horsing around
TIME WITH HORSES HELPS SPREAD CALMNESS + WELLBEING
Words by Linda Kramer Jenning
Photos by Oriana von Specht
WHETHER COLLEEN FISHER WAS GROOMING HORSES OR MUCKING THEIR STALLS OR LETTING THEM LICK A TREAT OUT OF HER HAND, SIMPLY BEING AROUND THEM MADE HER FEEL BETTER. SHE STARTED HER NEW BUSINESS, WELLNESS WITH HORSES, TO SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE WITH OTHERS.
“I realized I felt such a sense of calm and well-being,” says Fisher. “Horses are very much in the moment, which we are not most of the time. Horses are very grounded and just make us feel really good.”
Horseplay, she found, has real benefits.
Intrigued by the wellness she experienced around horses, Fisher dove into research on the subject and enrolled at the Herd Institute to study equine facilitation and the therapeutic value of interacting with horses. After completing theinstitute’s coursework, she decided to offer a non-riding, non-psychotherapy program that focuses on promoting well-being by encouraging people to engage with her three equine colleagues: Kingston, Joey and Scout.
“We don’t go into a lot of the emotions, that’s out of the scope of practice for an equine facilitated learning practitioner. It’s therapeutic, but not therapy,” explains Fisher.
Clients can walk the horses, groom them and sit around and hang out with them. In the process, people often learn about themselves and feel less stressed.
Fisher grew up riding horses and went on to compete in jumping and dressage. She also competed nationally as a bodybuilder with her mother (but that’s another story) and then worked for about 40 years as a fitness instructor on Bainbridge Island. After stints at Island Fitness and other gyms, she and her husband, a general contractor, converted their garage into a fully equipped gym where she offered private lessons until she decided to start her new venture.
“I was really ready for a different way to help people, and I found it. I feel like the universe has just put me right where I need to be,” says Fisher.
Sometimes she does journaling exercises with her clients as they sit and observe the horses. She might ask for their interpretation of what they see or of an interaction they had and how it might relate to their lives.
Taking the horses on a walk is one practice that Fisher says works well for corporate team-building workshops.
“It helps boost confidence,” she says. “It’s how you lead. Who’s leading who, because the horses will lead you if you let them. Do you lead compassionately? Do you listen? Are you present? And the horses really teach you that.”
The horses in question are all over 20 years old and have various issues that ended their careers in jumping or dressage or trail riding. Fisher says not all horses are cut out to do equine facilitation work, but Kingston, Joey and Scout all love people and required no special training. “It seems the horses provide whatever interaction that person may need, that day or that moment, and they’re all different.”
At 20 years old, Kingston, a Dutch Warmblood, is the youngest of the horses. Fisher calls him “the main squeeze.” When I visited, he readily ate a treat from my hand and his shining eyes made it clear why Fisher also calls him “a big flirt.” “He’s very social,” she says. “He was kind of born for this work.”
Joey, a Hanoverian Warmblood, was a successful fancy dressage competitor before semi-retiring to Fisher’s farm. “He is so funny. He’s going to be 29 this year but has so much get-up-and-go. He loves being hand-walked.”
Scout, 26, is a fully retired Tennessee Walker whose owner welcomed Fisher’s offer to give him a new job. “We call him goofy because he’s goofy and friendly and loves to help. He can’t be ridden anymore because his front ankles are really arthritic, but he has a new career now and gets all kinds of love and attention,” Fisher explains.
“People think, well, they can’t be ridden anymore, so they end up throwing them away or worse, taking them to slaughter,” adds Fisher. “What I love about this work is that the horses are not done. Just because they can’t be ridden, they can actually have another purpose.”
It’s a purpose Fisher began thinking about during the pandemic, when being around the horses and being outside made a difference for her well-being. “I started asking myself how do I help people feel what I feel when I’m around them? Wellness encompasses so many different pieces of a puzzle, but what we fail to recognize, I think, is how important our mindfulness is.”
Kingston, Joey and Scout each have their own ways of interacting with people and took naturally to their new portfolios, observes Fisher. The horses create an environment where participants can be mindful and present, and research shows being with them can “lower our cortisol levels and just make us feel really good,” she notes.
This work also makes Kingston, Joey and Scout feel good, Fisher reports. “They get loved on and attention and grooming. This practice is all about the good that you can do for both the participants and these guys. A lot of it is really being outdoors and having these incredible magnificent animals guide us in a way that we don’t even realize sometimes. It’s a labor of love.”
ANIMAL PROGRAMS
Wellness with Horses: Offering private, group and team building sessions with Colleen Fisher’s horses on Bainbridge Island to build self-awareness, personal growth and camaraderie.
One Heart Wild Education Sanctuary: Located in Silverdale, this nonprofit seeks to bring people and animals together to heal and grow. It offers therapy, counseling and personal development programs based around engaging with horses, cows, goats, pigs and other rescued animals.
Happy Hooves Sanctuary: This Bainbridge Island farm is home to rescued mini horses and offers a nurturing environment to support the well-being of neurodivergent individuals, including children and adults with autism and Down syndrome.
The Wanderers’ Nest: This 2.5-acre farm on Bainbridge Island offers programs for all ages to benefit from being around its herd of rescued goats. Owner and facilitator Michele Muffoletto says their goal is “to share the power of animal-assisted interventions and nature-based experiences with others.”
Sage & Willow Farm: Located in Poulsbo, this farm offers Kitsap Goat Yoga, where the energy of goats combines with the mindful presence of yogis to “create a magical synergy of bliss, happiness and joy.”
The Whole Horse Place: The mission of this Port Orchard nonprofit is to enrich lives while giving horses a place to live out their days with dignity. Programs for youth and adults include riding and horse care. For youth battling addiction, the organization offers a free, equine-assisted, substance abuse prevention program called Stable Paths.