Meet Dan Gillen
“It’s in your blood, boy” my grandfather once said to me. He was referring to my love for horses and cattle, a love that’s woven throughout my family heritage.
It was a part of me that laid dormant as I chose to pursue a footy career and then onto a carpentry apprenticeship.
In my early-twenties life led me to Alice Springs where I would spend the next 6 years working on cattle stations.
It was here, in the centre of Australia, that the missing piece in myself was ignited – the love for all things wild. Wild cattle, wild horses and a wild countryside.
Within this wilderness I discovered there was a calm and peaceful state, where everything slowed down…
I learnt many things about life as a young man navigating the Outback, and it’s where I developed my skill to work with the horses I had always loved.
After a tragedy struck my family at the hands of an unseen mental health battle. I chose to change the course of my career, and ultimately my life.
Now, as a qualified Equine Assisted Mental Health Practitioner, I’ve fused my passion for horses with my passion to help others improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.
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Now it is here, back on the Fraser Coast, that I have once again found the power of slowing down, and I wish to share that with you.
Why Horses?
Horses have walked alongside humans for thousands of years, once playing an essential role in our daily lives for transport, farming, work, and companionship. This long history of connection has created a unique bond between people and horses, built on trust, respect, and cooperation. Even today, when they are no longer part of our everyday survival, horses continue to offer us comfort, grounding, and a sense of partnership.
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In therapy, horses bring something truly special – they are highly sensitive to subtle changes in our emotions and body language, often reflecting what we’re feeling even before we notice it ourselves. Their natural empathy and attunement provide gentle, nonjudgmental feedback that can help clients build self-awareness, trust and healthy boundaries. Because horses are social animals, their interactions mirror human relationships, offering valuable opportunities to practice connection and emotional regulation.
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In this safe and supportive space, clients can explore and process difficult experiences in ways that feel grounding, authentic, and deeply healing. Alongside the presence of the horse, a qualified counsellor gently guides the process, offering a secure framework to explore what arises. The counsellor helps clients make sense of their experiences, supports them in working through emotions that surface, and ensures the insights gained with the horse are integrated into their healing journey. Together, the horse and counsellor create a powerful team — one offering intuitive, nonverbal feedback, the other providing professional care, reflection, and therapeutic support.
