Horses 4 Us

“Allow our horses to impart knowledge about your body language, communication and well-being”

About Equine Workshops

Horses have an innate ability to read our energy and body language. They are highly intuitive and can reflect insightful information back to us in a nonjudgmental manner, resulting in increased self-awareness, communication skills and improved body language. Working with horses has many benefits, such as reducing anxiety and feeling calmer and more present. During a workshop, you will work with the horses on the ground (not ridden). It is suitable for everyone, even those who are fearful or have never been around one.

Kimberley will provide reassurance and instruction. She has worked with horses for 25 years and trained in Australia and the UK to develop horsemanship skills. She is a licensed facilitator under the Horses Helping Humans ™ model (which focuses on body language and personality types) and trained under the Eagala Model (a psychotherapy and personal development model).

 

Benefits

  • Calmness. Learn to control a 600kg horse with your breath!

  • Body language. Learn what your body is communicating and how it can be improved.

  • Communication. Time to reflect on how we come across and see our blind spots. Being self-aware helps relationships and communication with others.

  • Wellbeing. Working with horses and tools given to aid anxiety and depression.

  • Boundaries. Learn to be assertive without getting a reaction.

Horses 4 Us: Corporate

“Learning without experience is just information”. Albert Einstein

Swap out the conference room for the paddock and wisdom of a horse. Take valuable time and space to physically experiment with learning about yourself and your teammates in an unusual, enjoyable, and thought-provoking way. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is required for functioning effectively within a team; build your team’s EQ and connection by participating in one of the options below.

  • This workshop focuses on personality types, body language, and how we come across to others physically and energetically. It covers topics rarely discussed; however, it is crucial given that our body language comprises 60-80% of total communication! It is great for building imperturbability, self-awareness, communication skills, leadership skills, understanding of how others are motivated, and learning to lead from a position of respect rather than demand or plead.

    Investment

    $250 pp

    Catering additional

  • Get into the paddock for two hours and see what horses can teach you and your team. This is the perfect way to start off your overnight conference at Makoura Lodge as it becomes an experience to bond and reflect over.

    $100pp

  • “Fantastic team building day in a fun, thought provoking environment. Such great practical applications to the workplace & relationships.

    — Lauren Parsons, Wellbeing Specialist, Thrive, Palmerston North

    “WOW- what can happen when you're calm with great body language.”

    — Richard Gibson, Redvespa- Owner, Wellington

    “Insightful, fantastic and rewarding.”

    — Geraint Williams, Screen Vistas- General Manager, Palmerston North

    “If you are looking for something a bit different for your team, the Horses Helping Humans workshop is a fantastic team building day in a fun and relaxed environment. No matter the personality types in your business, the workshop is designed to help you understand and identify with your own personality type and others, for better communications built on trust and respect.”

    — Pnpersonnel Recruitment Specialists

 

Horses 4 Us: Youth

Horses For Youth is a safe space to explore, connect, and learn

Troubled youth working with a horse in a equine therapy session

In our fast-paced world, with device time on the rise and the number of social interactions declining, it is little wonder why our rangatahi are experiencing increasing well-being challenges. With horse-time, there is a chance for youth to become present, connect with another being, and relax by resetting the nervous system. A reset precedes space for learning new tools to help the student with resilience. Horses provide the perfect teacher with non-judgmental feedback.

  • By dropping out of fight and flight to the rest and digest phase (sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system) there is a window for the pre-frontal cortex part of the brain to be activated and accessed. When this occurs youth have the ability to learn and create new neural pathways with the quintessential component of physical experiment with the horse reinforcing and cementing learnings for a range of well-being challenges.

    Working with horses benefits rangatahi experiencing testing times with confidence, anxiety, depression, communication, ADHD, self-regulation, and PTSD. Horse’s hearts are huge and can co-regulate a human’s heat beat slowing it down enabling calmness. Being around a horse increases feel good hormones and helps to develop empathy. Students will ask horses to do things from a assertive but calm place and they will learn to control their horse via energy, breath, and open body language. After a session youth often report feeling calmer and happier.

    The sessions are run at Makoura Lodge. The wairua (spirit ) at Makoura is strong and the refreshing, peaceful environment plays a key role in aiding well-being and healing. Although an hour's drive from Palmerston North, caretakers often report it is a great time on the way home to have deeper and more insightful conversations.

    Kimberley runs the sessions and has the ability to make those around her feel comfortable and has the knowledge to work with youth. She has experience as a youth worker, understands the requirements under the Te Tiriti O Waitangi, and has studied a certificate in Mental Health and Education.

  • What a session looks like depends on the individual. For one student just approaching the horse for the first time and patting it is a huge step whereas another may be confident around them straight away. The student chooses the pace. The session may include moving horses, grooming, leading them over obstacles, backing them up, getting them to trot by increasing energy and stopping them by breathing out, feeding them, or even just time to be still and cuddle the horse. The session is about allowing rangatahi a safe space to explore themselves and leave feeling uplifted and mana enhanced.

  • Recommended five 1.5-hour weekly sessions

    $175 per session

    Whānau welcomed and encourage to watch

    Cancellation policy- non-refundable if cancellation made within 24-hours

Horses 4 Us: One on One

Are you in need of ‘you’ time? No matter what you are hoping to achieve out of your session; Kim and the horses can tailor a one-one to suit. A bit of horse-time can do wonders for your heart, mind, and soul.

$150 for the first hour then $75 per hour thereafter.

 

Horses 4 Us: Couples & Families

Enhance your communication and connection by attending an eye opening Equine assisted workshop. The horses and Kimberley will take you through personality and body language tips creating a better understanding of yourself and each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and how they interact and impact on one another. This is a FUN, non-judgmental, and practical way to learn more about each other in a way you haven’t before!

  • Two people:

    Duration- 2 hours. $350

    Families:

    Duration- dependent on numbers

    Please enquire with ages and numbers for a quote

  • “We so so loved our getaway and “the perfect date” with you Kim and your amazing horses. Thank you so much for helping us better understand oneself and each other. We will continue talking about the different personalities, how we tick, and how we can communicate better. We will recommend your workshop to others too as it was truly eye-opening and “bubbling” :)

    — Sidonia Greenbank

 
“Fantastic team building day in a fun, thought provoking environment. Such great practical applications to the workplace & relationships. ”
— Lauren Parsons, Wellbeing Specialist, Thrive, Palmerston North