Why Horses?
why integrate horses & business mentoring?
Progress stalling or things feeling “off” in your business is rarely just about your strategy. It's more often about how the complexities of life intersects with it.
That intersection creates conditioned responses. A nervous system in overdrive. Business decisions and moves that aren't truly aligned to your values and instincts (and it’s hard to see otherwise), because it feels somewhat impossible to tap into what those really are, particularly at the pace you’re working.
This work brings awareness to those conditioned responses and unexamined assumptions - to the state of your nervous system.
And it's most powerfully done with horses present.
Horses are authentic and honest in a way that humans can't be. They don't respond to your title, your positioning, your marketing message, or how well you've prepared. They respond to who you are in the given moment. Your true presence.
For business owners who are high performing and accustomed to thinking their way through decisions, this work allows the full complexity of life — family, hormones, grief, chronic illness, parenting, neurodivergence — to coexist with your business. So your decisions feel clearer. Your practice becomes sustainable. And professional progress stops costing you personally.
The science
Your nervous system is shaped by how you run your business — your boundaries, your pricing, your team, your environment, your pace. It also regulates to what's around it. Busyness. Noise. Peace. Nature. Beauty. And in this work, horses.
In polyvagal neuroscience, this is called co-regulation: we regulate physiologically through proximity to regulated others. Horses are particularly effective at this, partly because of the size of their heart, and their capacity to bring our body into a parasympathetic state simply through presence.
A horse grazing quietly near you sends a signal to your brainstem that the environment is safe. That signal travels bottom-up, brainstem first, the limbic system next. And from there, the space between mind, heart, and body opens to access whats true for you.
People describe a quality of clarity after time with horses that they couldn't create in any other environment.
horses & me
I've been a participant in equine facilitation and therapy for nine years. Prior to that I had tried most approaches, those grounded in deep science like CBT and ACT, through to spiritual and somatic practices. Nothing came close to what happened for me in a paddock with the herd.
The breakthroughs, the clarity, the shifts, the grounding and the boundaries clarification all changed the way I live and work. Honestly, it's something I find hard to convey. It's something to experience.
I formalised that by training as an equine facilitator with Meg Kirby and Noel Haarburger at the The Equine & Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute. Now I bring this work into business coaching and mentoring, to support business owners making moves they trust.
The horse as partner, not prop
The horses I work with are not tools or therapy aids. They're sentient animals with their own preferences, boundaries, and ways of communicating and their participation in this work is always on their terms.
That's an ethical consideration, but it's also a practical one. A horse's response to you is honest in a way that humans — including coaches and therapists — simply can't replicate. They're tuned into congruence. They respond to your presence and your nervous system, not the version of yourself you think you need to put forward to perform as a high achiever.
Working with horses as partners is what makes this work unique. It requires presence and awareness. And that presence and awareness is what allows for sustainable high performance, particularly for business owners navigating the full complexity of life alongside their work.
This is not therapy, and it doesn't require a saddle. You won't be asked to ride. You don't need prior experience with horses — I just ask for openness to what might unfold.
This is not a retreat or a wellness experience. The work is grounded in equine-assisted learning methodology, trauma-informed facilitation, and the same nervous system science that underpins somatic coaching and high-performance psychology.
What you'll find is an environment where your body responds differently than it does in your office or on a walk. And a structured process for making that useful.
If you're sceptical, bring that. The horses won't mind, and neither will I.
What this is not
ways to work together, with the horses
To explore this equine work further, you can book a half-day intensive in the paddock — well suited to those travelling from outside Melbourne — or develop an ongoing mentoring relationship with two 90-minute sessions each month, where equine facilitated sessions can be woven in as the work calls for it.
Suited to business owners navigating:
Conditioned responses and patterns running on autopilot affecting their leadership
Business decisions that feel misaligned with their values and instincts
The full complexity of life alongside their practice; chronic illness, neurodivergence, hormone cycles, grief, parenting, caring for family
The ceiling that strategy and cognitive approaches alone haven't shifted
Nervous system regulation and what becomes possible from that state
MENTORING
Half or full day workshops in the paddock, either 1:1 or with your team.
Suited to business owners and leaders ready to work at a different layer, because the usual thinking and planning process are feeling heavy.
What we can work through:
Capacity planning and business goals
Team communication and dynamics
Leadership patterns running on autopilot
Decision-making that feels stuck or misaligned
Creative blocks and self-doubt when developing new work, a book, or a big idea
WORKSHOPS
Some of my wonderful clients…
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![Equine therapy facilitation business mentoring]()
I had the privilege of meeting Katee during Meg Kirby’s Equine Assisted Learning training, and from the very beginning, her presence was something truly special.
