EquiSteps faces eviction as Wicklow therapy centre's future hangs in the balance

Raised on the back of a horse and trained as a teacher, Essie Mooney has spent a decade turning EquiSteps into a place where children and adults find confidence, calm and practical life skills. After the sudden sale of Spruce Lodge and an unexpected eviction notice, families, volunteers and staff are holding out hope that a benefactor will secure a new home so the work can continue.

Essie Mooney’s relationship with horses began before she could walk. Born into an equestrian family, she was, by her own account, “raised on the back of a horse.” Her mother was a riding instructor, and her brother became a farrier. Horses were not a hobby; they were a way of life. Her maternal grandparents, based in the UK, were pioneers in therapeutic riding. As early as the 1980s and 1990s, they brought ponies to special schools so children with profound physical and intellectual disabilities could experience riding on the school grounds. By the age of nine, Essie was helping lead ponies for these sessions, unwittingly laying the foundations for her future career.

As a child, Essie competed across all disciplines through Pony Club and riding clubs, spending weekends at rallies and shows. Later, she trained as a primary school teacher at university in Glasgow. Though she loved working with children, especially those with additional needs, she quickly realised that the confines of a traditional classroom were not where she belonged.

After graduating, she moved to Ireland and began working in various equestrian yards. Eventually, she joined Festina Lente, a leading therapeutic riding centre, where she remained for eight years. It was here that Essie’s passion for combining her skills in education and horsemanship began to crystallise. She watched the organisation closely, learning what worked and what didn’t. She began to envision a different kind of centre, one she would shape herself, grounded in excellence, empathy, and authenticity.

Her equestrian qualifications are substantial. She is a British Horse Society (BHS) certified instructor, a qualified therapeutic riding coach, and holds certifications from Horse Sport Ireland and British Equestrian Vaulting. She has also trained in Equine Assisted Learning.

The spark of vaulting

Fourteen years ago, a pivotal conversation changed Essie’s direction. She was approached by Mrs Joan Keogh, owner of Spruce Lodge, a well-known equestrian facility in County Wicklow. Mrs Keogh, herself a formidable force in Irish equestrianism, was a founding member of Dressage Ireland and had dedicated decades to advancing the sport, particularly dressage. She ran competitions, hosted international trainers, and made Spruce Lodge a hub for elite and inclusive equestrian training alike.

Mrs Keogh asked Essie whether she might be interested in helping to introduce equestrian vaulting, a blend of gymnastics and dance performed on horseback, to Ireland. At the time, Essie knew little about the discipline, but she was intrigued. After some research, she recognised its potential and agreed to get involved.

Together with Helen Keogh, Mrs Keogh’s daughter, Essie travelled to the UK for training. Both became certified vaulting coaches and, upon returning, launched a small vaulting club. They began with just two weekly sessions, on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings, fitting them around Essie’s full-time job at Festina Lente. The club quickly grew, with children competing in the UK and developing confidence, balance, and teamwork through this unusual and highly engaging sport.

The Birth of EquiSteps

By 2015, Essie was ready to step out on her own. She had completed her formal qualification as a therapeutic riding coach and developed a detailed business plan. She approached Mrs Keogh with her proposal: a new therapeutic riding centre to be run from Spruce Lodge. The vision was ambitious but clear: small group sizes, individual attention, and a mix of therapeutic, recreational, and equine-assisted programmes. Mrs Keogh agreed and offered access to a barn and grazing. EquiSteps was born.

The centre’s first pony was Tigger, a 14.1-hand dark bay gelding gifted by Essie’s best friend, Siobhán Schmidt. Tigger had carried Siobhán’s children through Pony Club and was now ready for a second career. While he came with a slight quirk, he had been taught to rear on command, Tigger proved to be a gifted therapy pony. He had an uncanny ability to match the mood and energy of his rider. Calm and slow for those who needed gentleness; energetic and responsive for those looking for more challenge.

Over time, the herd grew to five or six ponies and horses. Helen Keogh, though technically retired, came on board to support the new venture. She helped establish the business alongside Essie and later covered her first maternity leave seven years ago. Helen continued teaching until about five years ago, at which point she fully stepped back.

The Arrival and Impact of Georgina Izatt

Around the same time that Helen was winding down her involvement, Georgina Izatt joined the team at EquiSteps. A skilled and like-minded coach, Georgina brought fresh energy and expertise to the growing centre. She overlapped with Helen for about six months, and then continued on, helping to solidify EquiSteps’ position as a unique and high-quality provider of equine-assisted programmes in the region.

Georgina has now been part of the business for five years, and her contribution has been invaluable. She possesses what Essie describes as a rare ability to truly understand people, particularly children and teenagers. Georgina takes time to know each individual, to see the world through their eyes, and to help them approach challenges from perspectives they might not naturally consider. Her rapport with teenagers is especially powerful, enabling her to connect with them in ways that build confidence, resilience, and trust. At the same time, she has a natural gift with younger children, balancing encouragement and patience in equal measure.

