During the last year of care that Equilore has provided our young person a safe space to engage in therapeutic work with horses, this has enabled our young person to find significant joy in working with people with likewise passions and has built relationships during this time that will stay with her. Delia has a profound amount of experience in this field and has helped our young person to nurture and provide education in regulating emotions while engaging in horse grooming tasks. The service provided is extremely reliable and patient with our young persons needs and nothing is ever too much for them to cater for. We are extremely appreciative of the hard work the team has put in to our individual and has made an everlasting impact in her life’
Nurseline Community Services
When I first met Loes and the herd I was in a difficult place. My life felt out of control. I wasn’t in the driving seat – I was curled up in the back seat and grumbling, feeling overwhelmed and unhappy. The usual suspects were to blame: anxiety, low self confidence, guilt about my past and boundaries not being respected. I felt more like a child than an adult.
Working outside in the arena with Loes and the herd was liberating. Loes listened patiently and together with the horses I learned to start liking myself again and started putting away all those negative thoughts which have tied me down for so long. All this was done through learning how to remain present in the moment and by doing different exercises with the horses.
For example the horses were used to represent individuals in my life. Seeing how they interacted (or didn’t) showed me how my behaviour positively and negatively impacts those around me. This was a really useful lesson to learn. For me it was so much easier to see this visually and physically rather than discussing it in an abstract manner.
In another session my confidence soared when without any halter, lead rope or coercion I asked Gerry to go over some jumps for me – which he did. . How did I do that ? The adrenaline rush afterwards was amazing. Now if I lack confidence I remember “I can do anything – I made Gerry jump .”
Boundaries are big problem for me but defending a bucket of apples from the ever hungry / greedy Elsie showed me that when I put my mind to it I do have very clear and strong boundaries.
I learned so much during my sessions and I am still a work in progress but I am eternally grateful to Loes and the herd for helping me heal and putting me back in the driving seat of my life. At last I feel like an adult.
Thank you Loes, Gerry, Buddy, Winnston and Elsie.
Madeleine
“Equilore’s services are exemplary! Loes Koorenhof is masterful at integrating her academic credentials and professional practice with an insightful, rigourous and visionary approach to equine therapy. I have been working with Loes in a ‘train the trainer’ capacity for over 3 months. At first we wondered how this would work. I live in western Canada, exactly 4,177 kilometers away. The distance does not matter with Loes. Our bi-weekly video conference sessions has opened my eyes and helped me develop a more reflective and patient, more creative and infinitely more knowledgeable practice. Thank you Loes!”
K.H.
“Firstly I’m so very grateful to The Hummingbird Centre for sending me to see Loes, this was an experience that not only saved me from sinking down a very large hole but that has changed how I think about and deal with the negative things that crop up in my life.
Yes, I still can have days when things get to me but overall I would say I have learnt how to take charge of my life and my thinking so that I can turn things around much quicker and I honestly don’t believe I would have learnt those skills without Loes and her equine therapy course.
Loes is a lovely lady who made me feel totally at ease, I’m not someone who normally would talk about my emotions but between Loes and the interaction with her amazing horses I felt completely comfortable to open up and not feel judged or stupid.
I can’t thank her, the horses and The Hummingbird Centre for all there help getting my life back on track.”
C.D.
“I was keen to try an alternative therapy methods and welcomed a recommendation to take part in equine assisted therapy with Loes.
Loes provided a safe and calming environment to bond with the horse which allowed me to reflect on, understand and address various problems.
Although open minded I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the horses response and the connection we developed, finding the experience to be thoroughly rewarding.
Loes made me feel at ease throughout the sessions (especially the first time I nervously ventured in to the field with these beautiful but rather large animals!).
Equilore represents a new and interesting way of approaching therapy and I would recommend anyone looking for something a bit different to get in touch with Loes.”
A.J.
“I did the 8 week EFP course with Loes Koorenhof at the end of last year beginning of 2018. Due to illness I was struggling with low self esteem and confidence with my new horse Thunder. Sadly, I lost my mare Hannah last June, we had 17 fantastic years together, she died 2 days before her 27th birthday. The course with Loes was amazing.
I will be honest it took a bit to understand what EFP is. Loes is so professional and kind and puts you at complete ease. She helped me in so many ways, to deal with what life throws at you. When you get to working one to one to one with the horses, it is an amazing feeling and is an emotional experience. The response from the horse is fantastic and the course has helped me so much in day to day life and given me back the confidence in myself and my horse. Loes, thank you very much for everything.”
