Who are you and what does your business do? 

My name is Sonya McAleer, showjumper, coach and the founder of the Irish Equestrian Mental Health Project. A new charity based in Ireland providing equestrians from all levels with the tools and support to have good mental health and well-being. We host workshops, seminars and help point people in the right direction to get help when it’s needed. We’re working with established charities and organisations such as Irish Injured Jockeys, Pony Club, riding clubs and Aware NI to allow everyone access to our programmes.

How does your business make your customers’ lives better? 

Our mission is to remove the stigma around talking about mental health. Through our workshops and events, our aim is to give people the power to look after their mental health in the right way. We’re focusing on a range of topics such as minding your mental health, confidence building and goal setting for example – to not only build a good mindset but also help people achieve their goals in and out of the saddle. 

What do you love most about what you do? 

I love doing something positive within the community and I love helping people. If our work can help even just one person, then we’re doing something right. I enjoy making new connections and striving to make the project better for everyone. So, I love to hear people’s thoughts and ideas on what we can do and enjoy hearing how our events so far have helped people.

Why did you first get involved with your business and what was your overall goal? 

Through my own personal experience of depression and anxiety and through working with clients within the sport I felt there was a real need for a support system. Our industry comes with many challenges such as injuries, setbacks and negativity so my overall goal was to build a positive inclusive space where everyone can get the help they need whilst working on being the best version of themselves. Long term I want the project to be a household name in Ireland providing not only workshops and training but a counselling service as well that will be accessible for everyone.

What was the best surprise/shock that you got while working in your business? 

The best surprise has been the unbelievable support we’ve received from everyone in the industry, from riders at all levels and different organisations within the sport. Taking the leap to setup the project was massive, but it’s all been made so much easier having this support behind us. We hope to go from strength to strength over time and continue to help everyone we can.

What is your key message to the Equine Industry here in Ireland? 

Reach out and get support if you need it and help others when you can. Remember we’re all in the industry for the same reason, our love of what we do and our horses.

What values are most important to your business? 

Our core values are at the heart of everything we do. We’re open and honest, we’re responsive to the needs of others, we’re respectful, treating everyone with equality and dignity. We show empathy in all areas of our work and most importantly we try to instil positivity into the sport.

How can people get in touch with you?

You can reach us through our website, email or through Facebook. We have a number of branded items on our website which can be purchased directly through there. All funds raised through sales and donations go towards funding our workshops and events.

Phone: +447874350665

Email: irishequestrianmhp@gmail.com

Insta: @iemhp

Website: www.iemhp.co.uk

Interview done by Emer McNamee @equiflexx_therapy.

“My experience with the Irish Equestrian Mental Health Project” Emer McNamee.

I have had a very positive experience with the Irish Equestrian Mental Health Project to date. I was introduced to Sonya through a mutual friend in the industry. I began treating her horses in 2021 and have been working closely with her ever since in a professional and personal capacity. We are both young businesswomen in the Equine Industry so it is great to have her support. Personally, mental health is something that I have only become comfortable with in recent years, it was not something that was talked about when I was in school or even in my later college years, it was very much a taboo subject. 

I have gone through some ‘rough patches’ with my mental health in the past and at the time I didn’t really understand it or know where to turn. Being a self-employed business person in the industry comes with its worries and anxiety, both financially and emotionally. I think if I had tried to set up the business I have today 5 years ago I would not have been well equipped to deal with these issues. I see some similarities in mental health and in the Physical therapy I do with horses. Everybody wants a quick fix. I believe Mental health is something that you have to work on an ongoing basis, not just when something blows up and it all goes belly up, if you wait this long then it is too late! I see this with horses that are presented to me, a horse may have a compensatory injury that has been going on for months but only comes to light when the horse is hopping lame or has a massive drop in performance. There is no quick fix.

I attended a workshop hosted by IEMHP on goal setting. The guest speaker was Liam O’Neill ‘The prove it guy’. Everybody was given the floor to talk about their goals and discuss with Liam how they could be achieved and break them down into bite-sized chunks. I found this really useful for me because I tend to run before I can walk and then I beat myself up when I don’t achieve a goal. We also did some breathing and visualisation exercises, a tool I now use regularly.

I would recommend anybody to check out the workshops hosted by IEMHP. It is a fantastic initiative to have and I feel it was something that was well overdue in the industry. I understand that for many people this kind of thing is very new and can be a little scary at first, but every journey starts with the first step.