Empowerment Through Horses 10 Week Youth Program – Facilitated on the ground

Personal Development, Transformation and Growth Through Horses.

We offer programs for Youth through Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL). EFL is an emerging field in which horses and humans work together experientially. These programs are specifically tailored to support organizations that are assisting youth in reaching their full potential.

How does it work?

Typically, participants engage in activities with horses on the ground, and the trained Facilitator guides the learning process. Rather than focusing on personal issues the focus is on concepts and principles. It is important to understand that we are not trying to ‘fix’ or ‘solve’ the participant’s problems, rather the horse and the Facilitator are gently holding a safe space for them to achieve more understanding of themselves and their own behaviours.

Why Horses?

Thousands of years of nonverbal communication between horses in herd environments have made them masterful at reading and communicating body language and intention. Even the subtlest shift in energy or emotion from a horse can be sensed and interpreted by another horse without the need for verbalisation.

As human beings we sometimes lack that kind of mental and emotional congruency when we communicate to others, because we are often disconnected from our emotions and our bodies. Instead, we spend more time living in our heads and as a result we might attempt to conceal how we are really feeling deep down.

Horses, on the other hand, are always congruent, present, connected to their bodies and completely honest about how they are feeling, giving them a powerful presence and authenticity. Learning about ourselves through horses allows us to reconnect with our deeper selves, because the horse will only respond to our underlying emotions and intentions and not the ‘mask’ that we might wear to cover up our insecurities, vulnerabilities, and authenticity.

We provide the horses that will be used in these programs. Our horses have had extensive groundwork training and have a very calm and quiet nature.

Who can benefit?

Anyone can benefit from EFL. Clinical research shows that close proximity to horse’s changes human brain wave patterns suggesting that humans can be transformed in a very positive way when in the presence of horses. Appropriate interaction with horses can therefore prove therapeutic to adults, youth and children alike.

Whilst EFL is still in its infancy, over the past 10 years there has been an increasing interest and evidence in its ability to support Youth At Risk.

Group and Individual Programs

Our group and individual programs are one hour per week and run over a period of ten weeks. NDIS funding available for participants on NDIS Plans.