The best equine wellness experiences in Australia

03 Nov, 2025

A beautiful new way to support our mental health is emerging and harnesses the unique bond between humans and horses. Our majestic equine friends are deeply in tune with human emotions, making them powerful partners in helping us manage everything from anxiety and depression to the lasting impact of trauma.

Although a relatively recent practice, equine therapy has gained traction across the world. Horses can help people heal and grow by fostering a deep connection that promotes emotional wellbeing, physical rehabilitation, and personal development. The experience is more about being with the horse rather than just riding, and focuses on connection through grooming, feeding, walking and even maintenance of equipment. Here we are sharing what we think are the best equine wellness experiences across Australia.

Maxime Willems Equine Therapy & Wellness Services

South Ballina, Northern NSW

In Australia’s undisputed hub for health and alternative practices, lies a pristine property offering a range of services to improve personal wellbeing.

Just 40 minutes from Byron Bay, Sugar Beach Ranch is located on the beautiful coastline of the Northern Rivers. It’s where Maxime Willems combines counselling, equine-assisted psychotherapy and yoga to offer a truly holistic experience.

With two masters degrees and a long history with horses, Maxime and her team are acutely aware of the way horses react to human breath and emotions and use this to inform and personalise each session. These are two of our favourite ways to enjoy time with Maxime and her horses:

Equine Wellness with Maxime Willems

Enjoy a stay at Sugar Beach Ranch and get full access to the wisdom of Maxime Willems in an Equine Wellness Experience that helps you reconnect with yourself. Your visit includes a special 60-minute session with Maxime and her herd where you’ll bond with intuitive horses, learning to tune into their energy and your own, releasing tension and finding emotional clarity.

After your session, settle into a cosy overnight stay at the gorgeous, 60 acre ranch and take full advantage of the facilities, including the magnesium pool and included ranch breakfast box. This experience is designed for two, so bring along your partner or a friend and embark on a holistic and transformative night away together.

Sweet Retreats

Far from your typical wellness retreat in Byron Bay, this three-day journey of self exploration, healing and spiritual awakening uses the gentle power of horses to guide you. These Sweet Retreats are created by women, for women, and you’ll learn not only how to connect with horses but also how to best connect with yourself through yoga, meditation, breathwork, sound bowl healing and a fire ceremony.

You’ll rest in charming onsite glamping tents and be nourished with chef prepared meals using local ingredients. While there is no riding involved, the horses are central to every experience, offering presence, insight, and a quiet path to inner transformation.

Walk Sublime

Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Based in the tranquil bushland of the Adelaide Hills, Walk Sublime offers a safe and nurturing space to connect with horses, providing benefits for both humans and the horses themselves. Mel McLaren started more than just a holistic health service in 2022 when she founded Walk Sublime, with experiences designed for people with no horse experience.

Home to seven rehomed or rescued horses, including two ex-racehorses and two Australian Brumbies, Mel shares a slow, progressive journey of healing with each individual horse through their daily life together at her 80-acre sanctuary. Through their interactions with guests, under Mel's gentle guidance, the horses are given space to release their own tension, with a profound flow-on effect for the humans they are partnered with.

We love these two ways to experience the magic with Mel and her herd:

Walking with Horses in Nature™

It’s not hard to guess what this experience entails with a name like Walking with Horses in Nature™, but don’t be fooled, it is so much more than that. It’s an opportunity to truly disconnect with the outside world and tune in to the natural healing rhythms of the forest and your new companion.

Mel will match you with the perfect horse for your 2.5-hour journey through the forest and together you’ll undertake on a personal journey, supporting one another along the way. Your day begins slowly, with a cup of tea as you learn your horse’s story before you get to know each other through grooming to build a bond, and then heading off to experience the therapeutic power of mindfully walking alongside your magnificent horse in nature.

Just Be with Horses

This is the perfect experience for those curious about the therapeutic power of simply being in the presence of horses but not looking for equine therapy. Held on Walk Sublime’s stunning 80-acre Adelaide Hills property this is a blissful and soul nourishing 2-hour hands-on experience for one or two animal lovers

Perfect for those of all abilities, Mel invites you to Just Be with these intuitive and graceful animals and learn from their quiet wisdom. Think of it as a mini equine wellness retreat. Two hours of peaceful reflection and grounding, in nature, surrounded by some of the world’s most sensitive and soulful creatures.

Highlands Centre For Healing

Southern Highlands, NSW

Sometimes the most powerful healing comes from an unexpected approach, and that’s exactly what Soo Woods offers at Highlands Centre for Healing. A trauma-trained somatic practitioner, Soo uses a combination of mindfulness and somatic exercises along with equine therapy to help her guests deal with unresolved trauma and subconscious wounds.

By tapping into the natural energy-healing abilities of horses, Soo’s experiences create space for deep emotional release and reconnection. Many visitors leave with a stronger sense of self-confidence, improved emotional regulation, and even relief from symptoms of mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Soo offers a range of equine wellness experiences, and we love these two:

A 2-night Equine Escape

If you’re ready to completely submerge yourself in personal healing and development, Soo’s Equine wellness retreat might be just what you need. More than just a feel-good getaway, this two-night experience will equip you with practical tools to implement in your day to day life to spark a positive change.

You’ll stay in a cosy cabin surrounded by the beauty of the NSW Southern Highlands, while connecting deeply with the horses through your personal equine therapy and a soothing horse reiki session - a unique and proven practice that helps balance and support your mind, body and spirit.

Women’s Equine Afternoon

Ease into equine therapy by spending an afternoon with likeminded women (and horses) with the focus on sparking joy and fostering friendships. The Women’s Equine Afternoon is held on the last Saturday of each month, and you’ll have three hours to make new friends, go on a solo, bonding forest walk with your horse and enjoy a beautiful afternoon tea.

While there is always the opportunity to open up and share stories, the focus here isn’t on diving deep into your wounds but rather finding comfort and connection in a safe and supportive environment.

Image credits: Walk Sublime, Maxime Willems Therapy & Training by Daniela Boerner, Walk Sublime, Highlands Centre for Healing.

Latest stories

05 Dec, 2025

Topics

Editor's pics Get moving Guides Luxe wellness Mindfulness Nature Retreats Seasonal Self care Urban secrets Wellness wisdom What's new Wild wellness Women's wellness

Sydney

South Coast

Byron

Click Here