H.E.A.R.T.S. - Horse Equine Alliance Resilience Trauma Support

The Charitable Trust H.E.A.R.T.S. - Horse Equine Alliance Resilience Trauma Support is a non-profit registered charitable trust with Charities Services of Internal affairs No.CC51224. NZBN: 9429048326452

The Trust is committed, in attaining its purposes, to respecting and implementing the dual heritage of the partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi). Respecting cultural diversity and encouraging people from all nationalities and social and economic backgrounds.

As well as inspiring people to reach their full potential by working cooperatively with others in personal development and mental health, and maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. Ensuring the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing of New Zealanders by providing education that strengthens individual, social and cultural connections.

We provide access to and support Equine Supported Development and Therapy programs, ensuring the clinical proficiency for people and the ethical treatment for horses. Informing with measurable results and supporting evidence of how this modality is facilitating positive change in people.

We are dedicated to improving services in Aotearoa.

The strength-based approach and the resilience of the transformative shifts that are found to occur, often very rapidly within a session, by using a variety of interventions such as experiential learning, problem- solving, social skills, and cognitive behavioural approaches. It is a short term intervention with lasting results.

We have worked with some of the most acute cases in Aotearoa, with children from the age of seven to people in their seventies. In the past 10 years, we have achieved a 98% success rate using measurement and data collection. Our work was once described by Judge Andrew Becroft (current Children’s Commissioner) as "The ambulance at the bottom of the cliff."

In raising awareness we have presented at Psychology Conferences in Aotearoa and facilitated workshops and seminars in Norway, through Europe, North America, and Rarotonga. The highlight of the HETI Conference in Ireland was having Princess Anne at our presentation.

Our next major project is to build a residential facility with sustainable living. This will be with healthy and environmentally sound buildings, along with the efficient use of power, water, and building materials. Which will create a high performance, zero energy centre.