Therapy on horseback

Equine Pathways
Caring. Inspirational. Wonderful

Julia Battams scaled down her successful equestrian business to help more than 50 people with disabilities reach their potential through Equine Pathways Australia (EPA).

Julia established the non-profit so more people with a disability or recovering from an injury could enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of being around horses.

She runs weekend workshops for children and adults, with high-level coaches donating their time to teach them the art of dressage.

The weekends also include sessions with a psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, doctor and nutritionist to help them work towards their physical and riding goals.

Julia and her volunteers continued to support the riders during the COVID-19 pandemic through Zoom clinics.

She can’t think of anything more rewarding than watching the riders’ skills and physical abilities improve as they progress through the program.

EPA also supports athletes to compete on the national and world stage at events, including the Paralympics or to find employment in the equine industry.

Julia is proud to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “It is certainly not me alone who deserves this; we have so many heroes in our team. We are opening up the equestrian world, which has so many benefits, to people who simply would not have had this opportunity otherwise,” she says.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. Org will..

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here