• Advancement in riding based horsemanship skills

For some participants, being on the horse creates an entirely different experience of themselves, their body and their ability to influence their environment.

The most appropriate approach depends on the participant, the therapeutic or wellness goals, the horse, the environment, risk considerations and the professional’s scope of practice.

Sometimes the most meaningful work happens standing quietly beside a horse.

Sometimes it happens while navigating an obstacle course.

And sometimes, for the right participant and within the appropriate program, it happens from the saddle.

The horse doesn’t have to be ridden for meaningful therapeutic or wellness work to happen.

At Pro-EFW, we believe in understanding the why behind the activity — not simply doing an activity because it involves a horse.

The goal isn’t “What can we do with the horse?”

The better question is:

“What experience are we intentionally creating, and how can the horse-human relationship support the participant’s goals?”

Tinker and Mac have been separated for over 3 weeks. They were so focused on, and dependent on each other, that they were unpleasant and dangerous to be around. I’d hoped they’d ’get over it’ without separation but it didn’t happen.

It is such a relief that they seem truly settled now, and our relationship feels repaired.

Mac provided an 88th birthday ride to a friend, and Tinker participated in her first ever gymkhana.

Been living ‘it takes the time it takes’. Beginning to imagine what equine facilitated wellness might look like at a boarding facility, if it’s something I might pursue.

Congratulations Anne Louise, it was a pleasure sharing the space and herd with you on your certification journey.

So excited to announce the most recent HH student to attain certification with the Professional Association for Equine Facilitated Wellness, Anne Hampson!

Anne is a Registered Social Worker and certified PRO-EFW professional offering Equine-Facilitated Wellness through in the Calgary and Bragg Creek area. Working alongside her horse, Casper, Anne offers a different way to experience therapy — outside of the traditional office and with horses as part of the process. Her trauma-informed approach supports adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, stress, chronic pain, life transitions, boundaries, and more. Sessions are grounded in connection, curiosity, and meeting each person where they are.

Congratulations Anne, it has been an honour to support you on this journey and I'm excited for all that is to come!

Every person who enters an Equine Facilitated Wellness session brings a unique story, shaped by their culture, beliefs, values, lived experiences, family systems, and personal identity.

As Human Service Professionals, our role is not to interpret those experiences for our clients—it’s to create a safe, inclusive environment where they can discover meaning for themselves.

One of the simplest and most impactful ways we do this is through neutral, curiosity-based language.

Rather than assuming what an equines behaviour means, we invite exploration.

Instead of saying:
“The horse is avoiding you because you’re afraid of commitment.”

We might ask:
✨ “What do you notice about where the horse is choosing to be?”

✨ “How did you feel when the donkey moved away?”

✨ “What meaning, if any, does this interaction have for you?”

✨ “What would you like to try differently?”

These questions allow the client to remain the expert of their own life.

For one person, an equine standing quietly nearby may represent safety. For another, it may feel overwhelming. Neither experience is wrong—they are simply different. Our job is to remain curious rather than certain.

At Pro-EFW, we believe ethical Equine Facilitated Wellness is grounded in cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, professional ethics, and deep respect for the diverse experiences every client brings into the arena. The horses don’t care where someone comes from, what language they speak, or what they believe—they respond authentically in the present moment. As facilitators, our responsibility is to ensure every person feels welcomed, respected, and empowered to discover their own path forward.

Because the most meaningful insights are the ones clients uncover for themselves.

New home syndrome. Erratic behaviour. This describes Tinker and Mac at the arena, settling nicely, then regressing. And my dog Maisie, who was used to free ranging, and cats Mo Toes and Katy Cat who were used to being hunters. And also myself, unused to ‘peopling’ every time I step outside the door.
One step forward, two steps back, our collective moves from Peaceful Pastures is taking much longer to adjust to than anticipated. Baby steps, just breathe, be gentle on ourselves .

Hazy morning.

Tinker chose to follow me for my pasture walk, leaving her buddies behind. Earlier she had been behaving very stressed when she wasn’t included in a ride, and not with her buddies. No crocuses yet.

Calm before the storm.
Dramatic Spring sky. Chore time with the animals soothed my barometric pressure change headache and body aches.
Now the wind and snow have started, indoors until evening chore time unless the storm ends earlier.

Fluffy and frosted, Mac surviving the deep cold extra hay rations. Pretty chilly to snap photos, had to capture his white eyelashes.