In this episode of Equine Assisted World, Rupert Isaacson speaks with Katja Mehlhorn — psychologist, academic, and founder of Horse Kids Groningen in the Netherlands. Katja bridges two worlds that rarely meet: university‑level research and deeply embodied, nature‑based equine‑assisted practice.

From her early work in PATH programs in the United States to building a highly individualized, child‑led practice on a Dutch farm, Katja shares how curiosity, movement, imagination, and horse welfare shape everything she does. Together, Rupert and Katja explore how neuroplasticity, safety, and play support learning in children who struggle with anxiety, school refusal, autism, and social‑emotional challenges.

This conversation ranges widely — from teaching maths through Formula One role‑play on horseback, to helping traumatized clients rebuild self‑worth by caring for horses, to using landscapes, wildlife, foraging, and even horse poo as gateways to regulation and learning. Along the way, Katja reflects on leaving a secure university career to grow her farm‑based work, and on what the equine‑assisted field must do to stay ethical, relevant, and humane.

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🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How curiosity and play create safety and open the brain for learning
• Why following the child matters more than following a protocol
• How movement and balance activate neuroplasticity through the vestibular system
• Ways to introduce maths, numbers, and academics without fear or pressure
• How horses provide emotional feedback when children cannot verbalize
• Why horse welfare, fitness, and variety of work are essential in equine‑assisted programs
• How in‑hand and classical groundwork benefit both horses and humans
• Why nature, foraging, animals, and landscape are powerful therapeutic tools
• How rescue horses paired with at‑risk youth can transform both
• What equine‑assisted practice can offer to struggling schools and post‑COVID students

🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode

[00:03:35] Katja describes her first experiences volunteering at a PATH center and witnessing profound changes in children

[00:09:18] Using Formula One racing games on horseback to gently reintroduce maths and numbers

[00:16:00] Teaching balance through playful exercises inspired by weighted “Russian doll” toys

[00:18:38] The role of vestibular activation in long‑term learning and neuroplasticity

[00:27:01] Reading horses’ calming and stress signals to understand what children cannot express

[00:32:57] Integrating fitness, trick training, and in‑hand work into therapy sessions

[00:40:17] How helping horses heal can rebuild self‑worth in traumatized clients

[00:43:00] Research findings from Brook Hill Farm showing improved school outcomes for at‑risk youth

[00:50:55] Using landscape, imagination, wildlife, and foraging to reconnect children with nature

[01:21:12] Why longer sessions allow children time to truly arrive and regulate

📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned

• Katja Mehlhorn / Horse Kids Groningen https://katjamehlhorn.nl
• Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co
• Long Ride Home / Rupert Isaacson https://rupertisaacson.com
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