Animal Instincts Australia - Toowoomba

02/12/2025

How Horses Help Young People Overcome Anxiety 🌿

A new study has highlighted just how powerful Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) can be for children and teens struggling with anxiety — and the results are incredibly promising.

Here’s what researchers found:

• EAL reduces anxiety and builds calmness
Young people became noticeably calmer, more grounded, and more emotionally balanced after just a short program.

• Stronger social and emotional skills
Participants showed improvements in communication, empathy, assertiveness, boundary-setting, and overall confidence.

• Early teens benefit the most
Youth aged 11–14 made the biggest gains. This age window—when puberty hits and school transitions happen—is a critical period where early support can shape long-term emotional health.

• Real-time feedback from horses accelerates learning
Because horses respond instantly to human emotions, young people learn to regulate their inner state through clear, nonverbal communication—much faster than in traditional therapy settings.

• Short program, long-lasting effects
A 10-hour EAL program spread across 5 days created improvements comparable to traditional approaches that often require 20+ hours.

• A program kids actually enjoy
With a 94% completion rate, young people stayed engaged, motivated, and connected throughout the experience.

• Helps build compassion—not overwhelm
The study suggests that EAL may strengthen compassionate behaviour (caring action), which supports emotional balance and reduces the overwhelm sometimes caused by high empathy.

✨ Overall: EAL offers young people a calm space to practice emotional regulation, build confidence, and learn healthier ways to navigate stress — right at the age when they need it most.

Source:
https://www.academia.edu/2997-9196/1/3/10.20935/MHealthWellB7424

01/12/2025

30/11/2025

🌿 A little sad news from the farm.
Both of our beautiful therapy rats, Eleanor and Florence, have passed away.

Eleanor had been a little unwell recently — as many of you know, rats have sadly short lifespans — though she was still happily nibbling her favourite fruits right up until the end. Florence showed no signs of illness at all, and because the sisters did everything together, we like to think they simply couldn’t be apart. We found them peacefully curled up side by side on the same morning. 💛

These two tiny girls brought so much joy, comfort and laughter to our clients over the past 18 months.
They helped nervous children feel brave, made teens smile on tough days, and taught so many of our visitors how gentle, curious and loving rats can really be.

We’re grateful for the time we had with them, and for the happiness they brought to our programs and the young people we support.

Run free, little ones. 🤍🐭🤍

29/11/2025

Proud is an understatement of how I feel about the amazing Rhi Anderson from Living Abled. I was so honored today to attend the book launch of her incredible book "Faith, Freedom, and other F-words".

This is a MUST READ for 2025.

Her honesty, authenticity and integrity is so heartfelt and I am so damn grateful I've been able to be a part of watching her growth and development throughout the past few years.
Rhi - you are worthy, strong, and capable of anything you set your mind to, and you are a born author!!

Congratulations to a special soul who deserves all the success in the world. Continue to speak YOUR truth and stand strong in who you are, because you my dear, are just amazing. 😊🤩 x

29/11/2025

Watching our rescue kittens grow is one of the most rewarding feelings we get.

Take Ponga, for example — once a tiny, fragile little rescue who needed round-the-clock care… and now a happy, healthy, beautifully chonky cat who spends her days playing, cuddling, and soaking up all the love she can get.

Seeing these babies go from small and weak to strong, confident, and full of personality reminds us why rescue work matters so much. Every bit of effort, every late-night feed, every vet trip… it’s all worth it when you witness a transformation like this. 💛

28/11/2025

Our sweet old William may be retired now, but he hasn’t retired from giving love. 🤎

These days he prefers the slower moments — gentle pats, quiet cuddles, and lying in the sunshine with the kids who come to visit.

William has spent years being a service dog that helped people feel safe, calm, and cared for… and even in his golden age, he still has that magic touch. ✨

27/11/2025

UPDATE: She is alive and well. She has passed some manure since 2am this morning and is eating. Unfortunately with toxins from what she consumed we actually have no idea how or if it will affect her and when so today and tomorrow will still be watching her closely for any changes. So far so good, lets cross our fingers it stays that way.

What. A. Day.

Huge love and gratitude to our amazing youth and adult volunteers, and to Coach Leanne and Jack, who all stepped up in a massive way today. You took a huge load off my shoulders and kept the animals and programs running while we dealt with a scary situation.

