A fully funded mental wellbeing coaching programme for farmers, using horses, is returning for 2026. The initiative offers one-to-one or group sessions to help participants manage stress, build resilience, and improve overall wellbeing at no cost.
This programme addresses the well-documented mental health challenges faced by Irish farmers, offering a free, accessible, and unique approach to support their wellbeing and resilience.
A mental wellbeing coaching programme for farmers, which utilizes horses for equine-assisted learning (EAL), is set to return for 2026. Approved for funding by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the initiative aims to support the mental health of the farming community. The programme will be based near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, and at Kilcloon in Co. Meath, offering weekly one-hour sessions over eight weeks from June to mid-October. It is open to farmers, farm families, and farm workers, providing a choice between eight weeks of one-to-one EAL coaching or four weeks of small group EAL coaching. Participants will engage in ground-based activities with horses to learn strategies for managing stress, anxiety, burnout, improving emotional resilience, confidence, and problem-solving skills, at no cost to them. EAL coach Melanie Downes highlighted that no prior horse experience is necessary and the approach is confidential, non-judgmental, somatic, and trauma-informed. Research indicates significant mental health challenges, including stress, burnout, and isolation, facing Irish farmers.
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