Equine-facilitated learning and coaching powerfully engages us to become aware of how we show up in relationship to ourselves and others. Being with horses in a safe, nonjudgmental setting creates space for our learning, practicing, and healing. The experiential environment of being outdoors with these majestic sentient beings quiets our mind to become more present and move into a receptive state of intuition and our deeper wisdom. Horses respond to our presence, patience, respect, honesty, clarity, and heart, which is what other people respond to also.

We partner with the horses on the ground (no riding is involved). Each session begins with your intention for the day and a grounding exercise to engage you more fully to the experience. And then we connect with the horses and see what unfolds! The activities vary to what you want and are comfortable with, there is always choice and no pressure to accomplish specific tasks but to learn along the way. The horses also have choice and usually are free to move around. You may observe, quietly stand, talk to, stroke, brush, gently lead (with or without a halter), dance, sing, paint, or meditate. Each session develops uniquely.

Sessions may explore the following aspects of how we think, act, feel, and be. The immediate and honest feedback from the horse allows any desired change to be practiced in real-time. 

• Being authentic and in alignment

• Asking for what we need

• Power of intention

• Trust 

• Non-verbal communication

• Boundary setting

• Relationship without judgement

Logistics

We meet in person in north Longmont, Colorado, in a serene and beautiful pastureland setting with our wise horses. All interactions are on the ground - no horse experience or riding skills are necessary.

Private sessions are usually 2 hours long, plus a post-session integration call of 30 minutes. These can be done as a one-time exploration, or a series. 

Small group workshops are available. Group workshop intention and duration can be customized, and last from 2 hours to a full day. 

Why Horses?

Our partner in this process is the majestic horse, and their nature provides us a way to engage our body, mind, and spirit with another sentient being in a powerful, transformative, and joyful way. Horses are curious, sensitive, intuitive, and responsive. They give us feedback in an honest and nonjudgmental manner, and are not influenced by the social roles we play, our looks, verbal skills, wealth, power or IQ. Horses live in the present moment while we humans are usually processing intellectually, in past or future time. By moving into present time we can respond to what is in a more meaningful way.

Horses bring several unique characteristics to the human-animal relationship. They are usually much larger than us physically, inspiring some awe when standing next to them. As herd animals, they are highly social and empathic, relying on their relationships with one another for comfort, safety and survival. As prey animals, they are extremely sensitive to their physical and energetic environment. In the wild, they move with the rhythm of nature, grazing, but with constant awareness of their surroundings, and can react quickly to threat but then return to the calm state of grazing. They are individuals, with personality, strengths and challenges, opinions and preferences. But they are also part of the herd; they feel what others feel, respond to the information, and then let it go, ready for the next moment.

Horses are tuned into the energy of intention. They trust people who are authentic and clearly show us when we are in alignment and trust-worthy. When humans are incongruent, such as smiling when we really feel frustrated, to a horse this gives off similar signals as a predatory animal. The horse responds differently when a person removes the mask and acknowledges the emotion, even if that emotion is still there. We can become more congruent with what we are feeling, not labeling these emotions as “good or bad” but as information, and then we in turn can make wiser choices from this awareness.Horses possess a much larger energy field than humans. Because of their powerful presence and nervous system, when humans are in proximity of horses we inevitably begin to feel and align more with our own presence. We become more aware - of our emotional state, bodily sensations, our senses, our surroundings. This bypasses intellect and goes straight to a shift on the biochemical level. This is supported by research. Every living thing, including every cell of our body, is in a constant state of vibration and this creates an electromagnetic field (EMF) around us. There is a significant connection and communication between the heart and the brain, and the heart’s EMF is the largest field at 60 times that of the brain! The human heart’s EMF can be measured several feet away and can be felt by another person at that distance. A horse’s body is 8-10 times larger than ours, and their heart is 12 times larger, creating an even larger energetic field.