Why Horses?

Learning Through Horses?!


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Why Horses for EAL?

The grace and power of a horse can be naturally inspiring to many people, especially those who have not spent time in their presence. This alone can create the perfect opportunity to align with the horse-power within themselves. To enter unfamiliar ground to learn accomplishing tasks with a small herd of 1000lb flight animals produces strong feelings of confidence, resilience and accomplishment. When this is done as a team it anchors wonderful metaphors to rely upon when faced with challenges or striving to meet goals that come up in life.

 

Horses are very similar to humans in that they are social creatures and prefer to be on a team that has well-defined roles within their community. Horses have distinct personalities, attributes and talents which they utilize to balance, survive and thrive as a whole – much like an organization would find the right candidate to fulfill a job title. What works well for one horse may not work at all for another. Horses are playful and like to have fun, they are equally curious and cautious,they are competitive, they are intelligent. Horses are masters of nonverbal communication and body language is their message of survival, of sustainability. When we are interacting with them they demand this same kind of authenticity from us, which opens the door for our talents and skills to reach an entirely new level. 


Imagine taking all of the talent in an organization and streamlining it to be able to decipher authentic rapport without any words… that is what an equine assisted learning workshop can provide - with the grace and power of a horse. 
HORSES PROVIDE VAST OPPORTUNITIES FOR METAPHORICAL LEARNING
Horses do make that extra difference for us at Spring Reins of Hope. At SRoH we feel that the interactive workshops with horses as teachers provides a very memorable learning environment. We consider them to be our truest colleagues for personal and professional development in that horses allow us to hone in to missing links that may otherwise go unnoticed. Horses respond to a subtlety in our body language, and it is their ability to translate nonverbal messages that can be particularly revealing. Clients may verbalize a desire or feeling and yet their body language may communicate something entirely different. Horses decipher our body language and help us to discover the discrepancies between what we say with our words and what is shown with our nonverbal signals. Messages become metaphors, which can represent strengths or challenges existing with the group dynamics becoming a roadmap to success. The consistent reflections that the horses provide for what is occurring in the professional environment, enhances the team’s ability to process their own patterns of communication and how well it is working... or not.
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    Equine Assisted Learning is a solution-focused modality, where we believe our clients have their own best answers already; they just may be hidden in white noise. As a result of interacting with horses, our professional clients are able to gain new perspectives to better utilize their own inherent talents. The EAL arena provides a space to explore and expand these new ways of accomplishing goals. Each client brings something unique into the arena and the horses respond accordingly, which means that no two workshops or scenarios will ever come out the same way. Workshop participants learn about themselves, their colleagues and their workstyles from engaging in prescribed activities with the horses, and then discussing the themes, behaviors, and patterns that are revealed within the groups communication and dynamics.


HORSES ARE HONEST AND POWERFUL MESSENGERS
Horse wisdom is really very simple. People usually equate wisdom with knowledge whereas horses see it as truth. Humans often try to impress others more than themselves and in doing so they lose the truth of who they really are. Horses will meet us where we are without judgement, regardless of our status, title, or alma mater because they are only concerned with our authenticity. Employing the horses' unique perspectives on being part of a team and solving problems can give us a snapshot toward creative resolutions in this novel environment. Horses are extremely patient and willing to guide us, especially if they see that we are open to taking new perspectives. 
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    Horses are tame, yet wild at the same time. No matter how domesticated horses have become each and every one of them can revert instantly to its primal instincts and be completely connected to their essence, and ancestry. They reflect our own longing to have individuality yet to be connected to a community at the same time. Horses model essential qualities of trust, authenticity, honesty, intuition, listening deeply and a willingness of spirit. By connecting to horses and plugging into their natural world, we are able to learn and adopt these principals in a way that serves our own best healthy choices and personal growth.


    When changing any behavior, habit or emotion, one of the fastest ways to train the brain is to master present moment awareness. BEing fully present means you are engaged in the moment with all of your senses attuned to what is happening right here, right now. You are neither worrying about the future nor regretting the past but are experiencing the present moment as it unfolds. Animals (horses) only exist in the present moment. While they do have memory, they do not focus energy toward the past or the future. All that there is and all that matters is this moment.


    Why would present moment awareness be important to personal and professional growth? Having the ability to be fully present brings authenticity whether with colleagues in the workplace, creating rapport, or establishing clear communication all of which are essential to career success.



SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT HORSES AS HEALERS:
  • Horse perspective is a simple one – the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us ALL
  • Horses are very connected to the natural world and their defined truth, they can lead us to an authentic self-awareness which develops to an authentic lifestyle
  • Horses Never Lie. The human ego-rooted mind is the part of us that focuses on outward appearance while ignoring what is actually happening on the inside
  • Speed. Strength. Power. Grace. Beauty. All these physical representations of the horse that has mystically captured mankind for millennia. 
  • Horses invite projections from the physical body – the symbolisms represent balance, speed, sensitivity, awareness, strength, freedom, beauty, and grace
  • To see, smell, touch, or simply be in the presence of horses has been proven to regulate biorhythms and reduce stress (within 8-20 feet for 5 minutes or longer)
  • Horses teach us the rules of being fully present, offering clear communication, finding freedom and support through relationships, and more. 
  • Horses change lives. They give us confidence and self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to troubled hearts – they give us hope!
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