Education
Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is becoming widely recognized for its effectiveness in aiding the learning process. Humans are taught to hold on to their thoughts and emotions. Often due to fear of discrimination, economic pressures, or a variety of other reasons, we tend to hold back our immediate natural response to a given stimulus and live within our thoughts. For this reason, we often lose our presence in the world around us. This lack of attentiveness can make it difficult to retain information that we are trying to learn.
Animals react immediately to a stimulus in their environments out of survival instinct. The lead mare of a herd is the one with the most present mind. She does not necessarily show the most dominance or aggression, but rather she is the one who is most observant. She is the one most likely to successfully lead the herd away from approaching danger.
If we were to put ourselves into the position of the lead mare, we must first learn to let go of “mind chatter” and engage ourselves in the moment at hand. As a result, we become detail oriented and more aware of subtleties in our own actions. This approach can be beneficial in many ways, leading to memory improvement and greater clarity in our thought process. It can also be translated into valuable leadership skills. These skills can be developed through a sequence of activities with the participant being partnered with one of our horses.
When communicating with a horse, in order to elicit comprehension, information must be broken down into small steps and give in a proper sequence. Therefore, in order for one to draw the desired response from the horse they must learn how to convey the given request with clarity and proficiency.
Participants in our workshops will develop an understanding of herd dynamics and learn how to step into the role as lead mare under the guidance of an experienced equine professional. They will learn the aspects of calm, precise communication through this interaction and as a result will develop the skills necessary to effectively convey a given idea or emotion. This process has also been known to improve focus, confidence, leadership skills, productivity, organizational skills, goal orientation, problem solving skills, creativity, and it helps an individual to recognize the effects of their conscious and subconscious behavior.
The interactive nature of this learning process tends to have a lasting impact on an individual. EAL can be greatly beneficial to children, students, corporate groups, families, or simply individuals desiring personal growth.