“Centering Your Soul Through The Compass of the Horse”
Equine Experiential Learning (EEL) is a program to assist individuals in developing self-help and life skills, which in turn lead to a sense of integrity, self-worth and independence. The mission statement of EEL is to “assist clients to develop empathy, experience empowerment and center their soul through the compass of the horse”. When we investigate the key words in the program title and the mission statement we find the following:
- Equine – The Horse
- Experience – to feel, to live through, to undergo, to encounter, a happening, knowledge, skill
- Empathy – understanding, sympathy, compassion
- Empowerment - to give strength, to give power, to give authority
- Center – focus
- Soul – spirit, essence, heart, core, character
- Compass – a navigational instrument for determining direction…
In EEL we shall strive to receive insight from the horse, which may assist us in becoming the master of our life experience and in offering others and ourselves the gift of Empathy. A world full of more empathy would no doubt be a better place.
Typically, the EEL program is offered over 4 days, 2 hours each day. These 4 days may be consecutive or weekly**. The sessions will typically include up to 8 clients and the presence of up to 8 horses in the arena. The interaction with the horses is primarily ground-based (non-riding), although some time will be dedicated to riding if appropriate for the client group. Clients interact with the horses in activities and then spend time in conversation with the program facilitators to gain insight from what they have experienced.
From the experiences and discussions, the clients may learn skills to assist them in addressing current challenges. They may recognize positive attributes they desire to develop or negative attributes they desire to change. Clients may overcome fear of certain life situations by accessing strength from the energy of a majestic animal ten times their size. They may simply find peace in the new friendship they create with their equine friend and may carry this positive connection and draw on its memory in times of need for potentially a lifetime.
Horses are amazing, intellectual creatures. Their social dynamics closely mirror that of humans. They are a fight or flight animal. Typically they flee from controversy, but when necessary, they fight for survival. They have a unique way of communicating with humans and recognizing human characteristics and emotions. Through this communication and interaction, we can extract learning and gain insight about ourselves not typically available through standard psychological practices.
 We look forward to having you enroll in our programs and experience the pleasure of learning from our most sensitive and insightful clinicians…
… the horses
**Please contact us for variations to the typical duration and number of sessions format, as we can potentially make changes to accommodate your schedule. Single day, 8 hour sessions are also available.
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