Katee has a magnetic energy that draws people in and creates an immediate sense of connection and safety. Her kindness and deeply empathic nature are evident in the way she communicates, holds space, and delivers her intentions with such care and authenticity.
During our time together, Katee showed me what it truly means to feel seen. She supported me through emotional moments with patience, compassion, and unwavering presence, gently guiding me to express myself in a way that felt safe and empowering. She didn’t try to fix or rush the process, she simply stayed beside me, which is a rare and powerful gift.
Katee is a genuinely kindhearted person with a natural ability to understand people on a deeper level. She leads with curiosity, compassion, and a sincere desire to support others in meaningful ways.
In addition to her emotional intelligence, Katee brings valuable skills in business development and growth, making her not only a beautiful facilitator but also someone who understands how to build and sustain impactful work.
Her lived experience with equine assisted learning adds another layer of depth to what she offers. She truly understands the power of horses, not just in theory, but through her own personal journey which allows her to connect others to that experience in a grounded and authentic way.
Jessica Luria - Equine Facilitator and Counsellor -
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Katee was a natural during our equine learning experience. She brings attentiveness, depth and a kind presence to sessions that enable you to dig deep and grow safely.
Michael Brandsdon-Smith - Equine Facilitator
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![col fink]()
“If you're the primary strategist or ideas person in your business, I'll bet there are SO MANY things you would love to get done but don't have the time or the technical expertise to make it happen.
"If only I could ....", you say "my business would be flying".With Katee in your corner, now you can.
She possesses the perfect combination of cleverness (to understand exactly what you want to achieve), strategic insight (to know the most effective way of making it happen), and practical skills (to then turn that vision into a reality).
If your business is hamstrung (as mine was) by a lack of technical skills or operational ability, Katee is your solution. Get her into your business and rather than being frustrated by technology, you'll be empowered by it.
She's a top shelf human as well, so you get good vibes as well as rapid progress. Highly recommended.”Col Fink - Business mentor & coach
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![charlotte holden]()
"I reached out to Katee because our business, Real Schools, had grown significantly over 18 months, but our systems and processes hadn't quite kept pace. We needed someone who understood not just our CRM and business operations, but more importantly, where we wanted to take our business — and someone who could collaborate effectively with our team.
Katee was perfect for this role. She brings a remarkably strategic mind and works with incredible efficiency. What sets her apart is her dual focus on elevating customer experience while driving commercial outcomes.
One of the most valuable things she did was facilitate internal workshops that gave everyone a voice to express their pain points and needs. She then skillfully brought everyone along on the journey, presenting solutions in a way that created genuine buy-in.
Beyond her professional expertise, Katie has this wonderful ability to anticipate business needs and solve them through a strategic lens. She's incredibly easy to work with and quick to deliver results.”
Charlotte Holden - Marketing Manager with Real Schools & Adam Voigt
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![richard young]()
"While my IP and delivery were solid, I knew our operational systems needed refinement to scale effectively.
What makes Katee extraordinary is her comprehensive understanding of successful practices combined with her unique ability to operate on two levels simultaneously. She brings both the detailed ground-level execution and a strategic 'floodlight view' of how everything interconnects.
Within days of working together, she transformed our fragmented pieces – systems, collateral, IP, newsletters – into a cohesive, aligned ecosystem.
Her clear vision of what success looks like at a systems level, combined with her ability to execute the practical elements, created immediate and lasting impact for our practice. That dual perspective is what sets her apart."
Richard Young PhD - Performance expert, Mentor and Author.
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![robert bihar]()
“Katee didn't just identify what I needed from a support person – she helped me understand why I needed it.
When she explained that my ideal support person needed to be proactive, she connected it directly to protecting my energy. It was a paradigm shift.
She has this unique ability to articulate what's truly important to you and then show how the right support can amplify it.
This wasn't just about getting help; it was about strategically preserving my energy for what matters most. That realisation was transformative."
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![sharon dann]()
“In just six months, Katee transformed our chaotic backend, consolidating 15 disconnected platforms into a seamless, efficient system, relieving me of a massive mental load.
Asana, a tool she introduced, has been a game-changer, enabling me to manage long-term strategic projects effortlessly.
Despite my past struggles with admin tasks and people, Katee made the process easy and enjoyable. She's not just effective—she's a fantastic person to work with.”
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![mikayla whetton]()
“Katee’s ability to make complex processes into seamless and integrated systems is invaluable. Her knowledge and experience across such a huge range of products and platforms means you always know you’ve got the most up to date and best practice information. Katee is extremely thorough from conception through to execution, and beyond. Ensuring both the customer experience and back-end management are given care and consideration. I would not hesitate to recommend Katee for support, consultation and implementation.”