Beyond her teaching, Georgina brings technical expertise to the business. As a qualified saddle fitter, she ensures that every horse’s tack is constantly reviewed and optimised. This is part of a broader philosophy at EquiSteps, where horse welfare is paramount. The horses are the backbone of the programme, and their wellbeing is treated with the same seriousness as the needs of the riders.

Each horse receives regular physiotherapy or osteopathy sessions, often twice a year, along with complementary bodywork from specialists who generously volunteer their time. They are seen by an equine dentist, their tack is meticulously checked, and, crucially, they live outdoors. This lifestyle, Essie insists, allows them to stay mentally and physically balanced. “They need to be horses first,” she says, “so they can give their best in the work they do with us.”

This dual focus, on the people who come to EquiSteps and on the horses who make the work possible, is at the core of everything Essie and Georgina do.

Therapy Through Horses

Today, the centre supports around 60 families on a regular basis, as well as working with eight local schools, each of which has an ASD unit. These schools send groups of students for four- to six-week therapeutic riding blocks. EquiSteps also offers recreational riding (taught one-on-one or with just two riders at most), adult lessons, and vaulting sessions that still run weekly. There are also stable management sessions, popular among children who might be on the waiting list or prefer to work from the ground.

Essie keeps her groups small by design. “Although it might not make the most financial sense,” she says, “it’s the most effective and satisfying way to work.” For her, quality always comes before quantity. She teaches riding not just as a skill, but as a relationship, between horse and rider, built on trust, communication, and mutual respect.

The centre also runs summer camps, strictly limited to six participants per morning to ensure personal attention. There are volunteering opportunities for teenagers, many of whom come through Transition Year or home-schooling arrangements. The community is diverse, supportive, and bonded by a shared love of horses.

Some of the stories that have emerged from EquiSteps are nothing short of extraordinary.

One of Essie’s longest-standing riders, Charlie, first came to her as a non-verbal four-year-old. Now 13, he has developed a deep and clear sense of what he wants. From the beginning, he rejected Tigger, unlike nearly every other child, and preferred more opinionated horses. Over time, Essie worked closely with a speech and language therapist to create a picture communication chart, allowing Charlie to direct his own sessions.

After six years, Charlie walked into the tack room, picked up the saddle belonging to his chosen horse, and signalled that he was ready to transition from the soft pad and roller to a full saddle and stirrups. Since then, he’s worked on rising trot and more technical skills. More importantly, he has found his voice. At EquiSteps’ 10-year anniversary celebration this month, he turned to Essie from the crowd and said clearly: “I love you, Essie.”

Another child, a four-and-a-half-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, attended her first session over the summer. Her mother later reported that the girl, who had never once slept through the night, slept for 12 hours following her first session. And then again the next night.

There is also an adult man who visits from a residential home. Usually loud, tense, and reactive, he becomes calm and serene around the horses. His care team marvels at the transformation: he makes eye contact, smiles, and stays present in a way they rarely see.

A Sudden Shock

For many years, EquiSteps operated in harmony with Mrs Keogh and her dressage-focused activities at Spruce Lodge. Events were hosted, trainers came from across Europe, and the two businesses co-existed respectfully and productively.

That changed four years ago, when Mrs Keogh passed away. Spruce Lodge was put up for sale, creating a long period of uncertainty for Essie and her team. She held off relocating, hoping to stay in the environment that had become home for both her and the families she served.

Eventually, the estate was sold. The new owner initially expressed enthusiasm for preserving Joan Keogh’s legacy, and Essie was relieved. She stopped searching for alternative properties, feeling confident that EquiSteps would remain.

But just two and a half months into the new ownership, on a Saturday evening at 6pm, Essie’s birthday, she received a call saying that “it wasn’t working.” It was a bolt from the blue. A month later, a registered letter from the new owner’s solicitor officially asked Essie to vacate by October 20th.

A Future in Question

Yet even as uncertainty hangs over the future, there are glimmers of hope. At the EquiSteps 10-year anniversary celebration, whispers began of a “fairy godfather” - someone willing to help secure a new property and give EquiSteps a permanent home. If these plans come to fruition, they could safeguard the therapeutic riders, the vaulters, the adult learners, the volunteers, and the community that has grown around this unique and much-loved centre.

For now, the mission continues. Riders still arrive, horses are still cared for with the highest standards, and Essie and Georgina continue to hold space for those who need it most. EquiSteps remains, at heart, a safe place, for children discovering their voice, for adults finding calm, for families seeking support, and for horses living lives of dignity and purpose.

The road ahead may be uncertain, but the foundation is unshakable: a belief in healing through horses, in education rooted in empathy, and in the quiet but powerful connections that change lives.

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