About us and what we do

Why Horses and why EAP/EAL?

The way of the horse:

Horses are sensitive, responsive, and sentient animals, with an innate ability live entirely in the present moment. Their emotional intelligence and leadership skills support them to live effectively and safely within their social herd groups. Horses rely on their senses and body, they are keen observers, sensitive to movement, emotion, and behaviour. They convey understanding and connection that allows individuals working with them to feel safe. Horses are able to help individuals self-regulate by mirroring their emotions, providing connection, non-judgement and understanding. Horses live in the natural world and interactions encourage individuals to step outside, away from distractions and allow them to relax, focus, and ground themselves.

Horses are highly reactive and always provide authentic feedback. They pick up on intention and emotions that are in front of them, they are able to read body language and a person’s energy. They react to you complete authenticity or consideration. These authentic interactions allow individuals to assess their own state of being and how that could potentially influence and be influenced by the world around them.

Horses offer a way to experiment with changes in behaviour, such as setting boundaries, practising listening skills or creating awareness to our emotional states and how that is being reflected within the horse.

In essence, horses will provide accurate, authentic and non-judgemental feedback of how you are showing up to a session, physically and emotionally.

EAP and EAL allows participants to learn through these interactions with horses and develop a relationship of learning in real time. Equine assisted therapy sessions will encourage participants to notice these shifts and reflect on them in the moment, which can provide powerful learning opportunities to take with them beyond the work with horses.

A little more about EAP / EAL

  • In EAP/EAL the focus is on the process that unfolds during a session. The activities involve interactions with horses and provides a means of metaphorical learning that is applicable to real life situations. The participants responses are a fundamental element to the process, and through carefully planned activities, a client’s thoughts, beliefs and feelings are projected onto the horses they are working with.

    Participants are actively involved with the therapy and learning process, as it is experiential in nature. Through the active engagement in curated activities with horses, clients can make meaning from their experiences, whilst promoting reflection, and awareness. In EAP/EAL sessions, clients are involved intellectually, emotionally, social, and physically.

    Exploratory activities with horses allow clients to identify their core values and beliefs, and how they are relevant to their current life. The learning that can occur from these interactions is deeply personal.

    EAP/EAL is a strength-based form of therapy and learning whereby the aim is to build on a participant’s strengths by utilising horses as their guides.

  • Equine Assisted Therapy or Psychotherapy is an experiential experience incorporating horses with the aim of emotional growth and learning. The process of Equine therapy has been around since the 1960s. It is a collaboration between a mental health professional and client together with a horse working towards treatment goals. Equine assisted therapy offers participants a therapeutic environment that feels less threatening and ‘clinical’ than traditional talk therapy which in turns promotes emotional safety and regulation of the client, thus providing better treatment outcomes. Equine Assisted therapy has been seen to be effective with children, adolescents and adults, assisting with clients presenting with trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ASD, ADHD and more. Having horses present in the sessions allow clients to feel peaceful, and in full acceptance of a clients emotional experience.

    Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can also assist clients presenting with the following:

    Confidence

    Capacity building

    Developing and maintaining relationships

    Emotional awareness

    Awareness

    Impulse control

    Empathy

    Social Skills

    Trust in self and others

    Problem solving skills

  • Equine-Assisted Learning: Equine-assisted learning (EAL) is an equine-assisted activity that broadly refers the development of social-emotional skills, personal development life skills, capacity building and professional development (leadership and team building). Some focus areas of EAL include but not limited to teaching social skills, communication skills, leadership skills, relationship skills whilst facilitating personal growth and increased self-awareness. The non-judgemental interactions with horses provide a safe place for participants to grow. These activities are usually non-mounted and some EAL providers teach horsemanship skills, and use a variety of approaches with theoretical underpinnings within their sessions. EAL is a fast-growing modality across Australia and the globe. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients benefit greatly from EAL services as do children, adolescents and adults.