Sweet As- Equine Assisted Therapy

26/08/2026

How cool is this.

Before any of my clients ask, you will not arrive to your session next week and see a sheep in the paddock with Echo and Whinny .

24/08/2026

When the horses lie down, I pay attention. 🐴🌿

There is something beautiful about watching horses completely relax — resting their bodies, softening their breathing and simply being present.

For me, moments like this are a reminder of what regulation can look like.

No rushing.
No performing.
No pretending everything is okay.

Just feeling safe enough to pause, rest and be.
In equine-assisted psychotherapy, we can learn from these moments. Horses invite us to slow down, notice what is happening in our bodies, and become more aware of our own emotional state.
Sometimes healing begins with simply learning that it is okay to stop. 🤍

🐴 Echo & Whinny
🌿 Sweet As – Equine Assisted Therapy

14/08/2026

💛 Something exciting is coming to Sweet As! 💛

I’m working on something a little different — a Sweet As Wellbeing Range designed to support emotional wellbeing, coping skills and self-care. 🌿🐴

🎒 Sweet As Backpack
📓 Sweet As Wellbeing Journal
💛 Affirmation Cards
⭐ Sticker Sheet
✏️ Sweet As Pen
🌀 Sensory/Fidget Item
🧰 My Coping Toolbox Card

Designed with kids, teens AND adults in mind. 💛

I’d love to know… would you be interested in something like this?

👇 Comment YES or tell me what you’d love to see included!

These are currently in the development stage, with the range coming soon.

Follow Sweet As for updates — I can’t wait to share the finished products with you! 🐴💛

05/08/2026

04/08/2026

🌿🐴 A Warm Welcome to Our New Followers 🐴🌿

I wanted to take a moment to welcome all of the new people who have recently joined the Sweet As – Equine Assisted Therapy community.

It has been a little while since I’ve posted, and there’s a very good reason for my quietness here. I have been incredibly busy behind the scenes, spending my time doing what I love most — supporting clients through equine-assisted therapy and witnessing their courage, growth and progress.

Sometimes the most meaningful work happens away from social media. It has been a privilege to walk alongside the people I work with and to see the unique connection that can develop between a person and a horse.

I’m also excited to share that today I started my next paper towards my Master's of Health Practice. 🎓📚

Continuing my education is incredibly important to me. I believe that learning never stops, and I’m committed to continuing to develop my knowledge, skills and therapeutic practice so that I can provide safe, thoughtful and evidence-informed support to the people and families I work alongside.

Running a therapy practice, working with clients, caring for the horses and studying can certainly be a juggle — but I feel incredibly grateful to be doing something that I am so passionate about.

So, to everyone who has recently followed this page — thank you and welcome!

I look forward to sharing more of the Sweet As journey with you — including the horses, equine-assisted therapy, my study journey, and some of the beautiful moments that happen along the way.

Thank you for being here and for supporting Sweet As – Equine Assisted Therapy.

With gratitude,
Gail

19/04/2026

Weekend paddock clean-up done ✔️

Fresh, tidy paddock and happy horses enjoying their baileage… well, most of them 😅

Echo is not impressed about having to eat her own food when, in her opinion, all the baileage and the grass clearly belongs to her anyway 🤦‍♀️

Safe to say she’s managing the situation with her usual level of sass while everyone else just gets on with it 🐴🌿

Nothing better than a clean paddock and full bellies (even if some horses think they’ve been personally wronged 😂)

12/04/2026

🌧️ Storm rolling in? No worries here 🐴💚

While the wind howls and the rain pours, our horses are safe, warm, and completely at ease—happily munching on their premium baleage.

✔️ Nutritious
✔️ Weather-protected
✔️ Dust-free & horse-approved

Because even in the toughest conditions, your horses deserve comfort, quality, and peace of mind.

🌿 During stormy weather, our sessions will move online to keep everyone safe, as there is no shelter at the paddock. Thank you so much for your understanding and flexibility—it truly means a lot.

I also really appreciate all my clients during these online sessions—I know you come for the horses (lol!) 🐎💚 Your support doesn’t go unnoticed.

Keep them calm, keep them fed, keep them thriving 🌿🐎

29/03/2026

🐴🧠 What if therapy could actually change the brain?

A really interesting study titled “Neural changes following equine-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A longitudinal multimodal imaging study”, published in Human Brain Mapping, gives us something we don’t often see in therapy research — actual brain-based evidence of change.

Using MRI scans before and after equine-assisted therapy, researchers found:

✨ Changes in brain areas linked to emotional regulation
✨ Stronger connections in the brain’s reward and motivation system (the caudate)
✨ Real reductions in PTSD symptoms — linked directly to these brain changes

This is powerful, because it shows that the impact of equine therapy isn’t just something people feel — it can be seen in how the brain is functioning.

💡 Horses respond to us in the moment — without judgement, without words.
They help people become more aware of their emotions, regulate their responses, and feel safe enough to reconnect.

🌿 Why this matters
For many people, especially those who have experienced trauma, talking isn’t always enough. This research highlights that healing can happen through connection, experience, and relationship — not just conversation.

27/03/2026

A little reminder from behind the scenes…

This work is incredibly meaningful, but it can also be heavy at times. Supporting others through their journeys requires presence, care, and connection—and just as importantly, it reminds me how essential it is to prioritise wellbeing for everyone, including myself.

Equine-assisted therapy offers a unique space to slow down, regulate, and reconnect. Spending time with Echo and Whinny, there’s no pressure—just a calm, grounded environment where people can feel safe to be themselves 🐴

The herd has an incredible way of helping with emotional regulation, building trust, and creating connection without the need for words.