Equine Assisted Personal Development and Equine Assisted Learning
What can we offer you?
Alternative methods, utilizing horses, to enlighten personal and group skill development that will impact your life!
What is EAL?
Equine Assisted Learning is an effective approach to human development. Utilizing horses in a constructive, dynamic situation, participants can navigate through experiential exercises that reflect real-life and personalized situations. Since horses are prey animals, and they do not reserve emotions and reactions, they have a heightened awareness of their surroundings. They act as a reactive mirror to the humans involved in the exercises. A trained Equine Assisted Personal Development Coach acts as a translator from the horse to the participants to engage learning and growth within themselves and their group.
What is the history?
Equine Assisted Therapy was earliest documented in ancient Greek literature. Orbasis of ancient Lydia documented the therapeutic benefit of riding in 600BC. It was reintroduced in 1946. Further back, the philosopher Aristotle influenced theories in which personal development was defined as wisdom and self-actualization leading to happiness. Alfred Adler and Carl Jung, two psychologists, contributed personal development to individuation and the drive to achieve wholeness and the balance of self. Following their eras, many other contributors placed significance on personal development.
What is the science?
Research conducted on the benefit of EAL suggests that neurology and bio-physics is enhanced with equine contact. 90% of people participating in studies felt negative emotions dissipate after stepping within 12ft to a horse. The human brain is constantly communicating with the body, and assessing its surroundings, making adjustments, and compensation pathways are impaired or changed, creating a disability or a limitation. Those pathways require strengthening and rehabilitation, and EAL is viable to do just that. The associated clarity and tranquility is a first major step towards development and learning that isn’t normally achieved so consistently in an initial stage of therapy with other therapeutic methods.
Who can benefit?
Corporate or group focuses (businesses, schools, teams, nonprofits) Individual focuses
Team building
Communication/collaboration skills
Interdependent team strengthening
Goal setting and achieving
Task accomplishing and problem solving
Role clarification
Interpersonal relationship management
Environmental organization
Team leadership and motivation
Flexibility in skills and abilities
Productivity and efficiency increases
Creative development
Self-awareness and self-knowledge
Confidence, control and leadership
Identifying/improving potential
Renewing identity/self-esteem
Motivation and creative development
Emotional management and integrity
Competence and independence
Mature interpersonal relationships
Establishing identity and purpose
Autonomy and interdependence
Relationship dynamics
Accepting and recovering from:
o Stress, depression and anxiety
o Abuse and trauma
o Disorders and diagnoses
o Addictions and distresses
o Fears and uncertainties
“Bun – la”
In Punjabi this means to “tie or fix” but it also is used to describe the process by which a person becomes attached to a positive/therapeutic experience.
as per Iman
