Jenny Gibbons

Founder of H.E.A.R.T.S. Trust

“We create a sacred space together where
unifying consciousness for human connection is created.”

Kia ora,

“Ko Te Rua Manga te maunga,

(Te Rua Manga (The Needle) is my mountain)

Ko Rutaki te awa,

(Rutaki is my stream)

Ko Te Arawa te waka,

(Te Arawa is my canoe)

Ko Te Ariki Matake’u Arera Tuarea te iwi,

(Te Ariki Matake’u Arera Tuarea is my tribe)

Ko te hapū Akaoa ,

(Akaoa is my hapū)

Te Arai te Tonga te whare tipuna.

Te Ariki Marokura Arera Tuarea te whare tipuna.

( Te Ariki Marokura Arera Tuarea is my ancestral house)

Ko Teinangaro ki raro te Moana Matake'u Tuka te tipuna.”

(My ancestor is Teinangaro ki raro te Moana Matake'u Tuka.)

My great grandfather, 628048 Pt. DUNCAN MUNRO 47th Bat. Canadian Expeditionary Force came from Scotland. Clan Munro was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century. My great grandmother was Princess Teinangaro ki raro te Moana Matake'u Tuka. Our royal line, Te Ariki Marokura Arera Tuarea can trace our ancestry back 800 years to the famed Tangi'ia Nui - around the year 1200 they migrated across the Pacific from Raiatea near Tahiti and settled on Rarotonga. My father was born in Rarotonga, my mother was born in England, with Irish, French, and German ancestry and I was born in Awakairangi.

I grew up on the beautiful Kāpiti Coast and have lived in Ōtaki for the past 20 years. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a multicultural whanau where I would be on the Marae peeling potatoes in the kitchen as a child and then off paddling down the Whanganui River. I actually didn’t understand the reality of racism until I was an adult.

As a child experiencing the horse culture, I developed more awareness to be congruent in myself which changed my way of being with horses. In this consciousness and resonating in a heart space which I know now has a science behind it called HeartMath. I wanted this way of being in relationship in my human relationships as well.

Being passionate about horses for over fifty years and correlating with them on a somatic level, I began to understand and approach horses from a different perspective than traditional horsemanship.

We are dedicated to supporting people who are wanting to experience a deeper understanding of themselves and their own innate knowledge through the wisdom of the horses. By collaborating together, we facilitate your expansion of awareness. To truly be In Connection™ with yourself, by tuning into your innate wisdom – it is the difference between living consciously or unconsciously.

I have experience in a range of modalities including:

•  Equine Supported Development & Therapy (Australia & USA)

• Mindfulness (Bali)

• Meditation (India)

• Systemic Constellations (USA)

• Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy (USA)

• Trauma Therapy (France)

• Collaborative and Indigenous Mental Health Therapy (Australia)

• Earth Wisdom and the Indigenous Mind (Australia)

• Traditional Indigenous Healing Practices and the Experiential Therapies of Western Psychology (USA)

• Transforming Relationships and Dialogues in Action in Therapy (Rarotonga)

• Collaborative Dialogue Therapy (USA)

• Therapeutic/spiritual Ceremonies (Aotearoa)

• Somatic Experiencing (Aotearoa)

I grew up on the beautiful Kāpiti Coast.  As a child experiencing the horse culture, I developed more awareness to be congruent in myself which changed my way of being with horses. In this consciousness and resonating in a heart space which I know now has a science behind it called HeartMath. I wanted this way of being in relationship in my human relationships as well.

Part of my horse education was when I was 13. I was given a stallion to start and knew instinctively, he sensed my inexperience. As our relationship evolved and I learnt what he taught me I have valued this profound connection throughout my life. By 19 I was working in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea an as Accountant/Secretary. Living in a 3rd world country and working for a company where we built schools and hospitals, I was very aware of living in a culture that was very different from ours.

Filming with Lord of the Rings for four years and being part of this creative culture shifted my consciousness into deciding to do what I loved. Starting Horse Affairs, I saw the disconnection a lot of people have with their horses and with themselves and developed our own culture of horsemanship and taught In Connection™.

By observing the horses and experiencing their level of awareness I connected to myself in a more profound way and learnt our innate wisdom never leaves us. I wanted to merge this way of being with horses with my experience of different cultures and my observation of our human conditioning so I founded H.E.A.R.T.S. (previously named Horse Sense). In our conditioning from our culture we all have ingrained patterns of behaviour on conscious and unconscious levels. Over the past 10 years I have specialised in horse/human psychology and have seen horse’s mastery and the transcendence they bring to sessions.

I have experience working with a wide range of issues including:

• Grief  

• Complex relationships

• Self-worth

• Suicidal thoughts

• Physical and sexual trauma

• Acute phobias

• Debilitating PTSD

• Debilitating shame

• Debilitating depression

• Debilitating anxiety

Qualifications, Registrations and Professional Memberships:

• EAGALA Certified Advanced Equine Specialist

• Member of Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association (EAGALA)

• Current Practising Certificate with EAGALA

• Member of International Systemic Constellations Association (ISCA)

• The Federation of Horses in Education and Therapy International

• Member of the New Zealand Equestrian Federation (NZEF)

• Member of SPCA Horse Welfare Auxiliary Inc. (formerly ILPH NZ)

• Member of Pasifika Medical Association

The interconnectiveness of horses and humans have been in relationship for thousands of years.

From myths to battle to childrens stories - horses have carried us again and again.

Their journey now for some – is to help us find our way back to ourselves.

For those in alignment with self,

horses are willing partners for connection as sentient beings and the possibilities that can emerge.

Jenny 2024