Equine Assisted Learning
Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is an experiential approach to teaching life skills like leadership, communication and teamwork using horses. Our program is an objective based learning program where participants work on the ground with horses through carefully designed objective-based obstacles and problem solving exercises.
The horses’ sensitive nature, awareness of their surroundings and herd instincts make them exceptional teachers. Working together with groups and teams, horses look for a leader, the same kind of compassionate, clear and confident leader that people seek and through our many experiential programs they help gently guide participants, letting them know when they get it right and when they have opportunities to grow!
Why Horses?
Horses are sensitive, aware of their surroundings and quick to react. They watch for the slightest movement and look for threatening body posture. Horses know how to discern the difference between a calm non-threatening approach and anxious, nervous energy. However, every horse is different just as each person is unique.
In a horse's world, the boundaries are clear and easy to understand. Horses look for strong leadership and are willing to follow after they find respect and trust. If we provide contradictory behavior they start to question and challenge our authority to lead.
In a horse's world, teamwork is expected and respected. Horses respect fair consequences. Horses cannot lie or overthink a situation. They approach honestly to every interaction. Learning to listen to what horses have to say is powerful and can sometimes spur the answer to individual change.
Horses react to stimulus and provide a skilled facilitator with an opportunity to use the horse as a barometer. By their intuitive nature, horses can provide facilitators with a window into the participant's personality. Through the discovery of how sensitive horses are, how kind and forgiving they can be, we can guide participants to becoming better individuals through identifying specific horse behaviors.
If you can understand how and why horses react to stimulus provided by us – you will come to understand how this program works.