About Us
Learning & Coaching facilitated by horses
From the quiet haven of Longaston Barn in Slimbridge Gloucestershire, we offer coaching sessions with horses
to support all ages with mental health and wellbeing challenges.
These sessions are carefully adapted for each client ensuring that all needs are catered for.
We aim to help people focus on skills to encourage them to Heal, Empower, Redefine and Develop in their wellbeing and mental health.
OUR TEAM
Joanna Wood
Always Herd co-founder
EFL Lead Practitioner
Katrina Napthine
Always Herd co-founder
EFL Lead Practitioner
Joanna Wood
Jo is passionate about offering opportunities to people to connect with horses in support of their mental health needs or life challenges. Alongside offering coaching sessions for individuals and groups at Always Herd, she also works as a coach at Red Horse Foundation in Thrupp, Stroud.
Joanna is also an experienced primary school teacher with over 20 years in the classroom, mostly in Gloucestershire with some of her original teaching spent in her home county of Derbyshire.
She is passionate about the pastoral care of children within the classroom and strives to ensure that the wellbeing of the children in her care is a priority.
Joanna has ridden all her life, being lucky enough to have a pony as a young child and then beg, steal or borrow rides on various ponies and horses of friends ever since!
Finding the opportunity to train with Equi-Scotia in Equine Facilitated Learning has allowed her to mix her passion in the wellbeing of others with spending time with horses, recognising their incredible ability to facilitate healing and self-awareness.
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"Coming out the other side of the pandemic of Covid-19, we are experiencing a return to 'normality' within the school setting, however the issues the children (and families) are facing in terms of their mental health challenges is continuing to increase in severity and complexity.
Being in a position of witnessing this as a coach, teacher and as a parent myself gives me the insight, empathy and knowledge to support those in our community alongside our wonderfully therapeutic horses and environment."
Katrina Napthine
Katrina
Our equine coaches
Dream
Here is our handsome golden oldie. Dream has been with Katrina for many years now being retired from the racetrack as his heart was just not in it. Dream is a sensitive soul, needing to build a relationship slowly with positive reassurance from those around him. Once you gain his trust, he will be your friend for life.
Drummer (aka 'Cob')
Without Cob, Dream would be a ball of anxiety. Cob is his comfort blanket in the field and this larger than life character loves his job as Dream's minder. Cob has had a busy ridden life in the past, but is happily retired now. Cob is a big, confident boy who loves nothing more than connecting with a human on the ground.
Romeo
'Romeo, Romeo....'
This pocket rocket came to us in June 2023. He is small in height but
certainly mighty in stature and personality! Romeo has a very inquisitive nature and enjoys time with both horses and his human friends, being very eager to please and extremely responsive to verbal commands.
He loves nothing more than being out and about; thoroughly enjoying lane
walks and exploring new places.
Yogi
Yogi is an interesting boy who is loving his life with us - living in a small herd and enjoying both ridden and groundwork activities. He is owned by Katrina's daughter and has been with us since September 2022. Yogi is a gentle boy who will happily stand for grooming and connection time, although he is usually our main suspect for any field misdemeanors; such as hoof-shaped holes in the hay feeders or tipped over wheelbarrows of poo!
Our other coaches
Ollie
Ollie is a gentle soul. He was rescued by a local charity and has been with Katrina and her family for a number of years. He likes nothing more than having a long nap or being cuddled.
Dora
Another rescue case, Dora came to live with Jo and her family in 2021 having been saved as an abandoned pup in Bosnia. She is an intelligent girl who feels safe with confident people who let her come to them. She is the loud one of the team, but throw her a ball and she will be your best bud!
Forever one of our team...
Django
Gorgeous Django wasn't here for very long, but he made a lasting impression on us.
Sadly, due to historical medical issues, we had to make a difficult decision about his future.
He was only 6 years old but had a tricky start in life, being abandoned extremely
malnourished with medical problems.
Django taught us so much about how to be kind, gentle and inquisitive. We were always reminded not to take life too seriously and we will be internally grateful to him for this.
