44/ NOVEMBER 2013 THE RIDER


HEALING WITH HORSES – a unique healing centre where horses are the “therapists”


Horses Farm located just 20 minutes north of Toronto in Richmond Hill, Ontario, which offers valuable therapy programs that are a fun and positive way to strengthen children, teenagers and adults. Courses are offered for individuals, couples and families dealing with a variety of issues including confidence building, illness, eating disor- ders, trauma or accidents, cancer, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, and even military veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Healing with Horse also offers corpo-


Castelane, Partner and the Director of Healing with Horses Farm, where she is a Facilitator of Equine Healing, (FEEL) Facilitated Equine Experiential Learn- ing. Janine and her HwH Partner, Michele Mihalik, have created the Healing with Horses Farm Project. Janine also teaches Yoga and is a Holis- tic Energy and Hands on Health Practi- tioner.


rate and teams programs for corporations, sports teams, clubs and groups looking to bring their people together and develop bet- ter communications and understanding of each participant as an individual. The Rider spoke with Janine


By Glenda Fordham I recently discovered the Healing with


what you are to look at within yourself. They do this with such non-judgment and joyful acceptances that you cannot second guess your experience to be real.


Rider: Have you always been a horse lover – did you have a pony as a child or teen? Janine: We have both been horse lovers as children and teens into our adult lives. We both had family members with horses and farms and spent many hours with the horses riding and in the barn. Michele and I both went to horse camps growing up and contin- ued to ride through our 20’s. Our children took riding lessons and continue to this day to ride and work with horses.


Rider: How did you feel when you saw the results of your first healing endeavor? Janine: So incredibly excited and exhilarat- ed at the profound magic that the horse’s


both Michele and I are certified in Equine Facilita- tion


FEEL. through


Rider: How do you find your c l i e n t s…. o r should I say how do your clients find you? Janine: We are continually con- tacting organiza- tions such as hos- pitals, schools, corporations and therapists. Also as of late we have been connecting through the media. Client referral is paramount.


Rider: What inspired you to create the Healing With Horses Farm? Janine: Michele Mihalik and I created the Healing with Horses Farm in 2010 with the desire to connect the healing power of horses and people so they could benefit from this incredible expe- rience. We have both been working in the healing arts, helping people through many other modalities for the past 20 plus years. We have been searching for a pathway for people to get past their issues physically, mentally and emotionally where they feel safe and not judged. We all have challenges in our lives, and most would love to transi- tion these challenges into a learning experi- ence or heal to the best of our ability. These issues look different for each unique person. The horses have given us the gift to realize our vision. Horses give us such acceptance and love and are able to intuit our feelings and emotions. Horses will perceive your present emotional “block” and show you with their actions and demonstrate to you


healing ability exuded. It changed both our lives instantly.


Rider: What medical or therapeutic qualifi- cations do your team members possess? Janine: This is a topic that we have thought a great deal about. We support the idea to have psychotherapists on staff and we encourage therapist to come themselves for sessions and bring their clients. We also have clients come who are currently in treat- ment with therapists (we are not psychother- apists). Here at Healing with Horses Farm we keep the horse healing in its purist form. We find that many clients experience a cer- tain peace and freedom within the program we offer. The horse as healer and teacher,


horses.


Rider: How many horses do you cur- rently work with? Janine: We currently have 13 wonderful horses at our farm, and we primarily work with 8. Our vision is to share this incredible horse experience and healing process with as many people as we can. As we generate more income, we can support more horses to do this very special work. So many horses need a second chance or a second career, when in many cases they are simply discarded. We would love to help peo- ple and in turn help


Rider: Can you explain which breeds, ages and whether mares, geldings or stallions are the best to work with? Janine: We have mares and geldings that range from ages 6yrs to 26yrs old and we have thoroughbreds, Percherons, Quarter Horses, warm bloods and a Canadi- an. The gifts they share are unique not only with their personalities but range from client to client and session to session. It’s truly fascinating.


Rider: Is Healing with Horses Farm accept- ed by traditional medical or psychiatric cir- cles? Janine: We believe with time it will be more and more accepted as mainstream medicine comes to understand firsthand the power and the gifts the horses provide. The peace and healing the horses give humans are truly transformational. We have several therapists and psychotherapists that come to us per- sonally and refer their clients as well.


Rider: How do you see Healing with Hors- es Farm expanding in the future? Janine: Our vision for Healing with Horses Farm is to share the healing gifts of the magnificent majestic horses with as many people as we can reach. Horses have been here for us for thousands of years helping us in work and in sport. It is very important to us to not only help people but to help as many horses as we can as well. So many horses are simply discarded after their careers and this is a great way for horses to live happy purposeful lives being appreciat- ed and loved. It is truly magical how the horses can help people find their obstacles, look at them, transform or release them to find peace balance and happiness in life. We see all ages of people benefiting from ses- sions and workshops with the horses. We see how our youth responds and it is inspir- ing and we would like to continue to con- nect with the many schools, support services and organizations that work with youth and youth at risk. Another aspect of this is work- ing with the parents and families to give them the same support and tools. Yes, hors- es can do this.


unique equine-themed healing and wellness centre, please visit the website at www.healingwithhorsesfarm.com


If you’d like to learn more about the


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