Rescued horses helped this lady through severe anxiety – now she's helping others
The young woman has returned to the equine charity that helped her, to research how horses can help humans.
A young woman who suffered with such severe anxiety that she struggled to leave her house has returned to the equine charity that helped her to research how horses can help humans.
Eva Novi, a masters student at the University of Stirling, has been working with the Mare and Foal Sanctuary’s equine assisted services team. Eva and the team used photography to capture how young people feel before, during and after their therapeutic sessions with rescued horses and ponies. Her dissertation on the project received a distinction.
Eva, 35, described walking back through the doors of the charity’s Coombe Park Education and Equestrian Centre in Devon as “coming home”.
“My journey really began here, through the This Girl Can Exercise with Equines programme, funded by Sport England,” said Eva.
“At the time I struggled to find the confidence to leave my house. Coming to Coombe Park near Totnes felt like a huge personal challenge, but once I was here, with the horses and the team, I didn’t look back. That sense of peace and purpose, and the calm acceptance from the horses, showed me that things could be different and that I could be okay.”
After a six-week course, Eva stayed on as a volunteer before joining the staff at the sanctuary’s Honeysuckle rehabilitation yard in Newton Abbot. Her confidence grew during her time with the charity and shaped her decision to move to Scotland to study for a masters in human animal interaction. In every project where she had the choice, she chose to focus on equine-assisted learning.
For her dissertation project at the sanctuary, Eva used photovoice – a research method that helps people express feelings and stories through pictures rather than numbers or questionnaires.
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She gave each of the participants, who were aged between seven to 21 years old, a disposable camera. They each took three photos every time they visited: at the start, the middle, and end of a session.
The participants had creative free-rein over what to snap, and noted briefly what they chose to photograph and why. Eva used the photos and notes to explore how emotions shifted over a session and the six-week programme, and how those changes related to time spent with horses and ponies.
“There is a lot of research that looks at heart rates and statistics. That's important, but it can miss the stories behind the numbers. Not everyone finds it easy to put feelings into words,” she said.
“For many people, especially young people, showing you something through a photograph can be more natural than trying to explain it. I want to capture those journeys in a way that feels accessible to them.”
Dawn Neil, the Mare and Foal Sanctuary's head of education and equine-assisted services, said the charity is proud to support Eva's work.
"Eva's journey is a powerful example of what can happen when you give someone time, space and a safe connection with horses,” she said.
“She first came to us struggling with anxiety and found her confidence growing week by week alongside the horses. Now she's back as an academic, helping us learn more about how therapeutic time with our rescued horses and ponies impacts our participants' thoughts and feelings.
"We know that many of our participants respond best to approaches that are creative and reflective rather than purely traditional impact measure surveys.
“Projects like this help us understand those responses in more depth. Our work is all about finding new and more effective ways to connect with people, and the horses and ponies are at the heart of that.
“They play a vital role in unlocking potential, building confidence and offering a different kind of empowerment. Eva is living proof of that.”
Eva is now considering a PhD specialising in equine-assisted learning.
"Every time I come back here, I am reminded of how far I have come and how much further we can go. I have heard young people say that their session at the sanctuary is the best part of their week,” she said.
“I know that feeling. I want more people to have that chance."
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.