Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)

EAL is an innovative form of experiential learning where clients develop new insight and learn new skills via relational experiences with horses. EAL can assist in personal development, professional development and leadership skills in teams and individuals.

Individual and or group sessions are available.

Individual Sessions can be weekly or fortnightly and can be booked in for a series of sessions, or ongoing to help assist with longer term goals.

Group sessions are limited to 4 people and may be customised depending on the group goals. Our Horse Wisdom Program is also available for group bookings.

  • What happens in an EAL session?

    In EAL, clients are offered ‘safe’ (physically and emotionally) experiences with horses for the purpose of exploring self-experience in relationship, building self-awareness, building awareness of patterns or habits that are no longer serving clients well, developing social and emotional skills, and addressing learning goals clients have identified.

  • EAL - Adonai Equine Services

    Who attends EAL?

    • Children and adolescents

    • NDIS Participants

    • Neurologically diverse clients

    • Corporate Teams

    • Leaders and Managers

    • Organisations

    • Personal Development clients

    • School groups

    • So much more…….

  • Benefits of EAL

    • Improved social skills

    • Empathy and relationship skills

    • Distress tolerance

    • Confidence and self esteem

    • Stress reduction

    • Boundary setting

    • Promoting movement and activity

    • Meaningful connection

    • Proven scientific benefits of mindfulness

    • Increased attention

  • What EAL looks like - Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    What EAL looks like

    • Observation of horses

    • Meeting with horses at liberty

    • Lead-line experiences including touching, grooming and leading

    • Liberty leading (leading horses without a lead rope)

    • Led-mounted/riding

    • Creative activities with horses

Why Horses?

Horses are intelligent, sensitive and strong beings who can evoke strong feelings in clients by engaging them in the learning process. Horses can assist in co-regulating a client’s nervous system, can model healthy living and expression of feelings, as well as offering non judgemental safety and trust. Horses can offer unique bio feedback and hold clients in a way traditional learning environments cannot. The natural environment can also contribute positively to learning outcomes for clients.

Horse Wisdom Program

Developed by The Equine Psychotherapy Institute, the Horse Wisdom Program is an effective social and emotional skills building program. The Horse Wisdom program runs for 7 sessions and can be extended or tailored to participant requirements. The program can be completed in groups of 4 or individually.

There is no horse riding involved and you do not need to have any horse skills. It is great for most mental health related issues, social skill building, behavioural pattern awareness, emotional regulation or for personal coaching purposes. 

Each week we explore a topic with the horses learning about the “way of the horse” and seeing how it can help us in our lives.

The horse wisdom program may be extended beyond 7 sessions to give more time to explore each topic.

Horse Wisdom Program
7 Weeks of Equine Assisted Learning

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 1 - The Calm State

    Regulating and calming our nervous system.

    Horses in a natural herd environment settle themselves using their outbreath and they tend to express feelings safely and not “hold onto” feelings and stress and they seek support with their closest herd members. We too can function better when we are calm.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 2 - Awareness

    Awareness gives us choice to respond.

    Horses are prey animals and live in a state of awareness to keep themselves and their herd safe.

    Here we learn to notice what is happening outside of our bodies in our environment, inside our bodies, in our sensations and feelings and in our thoughts.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 3 - Boundaries

    Boundaries are our 'Yes' and our 'No', what feels okay or not okay, what we like or don't like.

    Horses model healthy boundaries and they communicate clearly using their body language.

    Setting boundaries in yourself and with others are explored. Our boundaries are verbal boundaries, touch boundaries and personal space boundaries.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 4 - Feelings

    Feelings are important.

    Horses have feelings just like us, they feel it, express it and let it go.

    All feelings are welcome!

    Joy - Fear - Anger - Sadness

    This week we focus on understanding feelings and emotions.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 5 - Healthy Relationships

    Healthy relationships need to feel safe.

    Horses reflect healthy relationships.

    Building and maintaining healthy relationships requires trust, respect, communication, support, common interests and healthy boundaries.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 6 - Thinking

    How you think affects your feelings and behaviours.

    Horses can sense your intentions; they notice your energy, body language and your feelings.

    Becoming aware of your thoughts and words is important.

    Offering yourself thoughts and self-talk that is kind and helpful.

  • Adonai Equine Assisted Learning

    Week 7 - Facing Life's Challenges

    What skills do we need to face life’s challenges?

    Implementing skills when life throws us a curve ball that is challenging and stressful!!

    Living and learning through our experiences.

Let us know how we can help.