Healing, Hooves, Happenings

Most equine-assisted learning research focuses on horses. But peer-reviewed literature is increasingly clear that donkeys offer something distinct — including, according to one published study, greater empathic sensitivity than horses. That changes who can be reached, and how. This post explores what donkeys bring to healing work that horses cannot, and why Poe at Hands for Healing Equine in Topsfield, MA is a full partner in our programs.

The most common thing people say about donkeys is that they're stubborn. The science says otherwise. When a donkey stops and refuses to move, it's assessing, deciding, and applying what researchers call a problem-focused coping style. Meet Poe — and find out what peer-reviewed research actually says about donkey intelligence, memory, and what it means to work with an animal who will not be rushed.

Grief doesn't just live in the mind — it lives in the body. For mothers who have lost a child, that weight rarely lifts on its own. New research on equine-assisted learning shows that what happens outside, with equines, can reach places that office-based support cannot. Our Mother's Mourning Brush program opens this June at our Topsfield sanctuary on Massachusetts' North Shore. No riding. No prior experience needed.