Guiding Principles

Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship provides equine-assisted therapeutic and educational opportunities for disadvantaged young people and adults and those suffering social exclusion or disability through engaging in activities with horses and other animals within the natural environment. Our aim is to improve health and wellbeing and support beneficiaries to become more resilient and better able to overcome the challenges and disadvantages they face in order to have more positive life outcomes.

• Sirona follows a child and person-centered non-judgmental, strength-based and relational approach where everyone is accepted as an individual, regardless of their life circumstances or support needs.

• Our horses’ and other animals’ well-being and welfare is paramount and we follow an animal-centred, positive reinforcement training approach, together with a naturally based management system, based on sound, research based ethological principles.

• Sirona believes that building long-term trusting relationships with both humans, horses and other animals based on individual’s needs is key: therefore, we provide placement length based on need rather than a set number of sessions.

• This relationship-based approach includes our relationship with the natural environment, and our activities include spending time in nature and learning about the natural environment and the plants and animals we share our lives with.

• Beneficiaries are involved in all aspects of their session planning and goals: we follow a strength based and co-production approach where we co-design our activities with our participants.

• Sirona is committed to ongoing personal development of our team, with our provision being underpinned by evidence-based practice and theoretical frameworks based on attachment theory, trauma-informed practice and humanistic principles. This includes regular training opportunities with respected equine trainers including our patron Lucy Rees – author of ‘The Horses’ Mind’ upon whose work our equine welfare and training principles are based.