Tikun Puuhevonen Develops a New Wellbeing Service for Workplaces

On a busy morning, entrepreneur Johanna Venho went to bring a horse in from the field. But the horse had other ideas. Instead of coming along, it turned its back on her.

The situation made Johanna stop and think. She was in a hurry, and perhaps the horse could sense it. When she slowed down and calmed herself, the horse also became more willing to cooperate.

“It reminded me once again that there is no real need to rush. When you calm down, the horse calms down too,” Johanna says.

This experience captures the essence of Tikun Puuhevonen. Horses respond to people in a genuine and immediate way. At the same time, they can teach us something about ourselves 

A Company Name Inspired by Horses and Forestry

The story of Tikun Puuhevonen, based in Tikunselkä, Niittylahti, began in 2009. The company’s name reflects its original idea: Johanna’s horse-related activities were to be combined with her husband’s forestry and small-scale woodland work at the time.

Although the business eventually focused entirely on horses, the name Tikun Puuhevonen remained. It also reflects the company’s connection to nature, traditions, sustainability and giving old things a new purpose. These values continue to guide its work today. In 2020, Tikun Puuhevonen Oy was established as a limited company.

Today, the stable is home to around 25 horses and ponies. Tikun Puuhevonen offers social pedagogy in equine-assisted activities, small-group riding lessons, courses and camps. Its activities are aimed particularly at children and young people, but adults and families are welcome too. The company also offers full-board and part-board stable and paddock accommodation for horses.

Development and investment projects have supported the company’s growth. In 2020, the Maneesi project helped develop multipurpose facilities for social pedagogy in equine-assisted activities.

In 2026, development continued with the New Stable Facilities – Facilities That Support Wellbeing project. Its aim is to improve the wellbeing and safety of horses, customers and staff.

Jaana Karppanen from Business Joensuu has supported Johanna with project planning and applications for investment funding.

Horses Play an Important Role in Working with People

At Tikun Puuhevonen, the interaction between horses and people is at the heart of everything. A horse is more than a hobby partner. It plays an important role in the customer’s experience.

According to Johanna, being on horseback can make the rest of the world disappear for a while. Your attention shifts to the animal, what you are doing and the nature around you.

“When you get on a horse, everything else fades away. You focus only on the animal and the moment,” Johanna explains.

Horses are sensitive to human emotions and moods, as Johanna’s experience on that busy morning showed. This is precisely why spending time with a horse can help people pause, reflect and learn something about themselves.

The stable also works with various associations. It has an international dimension, too. French students have spent three summers at the stable on work placements, learning about stable life and activities.

The Next Step: Wellbeing Services for Businesses

Every entrepreneur reaches a point where it is time to consider what comes next. Johanna is now developing a new service that brings the wellbeing benefits of working with horses to businesses and workplace teams.

This new service will complement Tikun Puuhevonen’s existing activities.

The facilities are already in place. An old barn near the stable has been renovated into a space where groups can meet, share meals and spend time together. A visit can include meeting the horses, riding and other shared activities.

The idea is to offer workplace teams a different kind of environment, away from their everyday routines. It is a place to slow down, relax and spend time together.

Working with horses gives people an opportunity to pause, observe their own behaviour and connect with others in new ways.

To develop this new service, Johanna is seeking guidance through Business Joensuu’s Innoo product and service development programme.

Through the programme, she aims to clarify how the service should be designed, which businesses and workplace teams it should target, and how the idea can be turned into a practical offering.

Developing the new service does not mean giving up the company’s existing activities. Social pedagogy in equine-assisted activities and working with children and young people will remain an important part of Tikun Puuhevonen.

The new service for businesses will create an additional opportunity to use the interaction between horses and people to support wellbeing in the workplace.

Perhaps the key message behind the new service is the same lesson the horse taught Johanna on that busy morning: sometimes, the best way to move forward is to stop for a moment.

Information:
Johanna Venho, Entrepreneur
Tel. +35850 3871386
www.tikunpuuhevonen.com

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Text: Emilia Mujunen, Marketing Intern, Business Joensuu
Photos: Business Joensuu