WHY HORSES?
WHY DO WE WORK WITH A PREY ANIMAL VS A PREDATOR?
This program takes participants on powerful journey of learning and understanding. Horses in this program are effective teaching partners; immediately responding to what participants do, trained facilitators look for "teachable moments" that horses identify.
The single most asked question is, why do we work with horses? In a horse’s world, the rules are clear, easy to understand and dealt with swiftly when challenged. Nature provides them with instincts and senses that are very astute. For their mere survival, a wild horse must be aware of their surroundings and quick to react. They watch for the slightest movement, especially threatening body posture. Horses know how to discern the difference between a calm non-threatening approach and anxious, nervous energy; immediately identifying individuals struggling internally. By understanding the true nature of the horse, we can alter our techniques to become efficient facilitators.
This is NOT a HORSE THERAPY COURSE! Participants are guided by the horses and facilitators to come to their own decisions and work on building life skills for where they are at right now! To move forward with their lives, to build skills and to truly tap into their potential!
By including horses in specially designed educational experiences, equine-assisted specialists have greatly multiplied the participant’s rate of success to self-discovery. Horses can’t overthink a participant’s motive and horses can’t manipulate behaviour. But by their intuitive nature and innate sensitivity, horses can provide facilitators with a window into the participant’s personality. As facilitators listen to a horse’s non-verbal communication, together, they have the ability to walk participants through to finding life-altering change.
As a prey animal, they are sensitive to the stimulus of each participant. They react to the stimulus through body language and participants must adjust their feelings and behaviours to work successfully with the horses.