Therapeutic Horse Sessions (non-ridden)
We are delighted to be able to offer therapeutic horse sessions here onsite at Makewell. These are open to anyone; you do not have to be a patient at our clinic. With our passion for supporting our community with their mental health and neurodiversity challenges this is an exciting new service to be able to offer you.
If you (or your child) are attending Makewell for an ADHD, Autism or Mental Health assessment and want to come for a quick visit (no charge) with our horses while you are here, please let our team know.
How can it help you?
Spending time with horses can help you by:
- Building confidence.
- Improving social skills such as empathy, boundary setting, trust and compromise.
- Reducing stress and promoting relaxation.
- Encouraging nurturing skills as you learn how to look after them.
- Having fun.
- Connection with nature (we do have indoor options for the rainy days!)
Whether it is a one-off session or a series of sessions, we will work with you to identify your goals.
What will you be doing?
Each session will last for up to one hour and may consist of any of the following activities (which we will agree together):
- Herd watching
- Grooming
- Feeding
- Mucking out
- Leading
- Cuddling the horses (we have minis too!)
- Learning about horses.
We mainly offer 1:1 sessions, but parents / carers are very welcome to come and watch us.
If you would like to discuss group sessions or longer sessions please ask and we will quote for your needs.
How much does it cost?
Our 1:1 sessions (for up to one hour) cost £45 per session.
For those wishing to book and pay for 6 sessions at a time we can offer the sixth one free of charge so the cost would be £225.
Is it for formal therapy / counselling?
No, these sessions will be run by our Makewell staff who are experienced with having and handling horses. We will be offering Equine Assisted Therapy (with a mental health clinician) soon.
Meet the horses:
Love Bug:
Love Bug is our cheeky little Shetland pony. He was born in May 2023. He makes us laugh all the time with his witty nature. He absolutely loves cuddles and loves to follow you around.
Mr Mellow:
Mr Mellow by name and nature. Born in May 2023, he is our smallest (and cutest) miniature horse. He is a Falabella, which is one of the smallest breeds you’ll ever see, they stand less than eight hands high. Strong and compact, they have the slim body and overall proportions of a horse, without the stoutness of a pony. The Falabella breed also makes a fantastic therapy horse because of its gentle demeanour and small stature. They can often go where other horses cannot, such as hospitals and care homes – we hope to do this in the near future.
Princess Moon:
Princess Moon can be a bit of a princess at times 😊. She was born in May 2023 and is beautiful. She is confident in herself and knows her own mind of what she wants. She is a mix of a Falabella (see Mr Mellow’s profile for details of this breed) and an American Miniature Horse, which are smart, loving and easy to train. She is friendly and gentle yet playful and curious.
Daffyd:
Daffyd is the Makewell ‘lad’. Sweet and affectionate in nature but likes to get involved with everything! He is an Irish Sports Horse (pretty sure he has cob in him too) and is 5 years old.
Carousel:
The sweetest of girls, Carousel was rescued at the end of last year and is now really enjoying her freedom in the field with Daffyd. She absolutely loves her cuddles and will normally come up to you for some attention.
