Meet the Herd

Meet the Herd at Spirited Connections

Spirited Connections Counselling is home to 6 amazing therapy horses, 4 ponies, and 3 therapy donkeys. All of our animals were specifically selected to be part of our therapeutic family based on personality, character traits, relationship skills, and most importantly, their aptitude and willingness to be therapy horses. Being a therapy horse is a unique job; which means not just any horse can do it!

Due to the nature of equine assisted therapy, none of these horses are ridable by visitors to the farm. Some of them have retired from active riding duties, and others have never been trained as riding horses. We believe that fostering connection and meaningful relationships are best done through spontaneous encounters and with everyone having their feet on the ground.

Therapy Horses

Gus

Fun facts about Gus:

Gus is an Appaloosa - which is easily distinguished by his polka-dotted pattern
Gus is a gelding - another name for a neutered male
Gus was named after the mouse in Disney's Cinderella
Gus LOVES cookies. He does not like apples, but will choke them back if everyone else is eating them
Gus is the leader in our herd; his job is to make sure everyone is safe
Gus is very brave

Juno

Fun facts about Juno:

Juno is a Quarter Horse - a breed known for running a fast quarter mile, and later, a favourite for ranch work
Juno is called "flea-bitten" - referring to a colour identified by the small orange flecks in her otherwise white coat
Juno is a mare - meaning she is an adult female
Juno is called a boss mare - meaning she has a strong personality and makes a great leader
Juno is best friends with Gus and Ty
Juno is very shy until she gets to know someone

Lacey

Fun facts about Lacey:

Lacey is paint mare - paint meaning she has patches of white hair in her coat
Lacey is one of our largest therapy horses, measuring 16hh
Lacey is presently in school to be a riding horse, in addition to being a therapy horse
Lacey loves making friends with people and other animals
We don't actually know what breed of horse Lacey is - but we suspect there is more than one type of horse in there!

Frances

Fun facts about Frances:

Frances is the youngest of our therapy horses - she is 5 years old
Frances is a draft cross - meaning one of her parents was likely a Clydesdale or a Percheron
Frances has a very interesting colour, and is called a liver chestnut
Frances is obsessed with horse cookies!
Frances feels safest when she doesn't have to be the leader of the herd or make all of the decisions on her own

Laredo

Fun facts about Laredo:

Laredo is a thoroughbred - a breed typically used in horse racing
Laredo is a goober. He has the most ridiculous personality
Laredo loves to play and runs laps through his paddock every day - at least once
Laredo loves to sleep flat-out, in what we call corpse pose. He also loves to teach this to all of his horse friends
Laredo has a condition which prevents him from being ridden

Therapy Ponies

Charm

Fun facts about Charm:

Charm is a miniature horse
She is the smallest of our horses, coming in at 36 inches in height
Miniature horses were originally bred to be companion animals, and increasingly are being used as service animals
Charm is only 10 years old, and could live all the way to 50!
Charm is the sassiest of all our animals, and has the biggest personality despite being the smallest size
Charm loves making friends with the biggest horses - probably so that she can help eat all of their hay

Smartie

Fun facts about Smartie:

Smartie is a pony. Ponies a different to horses, in that they are significantly smaller, even when full grown
Smartie is 8 years old, and 12 hh
Smartie is a paint-pony, which describes both her breed and her colour - black and white
Smartie is very smart and very sassy
Smartie loves cookies and treats of all kinds
Smartie is best friends with Chrome

Candi

Fun facts about Candi:

Candi is a pony, and the newest member of our therapy team
Candi is 6 years old, and 12.2 hh
Candi is a mom, having had two babies in the past - both of which have wonderful homes
Candi is very sassy and sometimes thinks that she is the boss
Candi is not a big fan of the halter, or of being caught. She's pretty nervous around people. We are working slowly and consistently to build her trust and teach her that people are good
Candi is best friends with Zeke; they spend most of their time playing

Winston

Fun facts about Winston:

Winston is our largest pony, standing 13 hh
Winston is also our youngest pony, being only 3.5 years old
We were told that Winston was a draft cross - similar to Frances - but they clearly lied!
Winston is wall-eyed, meaning you can see the white of his eye surrounding his iris. This is very unusual in horses, and makes them look a little more human.
Winston is a rescue and came from the same farm as Lacey and Frances
Winston is very brave, very sweet, and is an absolute snuggle-bug

Meet the Ponies

Need a pony in your life? Contact us today if you are interested in meeting the herd at Spirited Connections and including our ponies in your healing journey.

Therapy Donkeys

Gordie

Fun facts about Gordie:

Gordie is a miniature donkey - donkeys come in three sizes, mini, standard, and mammoth
Gordie is our newest donkey, coming to the farm after his long-time friend passed away
Gordie is a senior donkey - he's in his 20s!
Gordie is the smallest of our three resident minis - but only by half an inch
Gordie is also the darkest-coloured of our donkeys, being a deep, rich brown

Happy

Fun facts about Happy:

Happy is our oldest donkey
He is the darkest in colour, and the only brown donkey, the girls are both grey
Happy brays (hee-haws) every time people come to visit
Happy loves dogs
Happy is very-nearly blind, but has adapted really well to his disability and continues to live a rich and fulfilling life

Pepita

Fun facts about Pepita:

Pepita is very snuggly
She loves being brushed
Pepita only brays on special occasions, and usually first thing in the morning
Pepita is our only female donkey
Pepita is also our only grey-coloured donkey

Meet the Donkeys

Do you need to snuggle a donkey? Contact us today if you are interested in meeting the herd at Spirited Connections and including our donkeys in part of your healing journey.

Newest Arrivals!

Blossom

Rosie

Blossom and Rosie

Spirited Connections rescued Blossom in April 2026. Blossom was destined for the meat market in Japan, but couldn't be shipped on account of being pregnant. So we intervened and brought a very pregnant Blossom back home to the Spirited Connections Farm.

In July, Blossom gave birth to a healthy and robust baby, Rosie. Rosie is going to be big! Blossom is a Belgium-Clydesdale cross and Rosie's daddy is said to be a Percheron. Rosie and Blossom are not part of the therapy program at the moment, needing space to settle into their new life, but are available for viewing and the occasional baby bum scratch.

Therapy Horses in Training

Extra

Paislee

Paislee and Extra

Paislee joined the Spirited Connections Family in September 2023, while Extra joined us in December 2025.. Paislee is a Hanovarian and is one big girl, measuring in at 16hh. Extra is a Thoroughbred and came to us through a racehorse after care program. Extra did race on the track for three years before being retired into a transition program designed to ensure that racehorses are afforded second careers and quality care. Paislee and Extra are presently being boarded off of the property while they learn the basics in horsemanship. As they mature, they will be invited to transition into the therapy program, as both horses are engaging, eager to connect with people, and have a lot to offer people with big feelings.