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![penny terry]()
"As our business was growing rapidly, we knew we needed more robust support in both people and platforms.
What truly sets Katee apart is her deep understanding of the delicate balance between people, processes, and platforms. She helped us transform our overwhelming collection of tools and documents into a streamlined, future-proof system.
The impact was immediate – we've eliminated key-person dependency by getting everything out of our heads and into clear, transparent processes. The mental load has reduced significantly, with our platforms now carrying the weight we used to hold in our minds.
What surprised me most was Katee's extensive pre-existing knowledge; she'd done so much of the thinking before we even started, allowing us to move straight to solutions without wasting time.
She didn't overcomplicate things – instead, she found that perfect balance of tools and support that freed up our time and headspace to focus on what we do best. It was such a relief to have that level of insight and experience guiding us."
Penny Terry - Speaker, Mentor, Trainer & Podcaster & Lucy Byrne - Facilitator & Trainer
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![dave obrien]()
“Katee is an absolute gun! Her guidance and solutions are practical and she makes you feel more relaxed about finance and projects that are usually very overwhelming!"
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![Mary Butler]()
“I recently engaged Katee to help me identify the best support I need for my practice.
Katee asked all the right questions, and helped me to narrow down to my specific requirements. She really is the expert in this space.
Katee continued to keep in contact, making sure we had fully closed loop and I had all the elements I needed in place. I would highly recommend Katee if you're thinking of a reset in your practice or you're just levelling up. And she's just great to work with!”
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![Sarah Hodges]()
“Katee is nothing short of a magic maker!
When investing in a coach or mentor, you know it’s time for change but what I didn’t expect was the deep impact my time with Katee would have on my confidence.
Not only did she help me gain clarity on a new direction in my business, Katee also helped me see the intrinsic value I offered my exisiting clients and my distinctive difference from my competitors.
The momentum our calls created was electric with people reaching out noticing the shift in gear in my business, congratulating me on my success and lining up for discovery calls. Three months we worked together and now I am on my way to build my dream.
I highly recommend Katee to anyone who wants action, change and transformation because you will get it in spades!”
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![digby scott]()
“Katee's essence is that she cares. Every conversation I have, Katee has been one where I feel like I'm at the centre of the conversation. And she is elevating me, she's lifting me, she's just listening to me. And isn't that what we all want. And I just love that. And as a result, the engagements felt productive, and useful, and we can get into flow. If you're wondering, should I work with Katee? Let's go with Yes.”
Katee Gray is an accredited EAL (Equine Assisted Learning) practitioner, trained through the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI) and accredited Nutritionist with Nutrition Society of Australia.
Sessions are held in the Balnarring or Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria - Confirmed at time of booking.
Frequent asked questions
Understanding Equine Mentoring
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Equine mentoring and facilitation is a form of experiential learning and mentoring that takes place in the presence of horses, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It is not riding or horse therapy. Sessions focus on present-moment awareness, nervous system regulation, and practical business or leadership insight, guided by how horses respond to your state, patterns, and presence. You don't need horse experience. You bring what's live for you. The horses respond to what's real.
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Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is present-moment, capacity-building work. It focuses on awareness, patterns, and practical development, what's happening now and how to work with it.
Equine Assisted Therapy or Psychotherapy (EAP) is a clinical modality that explores the origins and history of patterns, typically within a therapeutic or counselling framework.
EAL is what's offered here. If your needs are better suited to a clinical or therapeutic pathway, I'll tell you that and point you toward the right support. -
No. Equine mentoring is experiential learning, not counselling, not psychotherapy. It works with what's present and alive right now: how you're functioning, what patterns are showing up, what capacity you need to build. It is not a space for excavating your past. If that's what you need, I'll refer you to someone qualified to do that work.
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Look for accreditation through a recognised training body. I hold accreditation as an EAL practitioner through the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI), completing Foundation Training with senior trainer Meg Kirby. EAAPI is one of Australia's leading equine-facilitated training institutes. Accreditation requires demonstrated competency in facilitation, horse welfare, safety, and ethical practice, not just horse experience. Specifically we focus on i-thou principles where the horses are invited into the work, and not forced to do anything.
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No horse experience is needed. Most clients arrive without any. Everything you need to know to be safe and engage with the session is covered at the start. If you're an experienced horse person, that's welcome too, the work operates differently from horsepersonship, so prior experience doesn't determine what you get out of it.
