Our Approach
Freedom of movement
We have homegrown and home trained our horses to be very close to people and naturally easy to approach and handle. The current herd of 4 horses have been specially trained in equitherapy, they are unusually docile and tactile and whilst playful and animated they are all very even tempered. We will increase from 4 to 6 over the course of the next 12 months. Unlike in traditional equestrian centres, the horses have been allowed to roam freely in as close to a natural environment as possible. It is this freedom of movement which will be at the heart of our project.
Audience
We will seek to address and work with those who are experiencing different forms of distress, anxiety and anguish. At the beginning we will focus on people who have very light/ mild mental health issues. This will range from people experiencing extreme stress, anxiety and burn out for professional and personal reasons through to different forms of trauma and social or personality disorders. At a later stage and once up and running and proven we will look to work with more acute mental health issues such as autism and aspergers but this will be at a later stage once we have a good grasp of the issues that we face and a proven track record of achieving outcomes. We will work on a very small scale at the outset with a maximum of 6 clients in line with the number of horses that we have. To start with we will work on a “word of mouth” basis with recommendations within a closed circle. The emphasis will remain on small groups and/ or “one on one” activity.
Outcomes
We are looking to improve mental and physical wellbeing and relieve anguish. As with other forms of natural therapy there will be clear measurables but they will be “well-being” outcomes as opposed to medical outcomes. We do not have any extravagant ambitions but we are confident of our ability to positively influence a small slice of the population.
Funding
Our primary source of funding will come from our core group of sponsors. The two founding investors are Cobalt Partners Limited, a healthcare focused headhunting firm with a strong focus on social care and mental health, and Archimed, a Healthcare focused Investment fund with an established Foundation: Eureka that is focused on psychological frailty.
Beyond this, funds will come from other new sponsors, fundraising events and a percentage of paying customers.
