In this episode of Taking Back the Reins, host Dina Shale shares a heartfelt update on how the past year has shaped her equine-facilitated learning journey in Lincolnshire. From rebuilding her business after a bold move from Leicestershire to forming inspiring collaborations for 2026, Dina reflects on the growth, challenges, and gratitude that come with following your purpose.

You’ll hear about the success of The Accelerator programme, summer work with the HAF team, exciting new retreats with Moon & Main, and her continued passion for equine therapy, sound healing, and community projects. Dina also gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at upcoming website updates, training opportunities, and collaborations that are helping others build sustainable, heart-led organisations.

Whether you’re an equine facilitator, a business owner, or simply someone who loves stories of resilience and purpose, this episode offers inspiration, insight, and hope for the year ahead.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction – Welcome back and what’s ahead

01:20 Moving from Leicestershire to Lincolnshire: The leap of faith

03:30 Rebuilding and restarting the business from the ground up

05:10 Reflections on The Accelerator and new student journeys

07:00 Highlights from a busy summer with the HAF programme

08:30 Renovation projects, new facilities, and on-site improvements

09:45 Collaborations with Moon & Main and upcoming retreats

10:50 Partnering with coach Parvez Bhatti: Building sustainable charities

13:00 Lessons in community, growth, and starting over

15:00 Upcoming events: retreats, Echo Sound sessions, and more

17:00 Website updates, new booking options, and future plans

18:05 Final reflections – excitement, gratitude, and what’s next

In this episode of Taking Back the Reins, host Dina Shale explores how emotions serve as vital information—guiding us toward what feels right or wrong, when to act, and when to rest.

Through the lens of trauma-informed equine facilitated learning, Dina explains how horses naturally read emotions as cues for survival and connection—and how we, too, can tune into that same emotional intelligence.

Drawing from her experience as a somatic experiencing practitioner, Dina shares how suppressing emotions disconnects us from our inner wisdom, and how reconnecting with our “felt sense” helps us make aligned, confident decisions.

You’ll also hear a powerful personal story where trusting emotional intuition helped her avoid a life-changing mistake—and how emotions, when understood, can become one of our greatest guides.

Whether you’re healing from trauma, working with horses, or simply learning to listen to your body’s messages, this episode will inspire you to see emotions not as weakness, but as wisdom.

00:00 – Introduction and welcome back to Taking Back the Reins

00:25 – Emotions as information: learning to listen to what feelings tell us

01:15 – Why most of us were never taught emotional awareness

02:25 – How horses read emotions through energy and body scanning

04:10 – Fear, anger, sadness: decoding emotional cues for humans

05:00 – Tuning into emotions when working with rescue horses

06:30 – Understanding somatic experiencing and emotional disconnection

07:45 – Story: when listening to emotions prevented a major mistake

10:45 – Trusting your intuition and building confidence in decisions

12:30 – Realizing emotions never lie — they guide us to truth

13:50 – Processing emotions vs. retelling the story of trauma

14:45 – How emotional awareness deepens connection with your horse

15:40 – Big Harry: the horse that taught emotional wisdom

16:10 – Closing reflections: feel, listen, and process—don’t fix or bury emotions

16:45 – Invitation to join the Highway to Healing community

In this episode of Taking Back the Reins, host Dina Shale shares the inspiring journey behind Project Pony and The Accelerator—two groundbreaking equine-facilitated learning programmes designed to help people overcome trauma, stress, and life’s challenges. Discover how a framework born during the pandemic has evolved into a powerful path of healing, transformation, and empowerment—inside what Dina calls her “portal of transformation.”

Whether you’re curious about equine-assisted learning, thinking about becoming a facilitator, or seeking tools to step into your soul’s purpose, this episode offers wisdom, real-life stories, and encouragement to take back the reins of your own life.