Jarrahdale Equestrian is the brainchild of Australian polocrosse representative Salli Galvin.
When she set out to open the equestrian centre in 2007, Salli was determined it would be more than just a riding school. Instead, she poured her passion into founding a centre that would help build resilient, grounded and well-adjusted children through teaching the art of horse riding and horsemanship. That’s because Salli has long been a believer that teaching someone to control something as powerful and majestic as a horse is both inspiring and uplifting.
Jarrahdale is just the place Salli would have gravitated to as a child to escape some distressful experiences of her youth that would test her resolve.
As a result of her experience, Salli has lent her support as an ambassador, raising awareness about mental health. And that is how Project Blue Tree was born. Visitors to Jarrahdale will notice the imposing and very impressive blue tree on the property which serves as a conversation starter. Sadly, every day eight Australians take their lives and Salli wants people to speak up if they are worried. It’s ok to not be ok, she says.
When you saddle up to ride a horse at Jarrahdale, you are in safe and professional hands. Salli is well adept at riding, having begun competing in polocrosse when she was just six years old and she has hand-selected a team of staff who have undergone vigorous training and professional development to ensure every rider receives quality instruction – and a truly enjoyable experience.
Salli Galvin
My passion behind building Jarrahdale Equestrian stems from my story as a little girl.
As a child I was brought up in a magnificent rural lifestyle with good old fashioned family values and lots of cattle, sheep and horses.
Our family was shattered after my father committed suicide when I was 8 years old. I was the eldest of four girls and I helped my mum to bring up my little sisters. This was a difficult time and the only thing that kept this little 8 year old girl from falling apart inside was my horses.
Mum didn’t know one end of a horse from the other. The horse influence came from my dad’s family as he was part of a long line of very good horsemen. When my grandfather was 14 he used to catch wild brumbies in Jarrahdale and train them to sell them for pocket money. My great grandfather was part of the 10th Light Horsemen that rode in the First World War.
Mum could see my passion for horses and the positive effect it had on me mentally. She encouraged horses and used it as a very powerful tool to keep her four strong willed daughters in line through the misty stages of adolescence.
If there was an equestrian centre that could give the holistic view on horse riding and horse care it would have made our lives so very much easier. So I started Jarrahdale Equestrian in 2007.
I knew from my experience the benefits of horse riding on a child’s mind, especially in the crazy adolescent stages of life, and I wanted to create an environment that could facilitate this.
