My mum used to joke when I was younger that I was better at looking after sick horses than humans. She said I’d be the world’s worst nurse. She wasn’t wrong! When my parents did what parents do, and got old and needed looking after, elder care wasn’t a role I slipped into naturally. I lived 250 miles away for…
Continue reading From burnout to balance in your parent care journey
Wait, that can’t be right! Why would I want clients to attend a nature-led coaching or equine-facilitated learning (EFL) session and go away angry? The whole point of our activities is to help clients relax, de-stress, build resilience, assertiveness and self-confidence. How does anger fit into this? Well, maybe anger isn’t the right word. I’ll explain, and you can decide.…
Continue reading I want you to leave coaching sessions a little bit angry
We are bombarded with reminders that a new calendar year has started. Even if you ignored the new year parties, you probably couldn’t escape the fireworks outside, the numerous “2025 in review” newspaper articles or the flood of new year resolutions posts on social media. But what would our new year be like if we approached it like a horse?…
I have been reflecting recently on the difference between ‘nature-based’ and ‘nature-led’ activities. Is this just fiddling with words, or is there a real difference between the two concepts? And if they are not the same, why should organisations like WiseHooves strive for our activities to be nature-led rather than nature-based? Here are some of my thoughts – so far.…
“Britain is one of the least ‘nature-connected’ nations in the world”. This newspaper headline stood out for me recently, not because it’s a shocking revelation, but because over the last few months I’ve been surrounded by evidence that backs up the statistics. We have become a nature-blind nation. That’s why, at WiseWoods, we’re passionate about helping people reconnect with nature.…
Continue reading Reconnect with nature – for yourself, for the planet’s survival
You might think a wilderness is just a wild, untouched space where you let nature do its thing. However, on our small island, so many wild spaces have been shaped in some way by centuries of human activity, both good and bad. The woods and fields at WiseWoods were left untouched for decades, and it didn’t do them any favours.…
Continue reading A wilderness is not just a place you abandon
“That’ll come in handy one day” was my dad’s favourite line, and the reason he had sheds full of stuff that often did come in handy one day. It’s a mantra we’ll be using regularly at WiseWoods as we try to minimise waste and reuse as much as possible. And what better way to start than with a dead hedge?…
An old faded photo from the early 1980s showed a large expanse of long grass being grazed by cows. The image gave us hope that there was a field hiding under the brambles, just waiting for a chance to see the sunlight again. There was just the small matter of how on earth to turn long-neglected scrub back into grazing.…
Nine months ago we viewed some land for sale – a mix of grazing and woodland. When I say viewed, I mean we saw a few small patches here and there because the majority of it was covered in impenetrable brambles! We took the plunge, made an offer and it was accepted. The subsequent buying process was a nightmare. But…
