Stella McCartney and The Chopra Foundation have joined forces to help people gain access to equine therapy.
Stella McCartney swears by horse therapy
The fashion designer, who has ridden on horses since before she was born, when her late mother Linda McCartney rode horseback while pregnant, received an email from mental health advocate Deepak Chopra about the positive impact interacting with horses can have on one's mental and physical health.
And one thing led to another, and they decided to team up on Healing Power of Horses.
They have compiled a global directory of equine therapy clinics approved by The Chopra Foundation - which conducts scientific research into the "effects of mind-body practices on health and wellbeing."
Plus, meditations and a limited-edition Stella McCartney Falabella, complete with a ribbon containing a positive affirmation by poet Cleo Wade.
For every bag sold, a portion of the proceeds will support The Chopra Foundation, mental health initiatives and equine therapy centres.
Speaking to Vogue, Stella, 52, whose father is Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, said: “I wasn't brought up with the idea of equine therapy because that's a new term.
“But I have seen the ones I love have healing experiences with horses, including myself. When my mother passed away, I started riding her stallion and that was so intensely emotional for me.”
Explaining the benefits of building a bond with a horse, Stella said: "It's such a complex relationship focused on trust.
“We are the fragile one out of the two. When you're riding, it's about them trusting and respecting you just as much as you trust and respect them.”
Stella, whose mother was just 56 when she died in 1998, following a battle with breast cancer, says her time with her own horse, Flo, has been a huge part of her own "healing process".
She added: “Riding and spending time with Flo has been a consistent part of my healing process because it's always been such an integral part of my life.
“I'm aware of a change in the way I feel the moment my feet leave the ground. I'll realise, ‘Now I'm in a good place.’ ”
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