COLUMBIA FALLS - Firefly Horse Company offers a variety of activities including Equine Assisted Therapy and now, goat yoga.
Owner Julie Kiewatt bought the ranch six years ago after she discovered her traditional clinical therapy clients were responding better to alternative healing methods.
“I just noticed my clients were improving so quickly. So I grew up on a farm and was proficient with horses. So I thought why not? Let's try Equine Assisted Therapy," Kiewatt said.
On the ranch, they use all different types of animals to help people in their healing.
“There's something to be said about the connection that someone can have with an animal that really just evolves that healing into something completely different. people respond to different things in different ways. But I feel that most people pretty much all will respond to the love of an animal," said Firefly Horse Company business manager Laurel Gann.
There are typically around 75 people who utilize this unique therapy. Some clients don’t even have to talk about their issues to find the underlying cause of their problems.
“The type of therapy we do here incorporates movement a lot, and you can actually get to the bottom of the trapped emotions in your body. So we can actually release those so you're not triggered and just having this somatic response. So it's pretty amazing seeing people release that.- Firefly Horse Company owner Julie Kiewatt
As another alternative healing method to holistic riding lessons and equine therapy Julie has decided to incorporate goat yoga.
“They are so sweet. They're into everything. And you can be good at yoga. You cannot be good at yoga. You could never have done yoga before and you will love this experience," said Kiewatt.
Goat yoga is used to relax, connect with friends and animals, and mostly to have fun. Firefly offers many other amenities including lodging, corporate retreats and training, wedding venue and event space.
Kiewatt also started a holistic, nature-based pre-school and childcare in Kalispell.
“We use a lot of the same concepts here at the horse farm at the Children's Center with regulating emotions and just identifying emotions and kind of taking the children through just all the things that they're going through as children and learning to be compassionate," said Firefly Children's Center director Kari Topp.
For the ranch to get licensed Equine Assisted Therapists, they have converted some old horse stalls into sleeping units for out-of-town employees. Firefly offers many important things to the community but is mainly focused on healing its clients.
“But the biggest thing too is just the wellness aspect of the ranch. We definitely want to put that first and foremost. It's more about just the wellness and trying to put that out to the community," said Gann.
