What is Equine Assisted Learning

Equine Assisted Learning is a learner based educational experience with horses.  More specifically, it is a hands-on, innovative and practical way for someone to learn essential life skills and gain personal development, with all learning activities taking place in an outdoor classroom, with a horse as the teacher.

Participants work in small groups of 2-3 people and one horse.  Together through positive interaction and teamwork, they tackle various objectively driven activities with the purpose of each person learning about themselves, their strengths, their personality and the energy they give out to everyone around them.

Soft skills such as confidence & self-esteem, trust, empathy, teamwork, leadership, respect, communication, decision making and negotiation are all addressed during our Building Block program – skills that will impact greatly on a participant’s ability to build strong family/social/community relationships and gain future employment.

Why do we work with horses?

Horses, as prey animals, have highly evolved senses which makes them natural trainers when it comes to shaping a person’s thinking and behaviour.  

As a prey animal, safety is a priority for a horse and when working with humans, they constantly look to us for authentic and clear leadership, respect, trust and teamwork.   

Their ability to read our body language and sense the slightest physiological change within humans and other horses, means they can often respond to the true feelings of what is going on inside us - sometimes even before we fully realise what we’re feeling! 

As herd animals, horses seek out a connection with us and by doing so, they enable participants to see how they behave in relationships.   Their feedback to participants is honest, immediate and non-judgemental. They cannot lie or overthink a participant’s motive. 

What can a horse teach us that a human can’t?

• Horses live in the moment, they can’t lie, judge or overthink our motives. Their feedback is instant and honest. They simply react in an authentic way to whatever stimulus is around them.

• Horses help instil empathy and kindness in us

• Horses are natural interpreters of human emotions and behaviour

• Horses have distinct personalities and different teaching methods 

• Horses lead through assuredness – not force

• Horses’ natural herd behaviour requires trust, respect and teamwork from all who work with them.  

• Being herd animals they seek out leadership

• Horses are engaging, challenging and fun!