Frequently Asked Questions

EAL partners humans and horses in experiential learning activities ranging from passive observations to active interactions. Sessions are led by a facilitator who is trained to guide participants toward the discovery of critical life skills needed to feel confident and successful in daily life. Rather than focusing on the past, facilitators encourage clients to ask the question, “What can I work on today in order to make tomorrow better?”

EAL facilitators use the World Health Organization’s definition of life skills which states that these are “the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.”

Partnering with horses creates a memorable learning environment with immediate bio-feedback. As prey animals, horses are highly sensitive to human emotion and non-verbal cues. They challenge participants to act with intention, honesty, and patience in order to establish a trusting relationship.

Sessions can range from 1-2 hours depending on the number of participants and their age range. Ideally, sessions will be progressive in nature and occur over an 8-12 week period. Single day retreats are also an option and can be designed around a specific goal or life skill.

Sessions are centered around learning to “speak the language of the horse.” Activities include herd observations, pasture walks, brushing, leading, designing obstacle courses, liberty work, and team challenges that include the equine as an active and willing participant. EAL activities are primarily non-mounted and only involve riding if there is a specific goal that is best achieved through mounted work.

Participants are challenged at the end of each session to reflect on the life skill addressed and how they can apply this skill during the week ahead. This could be as simple as being aware of opening and closing a door with a 1,000 pound horse in hand and transferring this awareness to the hallways or classroom at school. Or it may be a much bigger lesson of managing anger after seeing an equine react fearfully and retreat during an activity. Developing and practicing skills in a unique environment with the honest feedback of a horse opens the doorway for participants to create new neural connections and therefore modify their typical behavior patterns.