Equine Assisted Activities

Equine-assisted work honors the natural behavior of horses and herds.  Horses are skilled at keeping themselves safe and adept at survival; their natural behaviors are optimal for mental and physical health.  In many respects, humans have lost the instinct to keep themselves safe and healthy.  We entrust horses to show us the way back to health.  Work and observation in the horse world lends itself to extremely powerful metaphors into our own patterns, strengths, and the nonverbal messages we send out.  Equine Assisted Psychotherapy implements the power of equine-assisted principles and exercises to introduce therapy clients to themselves in a modality that has been found to be more efficient and less threatening than traditional talk therapy.  Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is a field of practice based on the successes of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.  We have learned that everyone can benefit from equine-assisted work - not just therapy clients.  EAL uses equine-assisted principles and exercises in a variety of "arenas" from corporate retreats, to church groups, personal coaching, parenting and family dynamics and more! https://okcorralseries.com/about

While many equine facilities offer "therapeutic" services without being certified, at A Better Day Counseling and Farms, we believe it is best practice to be certified, licensed and trained. Bracal is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor licensed to practice in the state of Maine and has certification in both Animal Assisted Therapies and  Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Kelly is certified in Equine Assisted Learning. 

Our first priority is the safety of all parties. Some activities may not be suitable for children that require constant supervision but other activities can accommodate younger children with parental supervision such as farm visits. Not sure? Give us a call. 

We do not ride our animals. All of our herd are rescues and come with their own trauma and health backgrounds. We believe that there is as much, if not more benefit to working with the animals from the ground. Ground work requires self-awareness, partnership and joining with the animal.

We do offer mental health counseling for adults and children ages 12 and over. At this time we have a waitlist. For more information contact the office. 

We are not a rescue. However, we do adopt from rescues for our program. All of our herd has been adopted, with the exception of Boss who was born here after his mom was rescued. 

We rely on natural horse behavior to teach us how we have lost our way. Horses are herd animals but when offered a treat their natural way is replaced with pack mentality. "Every wolf in a wolf pack has a place in the pecking order, and they have a very strong leader. Herds have no such hierarchy, and are led by the will of the majority. For example, a pack attacks an animal based on a decision of the leader. A herd flees from a predator, instinctually, and all at once".  Its the natural herd principles that guide EAP/EAL.