A trauma-informed care farm is a place where healing grows through relationship - with animals, the land, and one another.

Care Farm & Equine Rescue

Care Farm Program

What Happens on the Care Farm

Caring for animals through feeding, grooming, and quiet presence
Gardening, planting, harvesting, and land stewardship
Seasonal farm routines and meaningful daily tasks
Opportunities for rest, observation, and gentle engagement
Shared rhythms that build trust, confidence, and connection

Who the Care Farm Serves

The Care Farm serves children, youth, adults and caregivers who may be experiencing stress, relational disruption, trauma, life transitions, or social disconnection. Participation does not require a diagnosis or referral, and individuals are welcomed with dignity, choice, and respect.

How the Care Farm Compliments Therapy

The Stable Roots Care Farm is designed to work alongside, not instead of clinical therapy and other formal supports. Many individuals benefit from both relational community care and professional therapeutic services.

The Care Farm supports the nervous system between therapy sessions through rhythm and regulation.
Experiences on the farm can increase capacity for engagement in therapy
Participants may build trust, confidence, and body awareness that support therapeutic work
Our non-clinical setting reduces pressure while still fostering growth and resilience
When appropriate, participants may be supported in accessing clinical counselling services

Equine Rescue

Our equine rescue program offers sanctuary for horses who have experienced neglect, trauma or displacement, while creating meaningful opportunities for people to engage in care, connection, and co-regulation. Through gentle presence, shared rhythms, and reciprocal trust, both humans and horses rediscover safety, belonging and the capacity to heal together. We also have other animals on the farm to connect with and care for including goats, chickens, and Beatrice the mini pig!

Many of the horses welcomed into our care have experienced trauma, neglect, or instability. Rather than being asked to perform or “fix,” they are first offered what they need most: safety, consistency, and relationship.

Through trauma-informed horsemanship and a neuro-relational framework, rescued horses are supported in restoring balance to their nervous systems. Gentle rhythms, predictable care, and respectful, consent-based interactions allow horses to move from survival states toward regulation and trust. As horses heal, they invite the people around them into the same process.

Participants engage with rescued horses in ways that prioritize presence over performance. By noticing body language, responding to cues, and building relationship at the horse’s pace, individuals learn to track their own nervous systems, practice regulation, and experience a felt sense of connection. Horses offer immediate, honest feedback that supports awareness, healing, and growth.

This reciprocal healing process supports:

Regulation of human and equine nervous systems
Rebuilding trust after trauma
Development of empathy, boundaries, and emotional awareness
A sense of purpose and belonging through caregiving

Our equine rescue program is not about using horses for therapy—it is about healing alongside them. By caring for horses, participants experience the profound impact of relationship, responsibility, and mutual regulation. In this shared space, both people and horses rediscover balance, resilience, and the capacity to thrive.