Balance Equestrian

30/05/2026

As demand for mental health support increases across Aotearoa, we are proud to partner with South Coast Psychology to provide ACC sensitive claims and equine therapy services at our facility in Invercargill. 🌸

As organisations across Aotearoa navigate growing demand for mental health support, having the right partners in place matters more than ever.

At South Coast Psychology, we work alongside GPs, schools, NGOs, and community organisations to provide timely, culturally grounded pathways for the people you support.

Our team offers:
• ACC Sensitive Claims
• Psychological services for injury
• Specialist assessments
• Cultural advisory
• Group and equine therapy

We’re here to help you meet need with care, ensuring every client receives support that is safe, accessible, and grounded in best practice.

Get in touch.

29/05/2026

I’m feeling calm,
I’m feeling anxious,
I’m feeling excited,
I’m feeling happy.

How can you tell? 🤷‍♀️

Ruby is feeling lazy.
Whinney is feeling grumpy.
Mocka is feeling mischievous.
River is feeling boisterous.

Why do you think that? 🤷‍♀️
What do you observe?🤷‍♀️

These questions will feel familiar to anyone who’s participated in a programme at Balance.

I must admit, when I was first asked “how can you tell?” I responded with:

“What do you mean? I’m feeling calm because I feel calm.”⁉️

But how do you know you are calm?🤷‍♀️
What do you notice?🤷‍♀️
What are you feeling in your body?🤷‍♀️

Calm is the interpretation of the felt body sense. Sometimes we can be quick to interpret, quick to “manage” a feeling before we’ve really held space to feel it. 🏃‍♂️

When we work with horses, we often talk about the pause before interpretation. ⏸️

Because the truth is we can feel and interpret our own feelings (it takes practise!) but we don’t know what our horses are feeling. We don’t know what other people are feeling.

What we can do is observe. Interpret. Ask questions. Stay curious. Explore different possibilities. 🕵️

“Ruby is feeling lazy.”…Why do you think that?

Maybe we observe that she’s moving slowly, or saying “no” when asked to move forward.

But are there other interpretations?🔎
Maybe she’s tired,
Maybe she’s sore,
Maybe she doesn’t understand the cue,
Maybe she’s feeling worried.

Is there more information available?🔎
Can a vet, coach, bodyworker or another observer help our observation? What questions can we ask ourselves and others?

And if there are multiple plausible interpretations… what is the most generous one? ❤️

When we come across behaviour we don’t expect or don’t want, we often interpret quickly in an attempt to solve the “problem”.

Less pause.
Less exploration.
Less generosity.

We all carry our own experiences, fears and biases into our observations and interpretations.

If I’ve known many horses who bucked because of pain, I may overestimate the likelihood that a bucking horse is in pain.🤕

If my horse was once bitten by a dog, I may unconsciously look for evidence that my horse is afraid of dogs now. A curious sniff… in my eyes a fearful snort. 😱

The interpretations themselves may still be true. The horse may be in pain. The horse may be scared.

But it’s worth asking:🧐
Is my interpretation being shaped by past experiences?
Is my brain trying to protect me?
Is there more information available?
What is the most generous interpretation?

We might not know for sure. But we can pause.⏸️

And in case you need the reminder, it’s okay to feel the feeling in that pause. It’s okay for your horse to feel something too.😮‍💨

It might be uncomfortable.

Take a breath.
Feel the feeling.
Stay curious enough to explore.

What you find may surprise you.💕

23/05/2026

Happy Saturday from Penny and Dee! 🌸

19/05/2026

Mikayla Kyle and Lewis kitted up for X-Rays today 😎

Lewis, like many enthusiastic youngsters, enjoys learning through play. He’s recently learnt all about hedges - great for shelter though not the best wrestling partner.🤨

Not sure who’s going to grey out faster, us or Lewis 😅

As always we are so thankful for our welfare team at Balance and our expert vets at VetSouth. 💕

01/05/2026

🐴 Wanted on behalf:

Essential:
- Location: South Island
- Age: 4-15 years (5-10 preferred)
- More woah than go - doesn’t have to be bombproof
- Established under saddle OR a complete blank slate ready to start
- If under saddle, hacks alone and in company
- Floats well
- Pre-purchase vet check

Desired:
- QH or Draft types
- Trekking experience
- Cowboy challenge experience

About the home:
- Experienced owners
- Own land
- Other horse for company
- Have never sold a horse, all horses are part of the family and are kept through their retirement years
- Will not buy sight unseen

About the rider:
- Confident horseman
- Years of experience on the ground now looking to “level up” riding skills
- Trained farrier
- Confident walk and trot, establishing confidence at canter
- Appropriate budget for skills and traits desired. Budget will depend on age, level of training, location etc.

Please email: [email protected]

15/04/2026

There’s something about this photo…

The sweep of green around the duckpond in the distance. Riders chatting, present, unhurried.

Shiny coats, barefoot, bit-less. Curious yet at ease. A reflection of their owners’ thoughtful care and training.

But perhaps it’s more than that.

Whinney, once the young horse finding her feet at Balance, now quietly supporting another partnership on their first ride out.

Lochie and Izzy, after months of rehab, stepping back into it…together.

A beautiful moment, caught in time. Thank you Caroline, Izzy and Amanda for sharing it with us 💕

14/04/2026

With heavy hearts, we share that Cav returns to Balance this winter on his own.

Our thoughts are with Will and his family, and with Cav, who has lost his lifelong paddock companion, Ted.

Many of you will remember Ted - a little horse with the biggest heart. A quiet babysitter for the unsure, and a steady, faithful friend to all who met him.

A note from his family to share with all who knew and loved him:

“It’s always hard to say goodbye to a good friend and member of the family, but yesterday we had to. Ted had been a huge part of our lives for the past seven years after enduring just as many years suffering abuse and cruelty at the hands of his previous carers. In those seven years he was with us he learned what it was to love and be loved. He built trust and connection, especially with Cav and with Will. Whilst the pain is unbearable now we are comforted knowing that in his final years Ted was living his best life.”

We’re grateful that Cav comes back to a herd he knows well and a place that feels like home. He’s been quietly held here, surrounded by familiar horses and the kind of support only a herd can give.

And in the midst of it all, something curious has unfolded, Cav and River finding their way to one another. An unexpected pairing, perhaps… but one that feels like a shared understanding. ❤️

13/04/2026

A space where horses have the freedom to move, and the freedom to choose - together as a herd, while still receiving individualised care.

For some, that’s a hay-based track system. For others, a mix of pasture and hay. And for horses on rehabilitation journeys, not just stables, but sheltered yards, close to their herd, where they can rest without full separation.

At Balance, there are different ways for owners to be involved. Full care, or assisted care where owners help with rugs, hard feed, supplements, or appointments as much or as little as they like.

We are a private yard, visitors are by appointment only, and we do not hire out our facilities to other riders. This allows our livery clients the peace and privacy of a “home away from home”. Spaces aren’t filled in the order applications are received. Each partnership is considered based on their needs and herd suitability.

We quietly keep a small waitlist ticking along in the background. If you haven’t heard from us, even if you see a new horse pop up on our feed this week, you haven’t been “bumped.” We’re simply waiting for the right space, in the right herd, for you and your horse.🌸

12/04/2026

The first step to River’s gradual introduction to the herd is to introduce his new herd mates to big brother Mocka.

Safe to say Arlo gets the tick of approval 💕

12/04/2026