Our girl Chicky Pony decided to gorge herself on calf crumble (why do ponies have zero self-preservation instinct?!), which is highly toxic for horses. Cue emergency chaos.
Huge thank you to South East country vets ( Nest) for rushing out so quickly — absolute legends.

And of course… cue yet another vet bill.
This one only $350 — which honestly feels like a bargain after poor Tom Cat’s bill last week, the routine vet work this month, and the calf pneumonia bills earlier on. Farm life isn’t for the faint-hearted or the light-walleted.

Chicky has been part of our family for 13 years and we love her dearly. She’s had charcoal and a carbon flush, and we’re now on watch with regular ice hoof baths in case laminitis or colic kicks in. Fingers crossed our girl pulls through.

To our team today — thank you for pivoting, thinking on your feet, staying calm, being flexible, and rolling with all the last-minute plan changes.
Days like this remind me exactly why I’m so grateful for this community.
You all showed resilience, heart, and real country teamwork.

Keep her in your prayers tonight that she stays well and sassy 💛🐴🙏

27/11/2025

Sometimes the biggest changes come from the smallest helpers 💛🐹

A recent study explored how guinea pigs influence the social behavior of autistic children — and the results were beautiful.

What they found:
When a guinea pig was present in the classroom, autistic children showed:
• More frequent social interactions
• New behaviours they never displayed without the animal
• More eye contact, gentle touch, and shared moments with peers
• Increased confidence to connect with familiar people

One little moment from the study said it all:
A boy and a girl who normally didn’t interact began gently touching hands while stroking the guinea pig together… followed by a shy smile and a small conversation. Without the animal, these moments simply didn’t happen.

Guinea pigs offered a calm, safe, nonverbal way for children to connect — something that felt natural and pressure-free. No aggression, no overwhelm… just soft, steady companionship.

And the best part?

Their tiny size and gentle nature make them perfect partners for classrooms, therapy programs, or families with autistic children.

These little “small great” therapists remind us that connection doesn’t always come from big interventions…

Sometimes it comes with whiskers, quiet breathing, and a soft place to rest your hands.

Source:https://www.animalsandsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/krskova.pdf

26/11/2025

🐾 A HUGE thank you to one of our amazing clients! 🐱💛

Today we were absolutely blown away by the generosity of one of our families who donated a massive supply of Hill’s Science Diet for our boy Tom.

This food is not cheap, but it’s exactly what Tom needs to stay healthy after his recent emergency vet stay. For someone to donate this much… honestly, our whole team is so grateful.

Tom might not understand the price tag, but he definitely understands love — and he’ll be eating like a king thanks to you. 👑🐾

From all of us (and from Tom, who has already inspected every bag with great enthusiasm) — thank you. Your kindness keeps our little community going. 💛🐾

Hill’s Pet Nutrition

26/11/2025

Can horses really help young offenders build confidence, self-control, and better futures? 🐴

Research says yes — and the results are powerful.

A recent study looked at an equine learning program for young people in prison, and the findings echo what we see so often in our own equine work:
Horses have a unique way of reaching young people who don’t connect with traditional programs.

Here’s what the research found:

- Behavior and confidence improved.
Officers noticed young people becoming calmer, more respectful, more patient, and more willing to communicate.

- Emotional regulation increased.
Working with horses helped them manage frustration, slow down, breathe, and respond instead of react.

- Social skills grew naturally.
Horses encouraged teamwork, empathy, perspective-taking, and clearer communication — without any lecturing.

- Learning became possible again.
Many participants said they normally struggle in school settings… yet with horses, they were focused, engaged, and motivated.

- Real-world skills developed.
Calm assertiveness, problem-solving, responsibility, and self-awareness — skills they reported using back inside the facility.

- The ripple effect was measurable.
A 12-month follow-up showed a 27% reduction in reoffending, highlighting just how life-changing these programs can be.

What made it work?
A non-judgemental environment.
Immediate, honest feedback from the horses.
Hands-on learning.
And the chance to succeed at something meaningful.

This research reinforces what so many of us in the equine field already know:
When you give young people the right environment — and the right horse — change is not only possible, it’s powerful. 🌿🐴💛

Source:
https://www.academia.edu/123639293/An_Exploration_of_an_Equine_Facilitated_Learning_Intervention_with_Young_Offenders?email_work_card=view-paper