“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
Oh the places you’ll go!
”
Join us for a unique and positive experience that you won't soon forget.
Our Individual Youth Sessions are designed for young people ages 8-17 to experience the wonderful world of horses and all they have to offer us in a meaningful and fun way.
Our initial conversation and information gathering process is an important first step in personalizing your young person’s experience and providing them with the utmost benefit. Our sessions are tailored to what might be at the forefront and is in the best interest for the participant. Your thoughts on goals and expectations are important to us.
Individual Youth Sessions are offered in the way of a single introductory session, occasional visits, or a series of 4-6 weekly or bi-weekly skill-building sessions.
Connection before direction!
Horses and children are alike in the way that they both live in the present moment. This gives our youth a head start when it comes to taking that first step into the friendship or socialization process with the horse. The early connection between our youth and horses alone can become a ‘feel good’ experience and is a great place to begin.
Standing next to a 1000-pound horse and becoming fully engaged in the moment happens quite naturally for most children and adolescents. This will support their personalized ‘set up for success’ pathway through interactive exercises, while encouraging focus, communication, and relationship development, all built on the foundation of increasing confidence and self-efficacy.
Since horses are a very unique prey animal, they bear the contrast of being both magnificent in their size and extremely sensitive to their environment. Horses will always give honest, immediate, and non-judgemental feedback through their body language and behaviour.
In our Individual Youth Sessions, our participants will learn about horses from the inside out, how they think, feel, act and play. By pointing out these subtle metaphors, youth will learn more about themselves, feel good about their individuality and accomplishments, have fun, and develop practical life skills in a very special way!
All sessions are mainly ground based in a natural outdoor setting. No experience with horses is required.
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PRICING:
Individual Youth Introductory Session or/ Occasional Visits:
$175.00 per session = 2 hours.
Individual Youth Recurring Sessions (when booking a weekly or/ bi-weekly series of 4-6 sessions):
$145.00 per session = 1.5 hours.
*For some individuals, it may be decided through out initial conversation that a shorter session time will be most beneficial to begin and a place to build from. Due to our goals of personalizing all of our client experiences, we have added this option.
Individual Youth Mini-Session
$110.00 = Up to 1-hour maximum (60-minutes).
Ideal for a growing life-skills toolbox in the areas of:
Self-confidence and self-efficacy
Communication
Relationships
Respect for self and others
Self-care and self-compassion
Patience and responsibility
Emotional processing
Balancing assertiveness
Focus and mindfulness
Courage and trust
Being true to yourself
Recent studies and research shows that children and teenagers who have spent time with horses have lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone!). Healthy stress hormone patterns may protect against and prevent the development of physical and mental health problems.
DID YOU KNOW?
“I came across the Sierrah Acres website by chance while searching for local places for horseback riding. I am thankful to this day that I bookmarked it so I could find it again. Cindy’s bio instantly connected with me, and rather than putting my son into riding lessons first, I decided there would be value in learning about the horse and gaining more understanding about them, and himself, in the process.
Sierrah Acres, the horses, and Cindy are truly a special place. It’s a calm and peaceful environment and I found myself relaxing even though we were there for my son. My son did four individual lessons and learned so much! Seeing his confidence grow, from never having touched a horse up close before to being able to lead her around on his own, was a proud moment. He has also been able to apply what he learned about horses to better understanding others (humans). Cindy is so patient, easy to talk to, and a wonderful teacher. My son has been asking to go back for a few more sessions. I would highly recommend Cindy and Sierrah Acres!”
“I can definitely say that our daughter immensely benefited from meeting you and your sessions. Using horses was a key element to help her open up and be receptive. I truly believe you made an impact on her life and got her out of the “dark” place where she was, to now seeking for light. Her mood has completely changed from being always negative and not having any motivation to trying to get her life back on track and setting goals. She often refers to things she did with the horse when facing different situations in her life. ”
“I had heard about Sierrah Acres about 5 years ago from a colleague who’s son was taking regular sessions there.
I had been looking for Equine Therapy for my 11-year old daughter. She has ADHD, GAD, and a few other developmental delays. Regular psychotherapy was OK, but I wanted something else that would give her a more immersive experience. I contacted Cindy to find out about regular sessions, and decided to enrol my daughter that day.
From the beginning my daughter was in love. After the first session, she was happier than I had seen her in a long time. The pandemic had been extremely difficult for her, and I couldn’t deny that this opportunity was exactly what she needed. I am very grateful to Cindy Hoyda and her horses for helping my daughter find her self confidence again. I recommend Sierrah Acres and Cindy Hoyda to anyone who is looking for something a little outside of traditional psychotherapy. The impact Cindy, and her horses have had on my daughter have been a life changing experience, she will always have the skills and wonderful memories she gained from her sessions.”
“Our son participated in the Individual Youth Sessions this past summer. We have seen so much growth in him because of this. The “connection before direction” approach helped our son really slow down and be in the moment. Learning the body language of a horse and doing things in a more step-by-step vs. rushing style will really be useful in our son’s day to day life. The quiet and calming feel that you get at Sierrah Acres is so peaceful and definitely something we could all use in life. The patience and responsibility learned this summer was incredible and we are so thankful as a family our son was able to have this experience.”