Gentle Giants Healing With Horses

17/11/2025

👇👇

🤠Howdy, folks! 🤠

Get ready for a fun filled day @ Carlingford Equestrian Centre on Sunday, December 14th, from 10 AM to 4 PM! 🐴🎉

We're talking show jumping 🤸, dressage 💃, a fancy dress dog competition 🐩, Kara's Country Dancing that'll get your boots scootin'! 🎤 Plus, we've got the amazing country singer Katie McParland as a special guest! 🌟🎶

Don't forget the pony rides 🐴 for the little ones and lip-smackin' catering 🍔.

It's gonna be a day of country fun you won't want to miss! Yeehaw! 🤠

The showjumping and dressage are aimed at riders of all levels to gain experience. 🏅 Come enjoy a supportive atmosphere and aim for a clear round. Rosettes will be awarded to class winners🏆

Show jumping classes - €10 per class (MUST pre-book!)

* Cross poles (lead rein option)
* 50/60cms
* 70/80 cms
* 90/1m

Dressage test ⬇️ €15 entry fee (pre-book)

* Judge: Cairlinn Carroll

Tests:
Introduction
Prelim (will be posted)

To enter message 00447548726304, please include rider name, class and horses name. (Riding school individuals please message me if your interested in partaking)

Fancy dress dog show €5 per class (Pay on the day)

Kara’s country dancing/Katie McParland: 2/4pm 🎶💃

Catering from 1:30 pm 🍔🌭

Pony Rides: 2/3pm🐴

What else would you be doing on a Sunday? 😉
Hope to see you all there 😃

16/11/2025

A beautiful sunset to end the day 😊

15/11/2025

Please vote for Gabrielle 💕

For Gabrielle McTaggart, every day with her two boys is a stolen gift.

Diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer while pregnant with her second child, Gabrielle was induced early so that treatment could begin. She went through the most intensive chemotherapy available and major surgery not to mention years of neoadjuvant treatment, yet her cancer has not responded as hoped. At just 38, she now lives with incurable disease, moving between oncology wards, scan rooms and conversations about syringe-driver care and hospice support – and then home to pack school bags and kiss small foreheads goodnight.

The toll of treatment, surgeries and constant uncertainty is enormous. Exhaustion and pain are daily companions. And still, Gabrielle plays a leading role in her local Camlough community. As a coach with Shane O’Neill’s GAA club, and a driving force behind programmes for toddlers and underage teams, she can be found out on the pitch or in the clubhouse, helping even the youngest children fall in love with the game. She says this gives her “purpose and joy” on the darkest days.

By telling the truth about what she is facing, Gabrielle wants other families on this path to feel less alone – and she wants communities to really see the reality of cancer and keep rallying around those who need it most.

Keep doing what you are doing, Gabrielle

15/11/2025

Good luck to all the kids doing their transfer test today

10/11/2025

✨There’s an old kind of magic in Ballard Mountain, the kind that once built warriors, and now helps our riders find calm, confidence, and connection.✨

⛰️Out here, the air moves, the ground changes, and the ponies have room to just be ponies.

For our riders, that freedom matters. The open space gives their senses more to work with real sounds, real movement, real weather. Their bodies can respond naturally, not fight against walls or noise. 🌈

🌿In the hills, regulation happens through rhythm and nature itself not forced calm, but genuine balance.

09/11/2025

🤠Farm in Mind is a dedicated website for the farming community to help with their mental strain caused my stress and anxiety. Stress is part of farming life but it is something that needs to be managed. When your stress level rises, so too does your risk of having an accident.

💕It’s important that you learn to recognise the signs. When you look after yourself, you’re also looking after your farm, your family and your livelihood.

🚜So, if right now you’re feeling things are getting on top of you, you may be suffering from stress and you should get some help. Therefore please log onto the Farm in Mind Website https://www.farminmind.co.uk/ where there is an array of support tools in place to help you mange your stress levels and signpost you to other avenues of help and support.

Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland Public Health Agency Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

09/11/2025

Indie checking our newest arrival 🐶🐴

08/11/2025

Beautiful day up here on Ballard Mountain

07/11/2025

Tadgh is taking the No Stirrup Challenge to another level 😂

05/11/2025

Happy Wednesday 🐴🐴

03/11/2025

🐴 “We always get asked how our sessions run…”

The honest answer?
They don’t all run the same — and that’s exactly the point. 💛

At Gentle Giants, every session is unique because every person (and every pony) is different.
We follow the child or adult — what they need, want, and are ready for — and we facilitate safely from there.

Here’s what that can look like:

🌿 Regulation & Riding
For some, it’s about rhythm, balance, and calm. Riding becomes a tool for body regulation and confidence building.

🐎 Groundwork & Partnership
Others prefer to stay on the ground — leading, grooming, or exploring liberty work. It’s about connection, communication, and trust.

🐕 Animal Learning
Some sessions focus on understanding behaviour — noticing how horses communicate and what they can teach us about empathy and relationships.

💬 Well-Being Coaching
For older children and adults, sessions may include reflection or goal-focused conversation alongside gentle time with the herd.

✨ Every session is co-created — person-led, trauma-informed, and safely facilitated.
Our role is to hold space, offer choice, and make sure both person and pony feel comfortable, respected, and understood.

01/11/2025

❗️reminder we are closed this weekend, the ponies & coaches are taking a break 😃🐴 ❗️