EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IS UNFORGETTABLE LEARNING.
What you learn is important; what you remember is priceless.
Horses make the most amazing teachers for humans! They cannot be fooled. Herds ARE to horses, like teams ARE to people. Horses require a leader that they trust and respect. Humans also thrive with a trusted and respected leader, whether in the workplace, classroom or at home. The common parallels between horses and humans creates an experiential learning experience that really sticks! Quite simply, the horse does the teaching; facilitators are there to offer explanation and provide guidance as they work through the solution.
We have been trained by the world renowned Equine Connection - The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning Inc, who certify all over the world through the Academy of Equine Assisted Learning BuildingBlock™ course. You will see Equine Connection instructors in the videos provided, these will give a better understanding of the value of our programs and workshops.
WHY WORK WITH PREY ANIMALS?
Horses, being prey and herd animals, have highly astute senses and are always aware of their surroundings for mere survival alone. Horses are quick to react and can feel stimuli from individual participants.
Horses are honest and basic. They don’t care about appearance, or what you say, only what your intention is. This non-judgmental awareness allows a horse to discern between calm and nervous energy. A horse can sense a change in a predator’s heart rate from 75 feet away. An individual’s feelings or body language will cause a reaction from the horse. This reaction then offers facilitators a teachable moment, allowing the human to make a conscious change and learn in a fun and engaging way. Horses do not lie.
Horses can be intimidating, averaging 1200 pounds. This factor alone keeps participants engaged, and helps to keep them learning. Working alongside a horse aids people in successful development of personal and team skills, such as communication, problem solving, negotiation, and teamwork. Here at Epona Experience, our teachers, the horses, can help humans make positive changes that stick with them for life.
HOW DOES THIS PROCESS WORK?
By understanding why and how horses are aware of our every movement – you will come to know how effective equine assisted learning programs are to finding success.
Horses can magnify an individual’s problem immediately and provide a skilled facilitator with an opportunity to identify an individual’s character and their communication style. Horses don’t overthink a participant’s motive but horses do challenge their behavior and leadership.
Herds are to horses as teams are to people. Skills developed alongside the horse can be paralleled back to everyday life. Working with horses creates memories that we can apply to our lives and retain far longer than sitting in a classroom or lecture.
WHAT IS EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING?
To put it simply, Equine Assisted Learning is an experiential educational experience with horses. This type of learning is more effective (and more fun) than the typical classroom setting for many. More specifically, Equine Assisted Learning is an effective approach to human development that encourages individual and team growth. Participants engage in objectively-driven exercises and find themselves learning valuable life skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working with the horses.
These equine-assisted skills development programs have proven to be effective, powerful, positive, educational, and creative. Our program emphasizes it’s BuildingBlock™ curriculum of facilitating life skills through positively reinforced interaction with horses. Exercises are developed to encourage self-confidence through validated, hands-on experiences. Current research has found this experiential form of learning to be the most effective. Our programs were part of a 5 year university study!