EQUINE ASSISTED THERAPY

OSI-CAN is proud to facilitate a connection between people in our professional demographic and their families with accredited Equine Assisted Therapy Programs across the province.

We are looking for additional accredited EAL and/or EAGALA community partners to be able to expand both the reach of this support and its availability to all Manitobans.

As a non-profit organization, our future goal is to be able to secure funding to offset the cost to the participant for this type of support and to be able to offer OSI-CAN Presents Healing with Horses Retreats which have shown amazing success in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The first of hopefully many collaborations in the future, I would like to introduce you to Symatree Farms, and the amazing work this team does for their community:

Hazelridge, Manitoba

At Symatree Farm, our primary focus is to support your wellness through meaningful connection with horses.

For more than a decade, retired, injured, neglected and rescued horses have found their way to Symatree. In joining our family, they regain hope and find purpose as they pay forward their healing to the people who come in search of their own.

A horse’s naturally acute senses, curiosity, intuition and non-judgmental, forgiving nature make them remarkable at building safe connections. Within these safe connections, anxiety decreases, uncomfortable emotions find healthier expression and trust regrows alongside confidence, self-awareness and self-acceptance.

In the paddocks of Symatree Farm, you’ll find wonderful support. Join us and, one hour at a time, experience the sense of well-being and connection that flows when our hoofbeats welcome your heartbeat.

You deserve to be well.

Kathy Asseiro

Advanced Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Facilitator
Program Director

By Ron - Equine Therapy Testimonial:
"One of the largest hurdles for myself in dealing with an Occupational Stress Injury as a Peace Officer in the Law Enforcement world is finding the ability to know if I can trust my own emotions, or even know what they are. The Trainer is there to help you understand that even if you do not trust yourself, you can trust the horse to know where your heart and head is at. In the beginning, when it came to interaction with the horse, my first instinct was to approach the horse like I was responding to a ‘Code’ at work. I do not know what my Trainer saw but she encouraged me to take a step back, and she was right! After taking time to know ‘my’ horse, by brushing her and cleaning hooves and leading her through a course or a game I am slowly understanding what the Trainer meant. Really trusting others while also admitting you need them is a lot easier when trusting a horse whose needs for interaction are … simpler. I have a long road ahead, but OSI-CAN and Equine Therapy are becoming the difference between counting on others and knowing I can count on myself and the community I am building around me!!."

Our mission is to inspire hope and contribute to the continuous well-being and recovery process of Veterans and Front Line Protectors across Canada.

We seek to empower and encourage them to strive for recovery through peer and professional support while creating greater public awareness.

We at OSI-CAN do not see PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Disorder, we see it as an Injury you can recover from. If you are suffering from the symptoms of an Occupational or Operational Stress Injury, then a PTSD or PTSI diagnosis is not required to get our help