A look inside Eureka Horse Wisdom

Horses relax and take a nap in the ABC Sheds-built covered arena at Eureka Horse Wisdom.

A look inside Eureka Horse Wisdom

By Equestrian Life

Based in the Southern Highlands, Eureka Horse Wisdom is a place of natural tranquillity where the partnership between horse and human is tied together by trust and harmony — as well as the use of clever infrastructure.

Sprawled across 106 stunning acres in the Southern Highlands, Eureka Horse Wisdom is a place of peace and serenity where people and horses alike can relax and enjoy life at a slower pace.

Founded by Soo Woods in 2014, Eureka Horse Wisdom offers two services: CORE Horse Partnership and Equine Therapy. As Soo explains, CORE Horse Partnership is about helping people to improve their relationships with their equine friends — whether it’s groundwork or riding, the core premise is having the horse’s best interests at heart.

“We don’t believe in force and pressure; we believe in explaining everything to a horse clearly, and developing beautiful relationships with compliant partners, which is why I call it horse-partnership, rather than horsemanship,” says Soo. “I prefer working with a horse and their person, rather than taking in horses for training —otherwise the horse learns and the person doesn’t!”

The other side of Eureka Horse Wisdom is the Equine Therapy (formerly Equine Experiential Learning). A qualified counsellor, Soo offers sessions for some children but predominately adults, who come with a broad range of backgrounds and concerns. A session may involve working with one or more horses who contribute to the learnings and healing.

The clients of both the CORE Horse Partnership and Equine Therapy benefit from the tranquillity and natural energy of the property, as it makes people feel at ease before they even set eyes on a horse. “Bringing people out here and being in nature, even before they get to the horses, has a calming, therapeutic effect. I believe it really sets people up for maximum change.”

The natural beauty of the property is complemented by clever infrastructure, which provides a safe space for clients to learn — and a great environment for the horses as well!

A 30m x 20m covered arena is the central hub of Eureka Horse Wisdom, and it’s used on a daily basis. Built by ABC Sheds, it features walls on the south and west sides to protect against the worst weather, but otherwise it’s open. “It does create a completely different feel, compared to a fully enclosed indoor,” says Soo. “I originally designed the arena to be a giant shelter for the herd, and over time it’s been used more and more as an arena.”

A 30m x 20m covered arena, built by ABC Sheds, is the central hub of Eureka Horse Wisdom.

Soo’s herd of therapy horses usually have open access to the covered arena, and she explains that it’s not uncommon to find all 13 of them in there — 12 lying down snoozing, and one standing up to keep watch!

Soo’s horses take a break and relax in the arena.

When it came to building the covered arena, Soo explains that ABC Sheds were excellent to work with. “Ron in particular from ABC Sheds was outstanding. I had a limited budget to play with, and I went through that many different variations of what I could do for the money I had. A lot of other shed companies actually stopped working with me because they got sick and tired of me going on, ‘Can we change it?’ or, ‘What will it cost if I do this type of thing instead?’ Ron stuck with me the whole way. Nothing was a problem; he always found a workaround. When it came to the construction, they were efficient. They did a great job; it was very smooth, they tidied up after themselves… they were very easy to work with.”

A horse works in the covered arena.

In terms of other facilities, there is also an open 30m x 20m sand yard adjacent to the covered arena. “We’ve got quite a big work space, allowing us to have a large group of people and horses together safely,” says Soo.

In addition, there is a 17 metre round yard and a stable block, of which ABC Sheds built the latter. “The stable block is not a conventional stable,” explains Soo. “I’ve put in three large stable boxes, 4m x 4m. Two of them open up onto each other, so I can create an 8m x 4m space. We also have a client room and a bathroom; there are facilities for people as well as the horses.”

Inside the stable block.

The stables are used as a smaller safe space during therapy or training sessions, or if a horse is sick or injured; the rest of the time, Soo’s horses live outdoors in the herd. The stables are a little different in the way that there are no divider bars; Soo prefers to have them open so the horses can talk to each other over the top of the stable walls, so they are never too far removed from the herd environment.

The stables are open and free from divider bars.

When it comes to the future, Soo has plans to continue expanding the property’s infrastructure and also Eureka Horse Wisdom’s service offerings. With the covered arena now being used a lot for clients, Soo has dreams of expanding its size once the budget allows — and she has no doubt she’ll head back to ABC Sheds, for this and anything else she eventually needs built.

The stable block, with the covered arena behind it.

Alongside hopefully expanding her arena, she is also looking to expand the Equine Therapy side of the business. “We are going to be offering retreats and workshops that enable people to come and live in the space for a few days at a time and really enjoy the property.” With 106 acres of natural beauty, a herd of gorgeous horses — and quality infrastructure to tie it altogether — spending time at Eureka Horse Wisdom will no doubt be a popular getaway!

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