About us
A picturesque environment offering safe and meaningful experiences with horses.
Located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, sitting on the fringe of the gorgeous Yarra Valley in Panton Hill, Unicorn Valley Equestrian Centre is just a short drive from the Greensborough Bypass and located within 30 minutes of the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
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Horses have the natural ability to connect with humans on a deeper level, enabling us to learn and develop our personal, social, emotional, and relationship skills. Our horses and therapists work as a team to enhance your quality of life, helping you to learn valuable life skills.
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Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an experiential way of ‘being in the moment’ with our horses, where there is no judgment - we are seen as we are in a safe space allowing exploring, learning, growing and healing.
Our proud history
"I'm passionate about working with people to build that connection between horses and individuals. Seeing how our clients progress gives me great satisfaction"
- Andrea Hegmann - Owner, Instructor
Unicorn Valley was established in 1998 by Andrea Hegmann with only a handful of ponies and a small menage. Andrea initially provided instruction to just five children but over time, as her students kept growing (taller), she had to support their long legs with bigger horses.
Promoting the school through word of mouth, the business continued to grow rapidly and so did the improvements to the riding school. These included lighting for the outdoor menage, hot water wash bay, indoor stable, yards and a cross country course.
Over the past 30 years, the continued development of Unicorn Valley facilities enabled students to further their riding skills and also provided scope to grow their understanding of horsemanship and the basic skills required to care for a horse; skills such as catching the horse in its paddock, saddling and bridling, floating, feeding, rugging and basic first aid are all part of the experience.
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With over three decades of experience, we have developed profound knowledge helping to advance children and adolescents in their social and problem-solving skills, and empathy and compassion towards others.
With that foundation, our core focus is to grow and evolve our Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) program, which combines our passion for horses and desire to provide young people with invaluable and exciting learning experiences.
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Working with horses helps to build communication skills and develop the emotional intelligence required to cultivate, and maintain healthy relationships.
