SiGMA Foundation continues its longstanding support for Dreams of Horses Therapy Farm in Gozo
SiGMA Foundation is continuing its longstanding support for Dreams of Horses Farm in Xagħra, Gozo, strengthening a partnership built around mental wellbeing, inclusion, rehabilitation and practical care.
The farm, a long-term beneficiary of the SiGMA Foundation, provides equine-assisted learning and animal-assisted therapy for children and adults who benefit from structured support in a calm rural setting. Its work reaches children with special needs, adults managing mental health challenges, and people on rehabilitation pathways, including former inmates and individuals facing social vulnerability.
The Foundation’s support has focused on both immediate needs and the programme’s future sustainability. In 2024, the SiGMA Foundation donated EUR 50,000 towards the construction of a new block at the farm, dedicated to Equestrian Assisted Learning and Animal Assisted Therapy programmes. The continued relationship reflects an approach that looks beyond single interventions, supporting the facilities and operational foundations that keep the farm open, stable, and useful to the community.
In addition to this contribution, SiGMA Foundation is donating this year a further EUR 30,000 to support the farm’s ongoing operations and help sustain its therapeutic and educational work. The continued relationship reflects an approach that looks beyond single interventions, supporting the facilities and operational foundations that allow the farm to remain open, stable and useful to the community.
A relationship built over time
Dreams of Horses Farm has become a safe and structured environment where people can work with animals, develop routine and build trust through direct care. For many participants, the farm offers a setting where progress is measured not by pressure but by small acts of connection, confidence and responsibility.
Equine-assisted learning is increasingly recognised as a meaningful form of non-clinical support. Horses respond to human behaviour without judgement. Their sensitivity can help participants notice their emotions and actions in the moment, while grooming, feeding, leading and caring for the animals can encourage patience, communication and self-regulation.
For people experiencing anxiety, developmental challenges, trauma or social reintegration, this interaction can support emotional awareness, confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to relate to others. The rhythm of farm life can also provide structure and purpose, especially for those rebuilding a sense of routine.
Support for inclusion and rehabilitation
The farm’s programmes are designed for a wide range of beneficiaries. Children with additional needs can engage with animals in ways that support communication and social development. Adults facing mental health challenges can access a setting that encourages calm, responsibility and physical presence. People moving through rehabilitation pathways are given space to reconnect with themselves and others through constructive, care-based activity.
The partnership reflects the SiGMA Foundation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote inclusion, wellbeing and opportunities for personal development. Through its continued investment in Dreams of Horses Farm, the Foundation is helping to ensure that therapeutic and educational programmes remain accessible to those who benefit from them most.
Victor Muscat, owner of Dreams of Horses Farm, has also spoken about the importance of the relationship between people and animals, noting that such interactions provide knowledge, sensory experience and emotions that are not always transferred through conventional education.
Sustaining the programme
The SiGMA Foundation’s continued support aims to help Dreams of Horses Farm maintain the spaces, people and resources required to deliver its programmes consistently. This includes investment in facilities as well as support for operational needs that enable therapeutic work to continue reliably and with dignity.
As the farm develops, the partnership remains centred on access, inclusion and long-term continuity. For the SiGMA Foundation, the project is part of a broader commitment to initiatives that give communities practical tools for wellbeing, education and rehabilitation.
Dreams of Horses Farm continues to offer a place where people and animals meet with patience, respect and purpose, and where care is understood as something built steadily, day by day.
Explore the SiGMA Foundation’s upcoming projects and discover how its global initiatives continue to support communities through education, health, clean water and social development.