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Equine mentoring on the Mornington Peninsula with Katee Gray is used for: burnout recovery and capacity building, business strategy and decision-making, leadership presence and congruence, pricing and confidence, nervous system regulation, and patterns in how you work and relate. Most people arrive with a business or leadership question and leave with a deeper understanding of how they're operating underneath it.
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Yes. Burnout is one of the most common reasons people book. The work is specifically designed for cognitively dominant, high-functioning people whose nervous systems are running on empty. Horses are acutely attuned to nervous system state, they respond to what's actually happening in you, not what you're presenting. That makes burnout visible in a way that's hard to argue with, and creates conditions for genuine regulation rather than managed performance.
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Horses are prey animals. They're highly attuned to their environment and to the nervous system states of the people around them. They respond to what's real, not what's performed.
For people who are articulate and cognitively fluent - who can describe a problem in detail without actually feeling it - that's the point. Horses don't respond to your words. They respond to your state.
That kind of feedback is hard to argue with. And it creates insight that conversation alone often can't reach.
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Yes. The nervous system co-regulation that occurs between horses and humans is documented in research. The physiological shift in humans, measurable changes in heart rate variability and stress hormone cortisol, when in proximity to horses is well established. Sessions are grounded, observational, and practical. You won't be asked to do anything that doesn't make sense to you.
What to expect from the experience
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Sessions run for 90 minutes on the Mornington Peninsula at either a location in Balnarring or Tyabb - confirmed upon booking.
They follow a consistent flow: check-in (what's present for you, what you want to work with), time with the horses (which might include observing the herd, meeting a horse at liberty, grooming, or a more structured experience depending on what's relevant), and integration (what did you notice, what does it mean, what do you take with you).
You’ll also receive integration support via WhatsApp, Marco Polo, or email after each session. -
No. Everything is offered as an invitation, not a requirement. You determine how you engage. All current sessions are ground-based — there is no riding.
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Mention it during or before you book in. Some nervousness is normal and often part of the work.
A significant fear or phobia may mean we need to approach the first session differently, or have a conversation about whether this is the right fit right now. -
It absolutely can be, and it requires honest conversation upfront. The work is not trauma therapy and does not explore trauma origins. However, it is designed to be nervous-system aware, non-coercive, and paced to what's manageable for you. If you have a significant trauma history or are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please mention this when you enquire or book in so I can best support you.
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One session can shift something significant, many people notice a difference in clarity or capacity immediately. The monthly retainer (2 sessions per month with ongoing support) suits people working through something over time, or who want regular capacity support built into their practice. There is no lock-in commitment.
practical logistics stuff
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Sessions are held in the Balnarring and Tyabb area on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, approximately 70km south-east of Melbourne. Exact address and parking details are confirmed at booking.
I can arrange airport transport as part of your booking - just send us an email with your travel details: hello@kateegray.com -
Closed-toe shoes are non-negotiable, no thongs, sandals, or heels.
Comfortable layers for being outside in variable weather. You'll be on the ground for 90 minutes, potentially in wind, sun, or cold, so dress practically.
We do have undercover options and some cosy spaces for warmth.
If you arrive in unsuitable footwear the session may need to be rescheduled. -
— with awareness. Horses are large animals and their behaviour, while predictable when you understand them, is never entirely controlled. Every session begins with a safety briefing that gives you the information you need to be safe and make good choices. Horses are specifically matched to the work and to each client. Your safety, and the horses', is the first priority in every session.
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It absolutely can be, and it requires honest conversation upfront. The work is not trauma therapy and does not explore trauma origins. However, it is designed to be nervous-system aware, non-coercive, and paced to what's manageable for you. If you have a significant trauma history or are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please mention this when you enquire or book in so I can best support you.
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Sessions can often be adapted for your needs. Please reach out on email with your preferred accomodations so I can confirm which location may be better suited. That conversation is better had upfront than on the day.
hello@kateegray.com -
Book directly at kateegray.com/book-equine-mentoring. You'll receive a confirmation with all session details. First-time clients will be sent a services agreement and safety check — both must be signed at least 48 hours before the session.
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Please cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours before your session. Cancellations within 48 hours forfeit the 50% deposit. If I need to cancel due to illness or weather, you'll be notified as soon as possible and offered a full rebook or refund.
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No, this is for the scope of Equine Therapy (EAP)
touch base
I'd love to hear about what you're working on and where you need support.
A note on timing: My 1:1 project capacity is booked through May 2026, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. I have DIY tools and courses for immediate implementation, priority waitlist spots for June onwards, and other options depending on what you need and when you need it.
Fill out the enquiry form and I'll be in touch with what solutions makes most sense for you.