– My experience with the students when we would debrief after Equine Learning, was that they (the kids) were all more talkative and they seemed to have an increased level of pride and accomplishment. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students involved and I know it will be one of those “school days” experiences that they will think of as a turning point for them.
Posted on April 5, 2023
by Laurel Griffin
Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an experiential learning program that partners with horses as teachers. Participants learn effective communication and collaboration skills by means of interacting with their human partners and equine teachers to solve a series of enjoyable, and often challenging problems. EAL is an effective approach to human development that encourages individual and team growth. Exercises are developed to encourage self-confidence through validated, hands-on experience, they are powerful, positive and collaborative. A 1200 pound teacher that not only takes them on a journey of self-discovery but teaches the ropes of better communication, collaboration and understanding of coping skills.
At Spirit Winds Ranch we offer a 4, 6, 8 or 12-week course that partakes once/twice a week (2 hours each time). Students are taken through 12 different EAL exercises with a horse by their side. Together with the horse, we take students on a journey of self-discovery, they teach the ropes to better communication, collaboration and stronger awareness and understanding of coping skills. The courses can take place in groups or individual sessions. We are such believers in this program that we will offer a 1 session test drive class.
Feel free to contact us if you are interested in booking an amazing EAL experience.
Which kids would benefit from these workshops? There are a lot of pressures on children these days and the tools to give them coping skills are often limited. We have found the ones that thrive in these programs generally struggle with:
We have seen kids thrive in our workshops in the following ways:
We recognize that everyone has different needs, at Spirit Winds Ranch, we are happy to take our experience and custom design our courses to help with providing a well rounded experience to support those needs.
Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL) is a leading edge modality for developing human potential. Participants learn to create a horse-centered, experiential learning that supports personal growth to help face certain obstacles that are hindering them in life. Our experienced guides take you through a program that helps you not only connect with a horse, but learn to connect with your heart and emotional well being. By attuning to your energy and paying attention to body language, horses actually listen and reflect at a deeper and profound level. Horses don’t lie and can be the biggest support you need to help reflect on your journey. They have a gentle way of bringing unconscious feelings to the surface and creating a safe place for you to release them. Interacting with the horse on the ground is a unique reflection which fosters a deep transformation and healing to support a connection to something greater within yourself.
We are proud to say that we have helped many participants of all ages learn to deal with insecurity, grief, life road blocks, eating disorders etc. These courses can take place in groups or individual sessions.
Feel free to contact us if you are interested in booking an amazing FEEL experience.
Do you ever feel like you and your horse are on different planet when it comes to communication? We can help you establish the boundaries you need for a healthy relationship. Natural horsemanship method takes your horsemanship skills to another level by learning to establish trust with your horse. Through a series of exercises we will guide you and your horse through a learning experience like no other, and give you the opportunity to get acquainted with your horse on a whole new level.
The Natural Horsemanship method nurtures a healthy relationship with your horse and enables horse lovers at all levels and disciplines to achieve
Learn the ways of the mother horse when her baby is born, communicate, guide and relish in a good relationship with your horse.
No Horse? No Problem!
This is your opportunity to connect with horses on your own schedule. Being around a horse can do wonders for the soul, but we also recognize that owning a horse is a big responsibility and can come at quite a cost. Imagine just being able to come and hang out, groom and just be with horses. We are a non riding facility, but encourage horse connections in all walks of life. We offer drop in rates, monthly and yearly memberships. These funds help us ensure that our horses are well taken care of, all you have to do is relish in horse time and we will take care of the rest
Cost is $65/hour/person (horse included of course). Feel free to contact us if you are interested in booking.
