Horse Whispering Youth Program

22/10/2026

Welcome to the herd Kyllarie Retreat - based in the Tweed Shire, we look forward to working alongside you and the community.

We will be launching enrolments for term 1 very soon - please secure the announcement email now and get ahead of the herd with your enrolment!

22/10/2026

Welcome to the herd Firefly Counselling Services - based in the Northern Rivers, we look forward to working alongside you and the community.

We will be launching enrolments for term 1 very soon - please secure the announcement email now and get ahead of the herd with your enrolment!

We are excited and honoured to be offering the Horse Whispering Youth Program next year at our beautiful Northern Rivers location. If you know a young person aged between 12-18 who would benefit from learning healthier ways to deal with emotions, communication, self-esteem and peer interactions, please contact [email protected] for more info.

20/10/2026

Gold Coast parents, carers, and professionals- please see this worthwhile opportunity by EATA in Tallebudgera. Some of our facilitators have attended their student led sessions in the past and have only had wonderful things to say about the experience. Please make sure that you register but also not change or forget about it on the day as students often come from far to deliver these sessions. 🌸

20/10/2026

Generosity to Self

During Weeks 1 and 2 of our Horse Whispering Youth Program, we explore the Spirit of Generosity through the Circle of Courage® framework.

We begin by helping our young people recognise their own emotions, slow down, breathe and understand what their bodies are telling them.

From there, we extend that same kindness and awareness to our horses, learning to recognise their body language, respect their boundaries and respond with patience and understanding.
Generosity isn’t always about giving something; sometimes it’s about giving ourselves and others the time, space and compassion needed to feel safe.

When we learn to be gentle with ourselves, we become better equipped to offer that same gentleness to others. These aren’t just horse skills. They’re life skills.

13/10/2026

The Final Hurdle – A Horse’s Guide to the HSC

There once was a young horse who had spent years preparing for the biggest jump of his life: the HSC.

He’d studied his strides, practised his transitions and tried his best to remember everything his trainers had taught him. Admittedly, there were days when he’d rather have been grazing in the paddock.

And some of his mates? Well, they’d spent a little too much time hoofing around, horsing about and perfecting their canter instead of learning their passes!

But now, with the finish line in sight, our young horse realised something important.

The hard work was almost behind him. All that remained was to give this final stretch his best effort.

He didn’t need to clear every jump perfectly. He just needed to stay calm, trust his training, take one obstacle at a time and keep moving forward.

And what about those mates who hadn’t prepared quite as well?

Their race wasn’t over either.

Because life isn’t one enormous showjumping competition where a knocked rail means you’re out forever.

Sometimes you need another run at an obstacle. Sometimes you discover that you’re better suited to a completely different course. And sometimes the greatest lessons come from the jumps you didn’t quite clear the first time.

Trying again isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a sign of maturity, courage and a willingness to grow.

So, to every young person stepping into their HSC exams this week: breathe, trust what you’ve learnt, get some sleep and remember to eat something other than nervous energy!

You’ve already travelled a remarkable distance.

Your results may help determine your next steps, but they will never determine your worth, your potential or the person you can become.

There is more than one path to a wonderful future, and plenty of paddocks beyond this one.

Now, ears forward, steady your stride and give it your best.

You’ve got this. And if you stumble, you can always get back in the saddle.

From all of us, two-legged and four-legged, at Horse Whispering Youth Program.

Talk to a Horse, Reset Your Course.

And yes… we used AI for the image 😱

10/10/2026

Across South East Queensland, our two-legged and four-legged facilitators are ready and excited to welcome everyone back for Term 4!

With 43 young people joining us this term and a whopping 211 participants across 2026, what a year it has been for Horse Whispering Youth Program!

A heartfelt thank you to our referring services, parents and carers for continuing to show up for our communities, our families and our young people.

And most importantly, to our participants – thank you for showing up for yourselves! For having the courage to try something new, build connections and grow in confidence, one hoofbeat at a time.

Here’s to a wonderful final term of 2026!

Talk to a Horse, Reset Your Course.
Connect and Thrive Therapeutic Services
Horse Riding Hub - Beginner Education Specialist Debbie Burgermeister
Herd Together
Hand in Hand Equine Assisted Therapy
Deeper Soul Connections
Reason to Thrive
ChilMan Equine and Counselling

The Teachers are ready and waiting for Term 4 to commence on Monday!
They’re keen to get started and meet new participants! All they need is the whiteboard and the carrots 🤭

05/10/2026

Welcome back to the final school term of 2026!

Over the break, Di and her family swapped the Gold Coast for red dirt and wide-open spaces, road-tripping out to a farm near Dubbo.

There were long days working in the yards and fields, plenty of dust, and more than a little red dirt behind our ears by the end of each day! But there was also something incredibly grounding about spending our days outside — working with animals, using our hands, slowing down and enjoying the deep quiet that comes when life becomes a little simpler.

We came home with full hearts, a renewed appreciation for this beautiful country, and enormous gratitude for our farming communities and the hard work they do to keep Australian families fed.

This is part of what we continue to share with our HWYP kids, families and carers this term too.

A little more time outside.
A little less noise.
Time with horses and animals.
Feet on the ground.
Fresh air, connection and space to simply be.

As we head into the final term of the year, we invite our young people and their families to come and get their own little “fill” of nature and animals with us.

Sometimes the reset we need really is that simple.

We can’t wait to welcome everyone back for Term 4. Chat to [email protected] to find out what days your closest facilitator still have availability.

Talk to a Horse, Reset Your Course.

01/10/2026

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month!!
Term 4 bookings are open and we look forward to sharing many special and memorable moments with our participants.

18/09/2026

Teenage years are HARD.

A comment on one of our recent posts described it exactly that way. So how we can use that very word as a reminder for the adults walking alongside them.

H — Halt. Slow down.
A — Aware. See the need beneath the behaviour.
R — Respond, don’t react. Choose the response intentionally.
D — Direct with love. Provide leadership, boundaries and connection.

Teenagers are supposed to push, question, test and find their own edges. Our job isn’t to remove the rope — it’s to hold it steady enough for them to discover who they are, while knowing we’re still there.

Sometimes HARD can also be a little reminder of how we love them through it.

Horse Whispering Youth Program
Talk to a Horse, Reset Your Course.