WHAT IS EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING?
To put it simply, Equine Assisted Learning is a learner based educational experience with horses. More specifically, Equine Assisted Learning is an effective approach to human development that encourages individual and team growth. Participants engage in objectively driven exercises and find themselves learning valuable life skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working with horses. Equine Assisted Learning has proven to be effective, powerful, positive, educational, and creative. Partners For Success emphasizes its BuildingBlock™ curriculum of facilitating life skills through positively reinforced interaction with horses. Exercises are developed to encourage self-confidence through validated, hands-on experiences.
Our course is not a bandage effect for humans; it's life changing with proven results. We can help you and your organization to achieve and reach skill-related objectives and goals through this Equine Assisted Learning Program through participating in this experiential program.
Albert Wight studied methods of education extensively and concluded a need for change from the traditional classroom and lecture format to an educational alternative called "participative method", which focuses on the experiential process of learning rather than the mere transmission of information. Experiential learning has recently been termed "the natural way of learning", and defined as the process by which the experience of the learner is reflected upon, from which new insights emerge. This program is Internationally Certified and regulated through the Equine Assisted Learning Network.
This specific Skills Development Course has helped people all over the world to develop critical life skills that help youth in the school system to learn skills that will help them succeed both in school and out of school, First Responders with PTSD to re-integrate back in the workforce and life, as well as women looking to move forward in life with confidence and power, with the horses as the teachers.
WHY HORSES?
Equine Assisted Learning programs are a powerful journey of learning and understanding for those who participate. Horses in this program are effective teaching tools; immediately responding to what participants do, trained facilitators look for "teachable moments" that horses identify. Quite simply, the horse does the teaching; facilitators are there to offer an explanation and provide guidance as they work through the solution.
The single most asked question is, why do we work with horses? To understand how this process works we must first realize how horses learn and understand the laws of survival. In a horse’s world, the rules are clear, easy to understand and dealt with swiftly when challenged. Nature provides them with instincts and senses that are very astute. For their mere survival, a wild horse must be aware of their surroundings and quick to react.
Horses help people because they cannot judge nor can they lie. People know the answers to their problems, we just sometimes get lost, confused or lose our voices and horses help us to find it all and move forward in life. Horses are tough and steadfast dance partners. Some of the joys associated with working around horses are – they don’t judge but they constantly assess. Their feedback is honest and instant. Learning to listen to what horses have to say is powerful and can help spur individual change.
As a prey animal, they are sensitive to the stimulus of each participant. They react to the stimulus through body language and participants must adjust their feelings and behaviours to work successfully with the horses. As facilitators listen to a horse’s non-verbal communication, together, they have the ability to walk participants through to finding life-altering change. Horses can magnify an individual’s problem immediately and provide a skilled facilitator with an opportunity to identify an individual’s character. Horses don’t overthink a participant’s motive but horses do challenge their behaviour and leadership. By including horses in specially designed educational exercises, equine assisted facilitators have greatly multiplied the participant’s rate of success to self-discovery.
WHAT CAN A HORSE TEACH YOU THAT A HUMAN CAN'T?
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Horses consistently model assertiveness and teach us how.
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Horses can't lie or overthink a participant's motives.
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Horses can’t manipulate behaviour.
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Horses feedback is honest and instant
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Horses have natural "herd behaviours" that require trust, respect and teamwork from all members of the team.
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Horses automatically respond to confusion and frustration as these feelings can put the herd at risk.
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They lead through assuredness - not brute force.
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Horses have distinct personalities and through this, they all have a different methods of teaching.