Equine Therapy Archives - Network Provence

Yesterday was Network Provence’s April meeting at Cafe de La Gare in Bonnieux featuring a presentation by Nancy Gilles.

Nancy is a well-being therapist for body and mind who engages her small troop of horses to enable a unique experience. Nancy gave a charming explanation of her practice, outlining what a therapy session is like with equine assistance.

Unfortunately, no horses were at the meeting, but it was very intriguing to hear how these animals can assist us humans in unblocking barriers in our minds and bodies. This is not something that requires riding skills or even horse knowledge. Still, I get the impression that after working on oneself with horse participation, one might have a great amount of horse appreciation. You can learn more and connect with Nancy through her website, https://lasantonneprovence.com

https://instagram.com/la_santonne

LA SANTONNE EQUINE THERAPY AND RETREATS

Nancy describes herself as passionate about helping people find inner peace and their true path through therapeutic interaction with horses and the healing beauty of nature.

After years in management and politics in Australia, it was time to change the pace. I retrained as an equine-assisted therapy practitioner and moved half a world away, drawn by the inspirational beauty of a crumbling farmhouse in high Provence.

Today I share the beauty of my property, La Santonne, with clients in individual equine therapy sessions or during my day-long small group retreats that bring together my qualifications in equine-assisted learning, insight meditation and musical breath-based exercise.

Why Provence?

My husband is French and grew up in Provence. But really, I fell in love with La Santonne that brought us here to the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. La Santonne is my physical and spiritual home, and I love sharing this healing place with those needing a breather from life.

What does your business do?

I work with clients to help them manage stress, understand themselves and their problems more, and find the best solutions to their challenges. I do this using an approach called Equine Assisted Therapy. This approach has intentional activities on the ground with horses at its centre adapted to the client’s needs. These activities lead to a greater understanding of self and can also respond to client needs for peace, comfort and support. The approach also draws from nature therapy and mindfulness meditation as key resources in calming stress and supporting resilience.

I also offer day-long retreats, which offer participants an escape from the pressures of life and an opportunity to breathe deeply, find some peace, rebuild inner resources and return home with a greater capacity to manage life’s challenges. These retreats include group equine therapy, mindfulness meditation and gentle breath-based movement to music.