Sue and Thunder
“I had three sessions with Loes and found it a very powerful experience, so much more than I was expecting. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a different perspective, it really does open up a new way of thinking about issues and the connection with the horses is truly an amazing experience. Something that will stay with me for a long time, I was very surprised at how much impact it has had on me. Thank you so much, Loes.”
E.F.
“I have been attending sessions with Loes at Equilore during the past 9 months following on from room based therapy elsewhere.
Although initially talking therapy proved beneficial in encouraging me to acknowledge my experiences, feelings and emotions, I reached a point personally in which I realised that it was necessary for me to open myself up to, and place myself in a situation that would trigger the feelings I have in everyday life in that moment, in order to teach me how to manage feelings and emotions effectively.
In room based therapy I did not always feel that I could reconnect to emotions and feelings already passed, which made it challenging to learn how to manage them safely and effectively.
As a kinaesthetic and tactile individual, I relate to the world through being provided with the opportunities to touch and feel, exploring and learning in the moment has positive outcomes for me.
I presented to Loes and her team of horses as a very lost individual, anxious, reserved, untrusting of others, afraid of and disconnected from the world around me, afraid of and lacking any understanding of the sensations I so often felt internally, unable to connect feelings to emotions, unable to see the bigger picture and with no knowledge of safe coping mechanisms or how to use them.
I often felt as though I was looking through a glass screen at the world around me but that I wasn’t a part of it. Loes took the time to listen and understand me as an individual, gaining my trust and then helping me to realise and accept that this was a common result of multiple trauma.
Loes has a relaxed approach and tailors sessions to my individual needs, she displays the quality of unconditional positive regard, is accepting of whatever feelings or emotion I raise or are triggered in every session and is seeing me through a wide range of emotions related to my experiences.
Together Loes and her horses have challenged me a little more each session, now every week triggering a positive outcome in one way or another.
In one particular session that I found to be extremely powerful, whilst working with Equilore herd member ‘Buddy’ I experienced what I described as a “whooshing” sensation internally, a feeling I often have but until recently have not been able to identify or manage.
Buddy reacted to my internal “whoosh” by becoming tense, restless and not allowing me to continue to groom him at this moment, this process continued for a short period until Loes and I agreed to pause and identify what had occurred within me/or the emotion I was experiencing to result in Buddy’s reaction.
Together Loes and I were able to analyse and make sense of the situation, enabling me to acknowledge that the anxiety within me, that I was not fully aware of, had triggered Buddy’s reaction.
As Loes taught me techniques to calm myself internally and Buddy and I took a step back from the grooming and were just together “being” in the moment, Buddy also calmed with me and later allowed me to stroke him as the session progressed.
Equine therapy for me with Loes and her horses, is providing the opportunity I desperately required to be present in any given moment, it is triggering emotions that I haven’t entirely been in touch with over many decades and allowing me the chance to learn about myself as an individual, the world around me, the impact I have in the world, and most importantly giving me the trust and confidence in myself and others, whilst teaching me how I can respond positively and effectively to any situation that I find myself in.
I have worked with Loes and her horses through acknowledging my past and present situations, reaching a level of acceptance with many aspects of this.
Loes as an equine therapist is outstanding at reading the body language of her horses and helping me to identify how I am feeling in the here and now, which is exactly what I needed to be able to make forward progress.
Loes and I continue to work together in order to help me come to terms with some past and current situations involving trauma, after I identified I still have quite a way to travel on my personal journey, therapy does not create overnight change, it takes courage and ongoing commitment from the client and a willingness to work with the therapist to produce a positive outcome, it can be difficult to put ourselves in a situation in which we may feel vulnerable, however as I have found, this is where we begin to grow and thrive.
Now armed with a greater insight and understanding of how I relate to the world, I look forward to what the future holds.
Through my own experience at Equilore I would rate this service as outstanding and nothing like I have ever experienced before.
Over time Equine therapy sessions are gradually having a positive impact and changing many aspects of my life for the better, thus I am happy to recommend equine therapy to any individual experiencing trauma, trials, mental health difficulties or even if they are just interested in giving it a try to learn more about themselves, it will truly change your life and teach you the necessary skills that can be applied in everyday situations.”
Anonymous
Equilore 