What is Equine Assisted OT?
As the name suggests, Equine Assisted Occupational Therapy is a way of incorporating horses (Equine’s) into Occupational Therapy Sessions.​ Horses and other animals have been used in therapies such as psychology and learning-based programs for many years and have been proven to have social, physical and emotional benefits.​ For more information on our Equine Assisted OT Programs, please see our Presentation slideshow which contains our information pack and FAQ's.
Meet the Horses...
Garnet
Garnet is the "OG" of the Opportune OT family.
Garnet is a 17-year-old Quarter Horse/Stock horse/Welsh Pony who joined our family in January 2021.
​Garnet is a very sweet, loving and gentle soul who enjoys lazing about the paddocks and hanging with the herd.​ While he might be bigger and older than the other ponies, Garnet is definitely a big baby, enjoying cuddles from the kids.
But beware....
Garnet LOVES his food and takes a lot of persuasion to walk away from a nice patch of juicy grass!​
Garnet is looking forward to working with people and helping them learn all sorts of new skills that they can use in their daily lives, especially helping little people build big muscles.​
Bullet
Bullet is a Palouse Pony who has had a pretty rough start.​
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Bullet came to us very nervous and scared of all humans, except for the small ones.​
While we don't know a lot about Bullet's history, we do know that he had a very serious accident while pulling a gig (cart) which left him more scared of people and very nervous about being touched around his back end.​
Bullet found his way into our family when his love of little people led him to bond with the youngest member of the Opportune OT family.​ Since then, he has come a long way, feeling more comfortable around different people, loving cuddles and neck scratches, and being very demanding when it comes to feed time.
​Bullet is looking forward to meeting more people and continuing his journey of recovery from his trauma.
Sassy and Daisy
Sassy and Daisy came to Opportune OT from Horse Rescue Australia in 2023.
While we don't know a lot about Sassy's history, we do know that she is young, and did not have great social skills with other horses! (Although she LOVES people!). She is definitely Sassy by name and by nature! ​
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Sassy has worked hard to learn how to behave appropriately within the herd and is now pretty good at making friends​ with new horses and is now besties with Daisy.
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Daisy was surrendered to Horse Rescue from a neglected property. While she has always been very curious and happy to come up for pats on her terms, having minimal handling has meant that Daisy has had to work hard to feel comfortable with people. This has been especially important as she suffers from a skin condition that requires regular treatment.
Both girls are still very worried about things like water and being washed. However, we are looking forward to helping them continue to learn the importance of washing and hygiene.
Noel
Noel is a Shetland pony crossed with something HUGE!!!​
He has been a part of the Opportune OT team since 2022, and we have loved having him around.​
Noel is 5 years old (turning 6 on Christmas day) and is the sweetest thing, stealing the hearts of everyone he meets with his food-obsessed and cuddly personality.
Although he is only young, Noel is very calm, quiet and relaxed. He still has a lot to learn, but he tries his best at everything we ask him to do and isn't bothered by new experiences.​
We are definitely expecting big things from Noel as he grows up and are looking forward to watching him grow and learn with support from any new friends he might meet while working with Opportune OT.
Chippa and Pye
Chippa and Pye are of the BIG babies of the herd!
At 6 years old, Chippa and Pye still have a lot to learn. However, they are both always willing to try their best, and will happily put their heart and soul into whatever is asked of them.
Chippa loves people, but prefers to work with only one or two people at a time as he tends to lose focus. Chippa is super cheeky, often stealing items left lying around so that he can throw them around in play.
As the biggest member of the herd, Pye is a gentle giant who will happily stand and be doted on all day. He adores small people, and will follow little children, checking their pockets for treats.
Gypsy
Gypsy is a sweet, elderly lady, who previously had a successful racing career before retiring to have a few foals.
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She has been part of the Opportune OT family since 2023, and has proven to have one of the sweetest, most gentle natures ever.
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Gyspy loves being pampered by people of all ages, and will happily follow her leaders, placing her trust in anyone who will give her a nice face scratch.
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Gypsy is extremely perceptive and has been brilliant in teaching many people to recognise when their bodies may be showing that they are anxious or worried, and responding accordingly when they use their calming strategies to slow their bodies down.
Thyme
Thyme is our oldest lady at Opportune OT.
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At 27 years young, Thyme has had many experiences and is always willing to give anything a go.
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Thyme severely damaged her right eye after an accident in 2023 causing her to lose it. But that hasn't stopped her from running around with the rest of the herd or completing obstacle with her human friends.
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Thyme is a perfect example of how to live life to the fullest, no matter how old we are, or what we may have lost!
Bobby
Bobby is a super sweet and cuddly gentleman, who would like nothing more than to spend all day, every day following people around.
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Bobby previously had a successful racing career, when injury meant that he could no longer race.
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Bobby is mostly comfortable, but sometimes walks with a limp, meaning that he cannot do a lot of exercise, so he has to settle to being pampered (which he LOVES).
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Bobby has only recently joined our team, but he has settled in so well that it feels like he has been here for years.
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He is looking forward to spending time getting to meet more new people who will shower him with attention.
Jack
Jack is our oldest little man at Opportune OT.
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At around 24 years young, Jack is still learning what it means to live with people and trust them.
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We don't know a lot about Jack's history as he came from a country town where he was found roaming free, before being rounded up by men with ropes. This has caused Jack to have a lot of trauma and means that he often finds it difficult to trust new people.
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Jack came to live with us in 2023, and has come a long way in the short time that we have spent with him, now enjoying big pats and brushes on the top half of his body, and letting us put his halter and lead on.
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While he still has a long way to go, Jack is already helping to teach our clients lots of social skills including respecting boundaries and reading body language.