Shine for Life offers equine assisted psychotherapy and learning to a wide range of clients, both adults and young people. Clients interact with the horses in structured session, translating the horse’s natural reactions to the body language or non-verbal messages of their clients. This can enable the client to understand and communicate their own feelings more clearly. Shine for Life founder Gabrielle Gardner works with a qualified team of specialist consultants and therapists, to offer a wide range of programmes including mental well-being, post-traumatic stress, relationship and bereavement counselling and recovery from addiction. “It’s all about metaphor,” says Gabrielle, pictured here (centre) with counsellor Helen (right) and client Barbara (left). “The horse can take on the persona of anyone – an ex-partner, a family member, a child or even an emotion or experience. In fact, the whole process is very ‘experiential’. We are out there in the field, with the horses, feeling the feelings, rather than using the part of the brain that thinks things through very, perhaps overly, rationally. It can be very moving.” Shine for Life received £1,000 from the Cullum Family Fund to offer subsidised sessions to local clients with no or on low incomes.