About Us

Equus Solutions provide a successful and innovative approach to improving mental health in adults, children and young people. Our team of qualified, experienced therapists use interactive experiences with horses to enable emotional and social growth.

Our aim is to provide a safe physical and emotional environment in which to:

Support efforts towards change

Improve interpersonal skills

Build self worth and empowerment

Gain communication and coping skills through experiences

We are a community interest company and we are committed to reinvesting profits back into our programme to sustain and further our mission to provide clients with experiential opportunities to practice healthy life skills in a safe environment.

Who We Work With

We work with individuals and groups and have successful partnerships with a number of health and social care agencies, supplying them with bespoke programs that help to treat a variety of issues such as addiction, behavioural issues, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationship/family difficulties, communication problems and post traumatic stress.

In addition we work alongside corporate partners to provide team building sessions that develop skills in leadership and listening, effective communication, stress management, problem solving and overcoming obstacles.

All members of our team are all highly experienced and qualified within their fields and our program is a model approved by the Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association (EAGALA). We are the only centre in Cornwall accredited to deliver this service.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Equine Assisted Learning

The aim of these sessions is to give clients experiential opportunities to practice healthy life skills in a physically and emotionally safe environment, and to give them the confidence to take those skills back into their life. The therapy team always consists of an equine specialist and a fully qualified mental health professional.

Simple and safe groundwork activities (e.g. grooming and leading horses) combined with psychotherapy techniques enable participants to develop new skills and learn about themselves. Sessions include structured activities to address specific client issues or goals. Typical activities might be: leading the horse through a maze; getting the horse to go over an obstacle without touch, leading or bribing the horse; working in pairs to lead a horse around an obstacle course using only fine wool as a lead. These activities then lead to discussion about feelings, behaviours and patterns.

Why Horses?

We use horses because they are highly sensitive and intuitive. For their survival it is crucial they communicate clearly and effectively and they demand that same level of communication from those working with them.

Horses have no hidden agenda and because of that they are able to give clients immediate, honest and non-judgmental feedback. Clients are taught through experiences that anger and anxiety does not work with horses and learn new methods of clear communication.

Autism and LD

Equine Assisted Therapy has been shown to be extremely beneficial to children with autism and LD. The therapy helps the child to develop many skills they need to function in society.

Children with autism also benefit from equine therapy due to the motor, emotional, and sensory sensations that come with interacting with a horse.

Quoted from the Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation Website

"Autistic children have difficulty bonding emotionally to others. As the parent of an autistic child, you know that it is hard for your child to make eye contact, communicate what he is feeling, and express himself to those he cares about. Rather than verbal communication, autistic children experience physical communication with the horses. They brush them, hug them, and pat them. By learning to care for the horse, they associate the care they provide with feelings and an emotional bridge is constructed. This bond can lead to social and communication skill production with other people in his life as well."

Family Therapies

We offer both residential and non-residential support programs for families needing help with a range of problems including trauma, bereavement, communication breakdown, anxiety and stress management, eating disorders, low self esteem, anger, aggression, substance abuse and domestic violence.

Corporate Training & Team Building

Are you looking for an innovative approach to team building and leadership development for your organisation? Equus Solutions offers a unique, fun and refreshing alternative to the usual classroom based approaches to staff training. We will tailor a bespoke package to suit your organisation’s specific needs

On Site Facilities

In addition to our stables and our training paddock we are currently undergoing a large development across the farm to expand our community facilities.

This includes or will include a café, a butterfly & moth house, a horticultural area with a polytunnel, a sensory garden, a wildflower meadow, a woodland trail, an orchard and ponds.

As a community interest project we are committed to reinvesting profits back into our programme to sustain and further our mission to provide clients with opportunities to practice healthy life skills in a physically and emotionally safe environment.

Residential Facilities

The Old Vicarage bed & breakfast accommodation enables us to offer a wide range of support and activities to those based too far away for daily travel. We are pleased to be able to provide not only double rooms but also family suites (one of which has disabled access and modifications).

Because all of our equine assisted therapy and learning programs are bespoke to our clients needs the ability to offer accommodation gives us tremendous flexibility, especially for families and corporate customers who may wish to combine development sessions with horse riding and a holiday in a fantastic location.

Our Partners