Horses at this boutique center act as gentle, intuitive partners, supporting holistic healing for body and mind.
Your body speaks before you do—horses sense it first. Their intuition picks up on subtle shifts, and your posture, tension, and breath become the clearest signals.
Before mats are unrolled and breathwork begins, the mind often races ahead—but the horses are already present. In their majestic presence, the clamor of the outside world fades. Something ancient stirs. The body remembers how to soften.
This is Crystalline Equine, Dubai’s first boutique wellness sanctuary that places horses at the centre of healing, treating them as intuitive partners in wellbeing.
Set within the JSR Equestrian Centre on the outskirts of the city, Crystalline Equine feels a world away from Dubai’s high-speed pulse. Horses roam freely across the space, sometimes approaching, sometimes observing from a distance, always attuned. Every interaction is ground-based, creating a safe, non-performative environment for genuine connection.
The sanctuary is the realization of a long-held vision by Joy Desmond, founder of Crystalline Equine, whose approach is rooted not in theory but in lived experience.
Of Horses and Crystals
Originally from Newport Beach, California, Desmond spent over a decade building a high-pressure career with British Airways, rising into management by her early thirties. The work was demanding, emotionally intensive, and relentless. Eventually, love led her to England, where she stepped away from corporate life to raise her two children, Angel (14) and Valentine (11).
It was during this chapter—particularly through and after the lockdown—that Desmond’s path quietly shifted, guiding her toward a life centered on healing, connection, and the quiet wisdom of horses.
Healing with Horses: Inside Dubai’s New Wellness Trend
Your body speaks before you do—horses sense it first. They pick up subtle shifts in posture, tension, and breath, responding to the energy you bring.
Before mats are unrolled or breathwork begins, the mind often races ahead—but the horses are already present. In their majestic presence, the noise of the outside world fades. Something ancient stirs. The body remembers how to soften.
This is Crystalline Equine, Dubai’s first boutique wellness sanctuary placing horses at the centre of healing, treating them as intuitive partners in wellbeing.
Set within JSR Equestrian Centre on the city’s outskirts, Crystalline Equine feels a world away from Dubai’s high-speed pulse. Horses roam freely, sometimes approaching, sometimes observing, always attuned. Every interaction is ground-based, creating a safe, non-performative space for genuine connection.
Of Horses and Crystals
Founder Joy Desmond’s path to equine wellness was shaped by lived experience. Originally from Newport Beach, California, she spent over a decade in a high-pressure career with British Airways before stepping away to raise her two children. During and after lockdown, her journey quietly shifted toward healing and connection.
While volunteering through her family’s charitable foundation, Desmond encountered Strength and Learning Through Horses (SLTH) in London, a charity working with foster children, neurodivergent youth, individuals with learning differences, and even adult prisoners—using horses as therapeutic mirrors. She witnessed profound transformations: children who wouldn’t speak to adults smiling for the first time, foster kids finding calm in the herd, and prisoners breaking down in tears before horses reflecting their unspoken pain.
“Horses reflect what we cannot always see in ourselves,” Desmond says. “They show where we’re holding tension, fear, control, and where we’re ready to let go.” Her vision began to crystallize: horses, purple crystals, and the transformative energy of healing.
From London to Dubai
Two years ago, Desmond and her husband moved to Dubai, drawn by sunlight and a city where horses are deeply woven into culture. At JSR Equestrian Centre, she noticed an old, unused building tucked away at the back. Where others saw a relic, she saw possibility.
With the owner’s blessing, Desmond renovated the space, removing walls and opening the flow, intentionally designing a boutique sanctuary that integrates horses into the wellness experience. Crystalline Equine opened quietly in January—and the response was immediate.
The Quiet Power
Horses are highly sensitive herd animals, biologically wired to read energy, emotion, and intention. Their hearts generate an electromagnetic field five times stronger than a human’s. Standing beside them, our nervous systems naturally synchronize with theirs. Heart rates slow, breathing deepens, muscles release.
This co-regulation forms the foundation of Crystalline Equine’s work. In contrast to modern life’s constant stimulation, horses guide participants into a state of down-regulation, shifting the body from stress into stillness without force or instruction. Sessions blend mindfulness, somatic awareness, breathwork, sound healing with crystal bowls, meditation, and more—all held within the steady presence of the horses.
The Equine Effect
Desmond works alongside two horses, Atoll and Crystalline, chosen for both temperament and presence. Crystalline, a mix of Arabian and Lipizzaner bloodlines, exudes elegance reminiscent of classical dressage. Atoll, a retired grand prix jumper, brings grounded strength.
Participants often arrive early to simply be with the horses. Phones stay away; conversation softens. Strangers bond through shared calm. Some arrive carrying anxiety, burnout, or fear of horses themselves. Over repeated visits, even those with trauma—like a woman recovering from a decades-old riding accident—rebuild trust and presence, sometimes regaining the courage to ride again.
“Horses don’t respond to control,” Desmond explains. “They respond to authenticity.”
Everything at Crystalline Equine is intentionally holistic. Sound healing, breathwork, meditation, Pilates, yoga, and somatic practices all take place with horses freely present, grounding energy and creating a natural rhythm. Desmond is also preparing to introduce Reiki with horses, allowing them to intuitively sense areas of emotional or energetic density.
Crystalline Equine operates seasonally, honoring the land, the animals, and natural rhythms. Desmond envisions it evolving into a collaborative hub for healers and educators, with the potential for other sanctuaries where people and horses meet in mutual respect.
“For thousands of years, horses were healers, companions, and mirrors—not just mounts or tools,” she says. “We are simply remembering.”
