Meet the Herd

Meet the Herd at Spirited Connections

Spirited Connections Counselling is home to 5 amazing therapy horses, 1 pony, 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

Fun facts about Ty:

Ty is actually short for Tyfaari. Her name is a combination of her dad's name (Alfaari) and her mom's name (Typhoon Tracy)
Ty is a Thoroughbred - a breed used for racing. She used to be a racehorse but was retired at the age of three
Ty has been with us the longest of all the horses - 15 years!
Ty loves making friends and will probably lick you if you let her
Ty is the least photogenic of our horses; which is very annoying
Ty is not very brave, and prefers to follow the lead of Gus and Sammy

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

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 is the newest member of the herd, having arrived in the summer of 2023

Zeke

Fun facts about Zeke:

Zeke is a Thoroughbred gelding
Zeke was bred to race, but never made it to the racetrack because he is way too slow
Zeke is the youngest of our horses - he is just five years old
Zeke has a very laid back and calm personality, which makes him an exceptional therapy horse
Zeke has a beautiful soft coat and loves to pet and hugged and snuggled
Zeke loves to play with his horse friends, including the neighbour's horses

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

Meet the Herd

Contact us today if you are interested in meeting the herd at Spirited Connections and including our horses in part of your healing journey.

Therapy Donkeys

Twiggy

Fun facts about Twiggy:

Twiggy is a miniature donkey - donkeys come in three sizes, mini, standard, and mammoth
Twiggy is the mom of Happy and Pepita
Twiggy is a middle aged donkey - she's in her 20s!
Twiggy is the largest of our three resident minis - but only by half an inch

Happy

Fun facts about Happy:

Happy is our only male 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 and is very playful

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
While she and Twiggy are nearly identical, Pepita has smaller ears

Meet the Herd

Contact us today if you are interested in meeting the herd at Spirited Connections and including our animals in part of your healing journey.

Therapy Horses in Training

Paislee and Loredo

Paislee

Laredo

Paislee and Loredo joined the Spirited Connections Family in September 2023, and are the best of friends. They are presently being boarded off of the farm 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.

Lacey

Winston

Frances

Lacey, Winston, and Frances arrived at the Spirited Connections Farm in January-February 2024. Lacey is three, Winston is a yearling - meaning he is one year old - and Frances is two. They arrived from the same facility, and it is possible that these babies are all related. While we are uncertain of their exact breeding, we were told that they are Percheron crosses - meaning that these babies are going to be BIG!

These babies arrived at the Spirited Connections Farm needing some TLC, which is exactly what we are giving them. Frances is especially cautious, having never been handled before travelling to her new home. Despite her caution, she is loving the attention that comes with a handful of grass or even a carrot! Winston and Lacey are the opposite; they are the biggest snuggle-bugs, and love to be pet, groomed, and played with.