News Photos by Kayla Wikaryasz Ashley Donajkowski is seen on Wednesday on her farm in Posen. Donajkowski is gearing up for a four-day equine camp that teaches participants about the horse-human connection.

ALPENA — Ashley Donajkowski, owner of MKM Equine Synergy Services, said she’s transitioning her equine services to offer more holistic, mental health-oriented services.

Donajkowski hosts various equestrian camps and clinics at her farm in Posen.

She explained that the camps focus on spending time with horses and teaching people about their personalities rather than just riding horses.

“In our camps … we are kind of looking more at spending time with horses and teaching people about their body language, nuance of connection and communication,” Donajkowski said. “That opens people up to that light that’s in themselves … horses really bring you back to the connection with self.”

As overhead has increased for operating her farm, Donajkowski has shifted her business model to align better with her values of horsemanship while also providing the best services and care she can.

“I’m trying to find the best way to provide the best care for the horses that I can share with people too,” Donajkowski said. “I feel more authentic in offering things like this.”

Donajkowski explained that horses pick up on a person’s feelings and attitudes which informs their behavior. When people are taught to control their own emotions and nervous system, it benefits themselves and the horse.

Donajkowski said that her first horse, Misty, really taught her about the human-horse connection.

“She was actually a freebie because the people that had her didn’t want her … she wasn’t exactly like the easiest personality to manage,” Donajkowski said. “I was either gonna dig in my heels and really love horses and learn as much as I could to be good at what I needed to do with them or just quit … one or the other.”

Donajkowski said that equine therapy has always been of interest to her, however, the idea had been put on the back burner for a few years.

“Now this year it’s gonna become more of our main focus,” Donajkowski said. “A lot of the way we handle horses is beginning to change.”

Donajkowski explained that she’s been engrossed in the horse industry since her early 20s. She worked on a farm on Grosse Ille that catered to high-paying clients and their children that only paid to ride and train horses.

“They weren’t experiencing anything wholesome,” she said. “They weren’t getting any horsemanship skills out of it … that’s what they were at our farm for … was to be trained. Really just shutting (horses) down and desensitizing them. When you handed them off to the people that rode them at the shows, they didn’t really have to have any skill because the horse was too tired.”

Donajkowski explained that she became disillusioned with competitions.

“A lot of these kids just showed up in their show clothes … rode the horse in class … got off,” she said. “They didn’t ever have to fill up the water bucket, or clean a stall … then the horses were kind of like items.”

When Donajkowski moved to Posen and started her own equestrian business, she still wanted to participate in competitions and training for shows. However, she still noticed the disconnect between client and horse.

“There’s always that disconnect there … there’s no amount of money you can spend … the rider makes the horse,” Donajkowski said. “If you’re anxious and can’t regulate you can’t expect a horse to do that for you or around you … they’re more of a mirror of us.”

When Donajkowski made the shift to a “nervous based perspective,” that’s when her business shifted its focus to mental health. However, she’s still testing out the waters to see what resonates most with people.

“It’s not really training anymore, so it was a big shift … the way I started to view horses and how people were showing up for them and having trouble with them,” Donajkowski said. “That’s what’s become my motivation for making this a mental health program … I’m not exactly sure what niche we’re gonna fall into.”

MKM Equine Synergy Services’ next day camp is Aug. 5 through Aug. 8. Donajkowski said her business is looking for sponsors that are willing to support the day camp so participants only have to pay $100. Participants can be age 5 or older to participate.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.