About Horses & Heart Songs
Vision
Horses & Heart Songs envisions a world where all creatures are treated with respect for the uniqueness of their being, and where every individual has the opportunity to develop their full potential. Our purpose is to create a supportive environment where we can embrace our differences and learn from them, and where individuals and groups learn to maintain a loving, authentic connection to themselves and those around them, including the earth upon which we live, as well as all creatures on it.
Mission
Our mission is to create the nurturing circumstances for people to learn more about themselves, make meaningful changes in their lives, and expand their potential. The tools we use are Equine Facilitated Learning workshops, workshops focusing on self care, awareness and personal development, and music and the voice as a means for self-expression and self-awareness.
Sanna Heijnis
Sanna Heijnis is Epona Approved Instructor, singer-songwriter and lifelong horse person. She has a background in organization and communication, and is currently in training to become a psychologist.
I cannot remember when or even if I consciously decided I wanted to live and work with horses. Horses have always been a part of my life. From early childhood, I have experienced their comforting presence and love, as well as the challenges that come from learning to handle and ride these large, strong and willful creatures. They have taught me about assertiveness, responsibility and forgiveness, but also about pride and fear and control.
Even as a teenager I had a dream of opening a facility where troubled people could find care with the aid of horses. I had no examples, no experience, but somehow I knew that horses would have so much to offer. The only experience I had at that point was when I shared my own grieves and fears with the horses at my riding school, something I suppose every horse-loving girl has done at some point. The dream never really went away but life led me in another direction (and then another, and another, and another…). Thankfully, the dream found its way back to my conscious mind, as my life unfolded and I experienced once more the nurturing, healing and grounding qualities of horses. Today, they keep inspiring me in my work, my music and my relationships. Every day, I am grateful for their presence in my life.
Music, too, has always been a part of my life. After recording several CD’s and performing for some years, solo as well as in bands, I started to realize that I wanted to share my musical gift in a different way. My voice and my music to me are a way to express and evoke emotions. Often they reflect events from my own life or from the lives of people and animals close to me, and on a certain level they resonate with the listener. Somehow, this often brings about a shift in emotional awareness, or evokes some insight or idea. Time and again, I am amazed at what happens when I am just singing a song.
Finding my purpose in this life has not been easy. What on earth was I supposed to be doing here? I have walked many paths, a lot of which seemed to lead nowhere. Eventually, I found out that I was always on my path, one that I have come to know as the way of the horse.
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More about us
Workshops
In this introductory two-day workshop we will explore the Epona principles in active interaction with
the horses and each other. Emotions and body sensations as information, activating the authentic self,
the power of intuition: we will find that these are not mere abstract concepts, but very real skills
that horses naturally possess.
Newsletter
Do you want us to keep you posted on news and workshops? Sign up for our newsletter by sending an e-mail to newsletter@horsesandheartsongs.com.
