06/02/2026
It was an absolute privilege to partner with the Orana Youth Justice Centre and their dedicated psychology team. We are so proud of the young people who leaned into this experience and showed such courage in their personal growth.
Over the seven days, we focused on our EPI Horse Wisdom Program, which provides a safe space for participants to explore:
Self-Regulation: Learning to find a calm state and notice when they are becoming activated.
Awareness/noticing: Horses are always aware of what is happening in their environment, within their bodies and with their feelings as a way of keeping safe, learning how to be more like them, learning to notice and respond in ways that help keep us safe.
Boundaries: Understanding their personal 'yes' and 'no' through respectful interaction with the horses.
Healthy Relationships: Developing trust and practicing two-way communication without the pressure of a traditional 'talk' setting.
Kind/helpful thoughts/talk: Noticing how thoughts directly affect the horse’s response in real-time and how they affect us and others around us.
Feelings: How we can use and experience our feelings.
Facing Life’s Challenges: How we can use the skills learned to better celebrate the good and manage the harder times.
Seeing these young people develop relationships with our Equine and K9 team, build skills and awareness and 'move forward with direction' is exactly why we do what we do. Thank you for having us! 🐴🐾✨"
If you’d like to explore a tailored program for your group, community organisation or service, or enquire about individual sessions, we would love to chat.
Did you know our Youth Justice Centres run equine therapy programs? 🐎
Equine therapy involves guided activities with horses to help young people build confidence, manage emotions and practice respectful communication.
Last October, young people at Orana Youth Justice Centre took part in a 7 day program delivered by Arrow Equine Therapy & Counselling.
With support from the Orana Psychology team, young people cared for and worked alongside horses while learning skills they could use in everyday life.
