Nest Equine & Nature is built around a simple idea: meaningful experiences can create opportunities for learning, connection and change.
Set within a natural farm environment, Nest brings together horses, nature and thoughtfully designed experiences for children, young people, families and women.
The horses are central to the Nest experience, but Nest is about more than horses. It is about what can be discovered through being present, paying attention and experiencing things differently.
Some experiences are playful and hands-on. Others create space for reflection, self-awareness and personal growth. There is no single way to experience Nest, because every person arrives with their own needs, interests and starting point.
An approach grounded in learning, Nest is informed by a trauma-informed approach and an ongoing commitment to learning and professional development.
Lauren Dawson, founder of Nest, has completed training in Equine Assisted Learning and Trauma & Addictions with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute. Her professional development is continuing through Coaching with the Institute of Applied Psychology, Equid-Nexus Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Equine Engagement, and Embodied Processing with The Centre For Healing.
These areas of study continue to shape the way experiences are developed and facilitated — with an emphasis on safety, curiosity, awareness, relationship and the ways people learn through experience.
Lauren brings together this professional learning with her experience of working with horses, animals, people and the natural environment. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach, Nest experiences are thoughtfully adapted to the people taking part and what is happening in the moment.
About Us
What Matters Most at Nest...
Connection
Connection sits at the heart of Nest — with ourselves, with others, with horses and with nature
Safety
People need to feel safe enough to explore, learn and participate in their own way. Creating a respectful and welcoming environment is fundamental to every Nest experience.
Impact
Nest aims to create experiences that have meaning beyond the time spent here — building awareness, skills, confidence and understanding that can become part of everyday life.
These values guide the way Nest grows, the experiences it creates and the relationships it builds.
It is a place to explore...
Nest doesn't ask people to arrive with everything figured out.
It offers a place to experience something new, to notice what is happening, to learn through connection and to discover what might be possible.
Sometimes it might mean understanding a little more about ourselves.
And sometimes it might simply mean spending time with a horse, being outdoors and having the opportunity to slow down.
Nest is a place where those experiences can begin.
Connection Safety Impact
At the Heart of Nest are the Horses...
All individual characters who bring their own personalities, wisdom and way of being to every experience.
