FEATURE STORY
HEALING WITH HORSES BY SARAH MARINOS
Retired thoroughbred racehorses are proving to be valuable and sensitive assets in the world of equine therapy, and counsellor Lisa Coffey has tapped into this, sharing her knowledge with those who need it. “I came here in not a very good state. Physically and mentally, it’s given me the space and time to work out things and unravel,” recalled Cassandra Gatt. “I was in a paddock with a few horses and I was really struggling physically walking, and this horse came and let me lean against him and we just walked together, up and down and around, and I cried. Because he not only knew that I needed that, he was there to support it. It’s quite amazing. I love horses now. I love them.” Gatt is one of a number of Australians benefiting from equine-assisted psychotherapy at Racing Hearts on the Mornington Peninsula. The organisation is run by counsellor Lisa Coffey, who has worked in the racing industry for most of her life. Hailing from Ireland, where she worked as an apprentice jockey teacher, and at Aidan O’Brien’s stables helping fly his horses around the world among other jobs, Coffey ended up in Melbourne purely because of the Melbourne Cup. “The Melbourne Cup is just held in such high esteem in Europe,” she said. Her job search led her to Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Sheila Laxon, riding work at her stables in Seymour. A desire to experience racing in the city took her to Peter Moody’s stables, then to Racing Victoria and then into rehoming and retraining. This led to Racing Hearts, which combines her two areas of expertise – thoroughbred racehorses and counselling people towards better mental health. She has a team of psychologists, counsellors, mental health nurses, early childhood education specialists and therapeutic riding coaches working with their clients. “Having a mix of specialist knowledge in mental health areas is incredibly beneficial as it gives us a wealth of treatment options to choose from. This is a much better approach for the clients as each has unique and individual needs, so we tailor each plan to suit those needs,” said Coffey. “I describe equine-assisted psychotherapy as traditional counselling offered in a non-traditional way. It’s powerful when you connect people with horses,” said Coffey.
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