By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
When Caledonia resident Melissa Hillier left her job in social work after 15 years, she was looking for a better way to utilize her skills while making time to help her son, who was having some difficulties at that point.
Faced with the question of whether she should use her skillset to further her career or focus on her family, she decided: why not both? After leaving her social work career behind, Hillier renovated her home, sold it, and started buying horses with the profits. She graduated from the Cartier Farms Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator course in March of 2017, and by spring 2018, New Leaf Farms began offering programming for the first time in Campbellville before moving to its current location in Caledonia in 2019.
Alexis Hanhan and rescued horse Danny
“Running New Leaf Farms is a dream come true for me. Every time a client takes a deep breath, conquers a new challenge, or connects with a horse it fills my heart. The world is a challenging place right now; we have so much anxiety and uncertainty. Being able to provide a place for people to explore their talents, build their skills, and realize how amazing they are is a gift for me,” explained Hillier.
“Working with children and adults to achieve personal growth and adding horses into the mix fulfills all my childhood dreams and more. This summer, we had a camper who had been struggling with anxiety since the start of the last lockdown. She had trouble sleeping, eating, and never wanted to leave the house,” said Hillier, noting that the girl’s mother convinced her to come to camp for part of a day, but she ended up staying. “Within an hour, she was breathing deeply and talking to other campers. She said that just being around the horses was making her feel better. By the end of the week … she was laughing with the other campers, trying new things, and showing a confidence her mother had not seen in months. Needless to say, she is signed up for lessons in the fall.”
Hillier said that “this is an everyday occurrence” at the farm for people to find happiness and ease anxieties.
On the philosophy behind her programming, she said, “Many of our clients suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges. Using horses, we can teach and practice coping skills to make life easier. As an example, breathing exercises can seem pretty boring when taught by humans in a classroom setting. However, if you take a few deep breaths with a horse, it has an instant calming effect on the equine. Learning to take deep, slow breaths relaxes your horse, and subsequently works on the participant too.”
New Leaf Farms offers many different options for those interested. Their main offering is the Connections Program, an eight-week groundwork program that pairs a horse and participant on a “journey of discovery.”
The goal of the program is to help the pair explore their strengths and challenges while enhancing trust, confidence, and communication skills: “Through a series of weekly exercises and challenges, horse and human learn about relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and how our unique personalities help us interact with the rest of the world.”
CALEDONIA—Some of New Leaf’s horses and goats: (l-r) Caleb, Chance, Thanos, Brian From HR, and Spirit.
Another interesting offering on the farm is ‘Beyond Riding’ lessons. Unlike typical horse-riding lessons, these sessions focus more on what participants can learn about themselves.
“We do cover basic riding skills, but our focus is on learning life skills through the horses’ perspectives. Anxiety management, confidence building, problem-solving, and risk taking are all part of the lesson plan. Their lessons are based on horsemanship, basic riding, and personal development.”
The Hooves and Hearts program is designed to help children and adults learn and enhance their social skills by working through set challenges and using problem solving, clear communication, and trust.
Lastly, New Leaf offers youth camps throughout the year for children aged 9-plus: “Participants are immersed in the farm life at New Leaf. From riding to groundwork to chores, the days fly by with laughter and learning. With a maximum enrollment of six students, camps are personalized and safe for even the most shy participant.”
Teens’ Hooves and Hearts Class
with (horse) Andis
Like many local businesses, COVID has proven a challenging obstacle: “Each shutdown closed our doors to clients, which had a huge impact on the animals. It was a very lonely time, but our clients were amazingly supportive. From fundraising efforts to surprise drop-offs of treats, we really felt the love of our barn family,” said Hillier.
When able to reopen, the group increased cleaning and disinfecting protocols and worked to make up the lost revenue by running camps nine out of 10 weeks this summer: “Unfortunately, when we close our doors, the costs don’t stop. Hay, feed, and veterinary care continue to be needed by our animals. We can only hope that more lockdowns aren’t forthcoming.”
New Leaf Farms doesn’t just strive to offer an outlet to the people who register, many of the horses there were rescued from challenging life circumstance: “Some have been starved, physically abused, and a few were rescued from meat auctions, moments away from death. Having life experience makes them amazing partners to connect with and learn from and we value them above all else. I have a deep and abiding love for the horses and commit to the best care possible for them. Putting the horses’ needs first teach participants how important it is to have empathy, generosity, and positivity for those around us.”
Those interested in learning more, including how to sign up for upcoming lessons or camps, can visit newleaffarms.ca.
