Our family is passionate about horses and the lessons they help us to learn.
What is Equine Assisted Learning?
EAL
Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is an effective approach to human and leadership development through the eyes of the horse. It is a proactive approach to empowering the individual through group interactive exercises with a focus on “everyone matters”.
Through carefully designed team exercises, the Equissori EAL programs use the horses natural herd instincts to provide participants with an opportunity to engage in team emphasized exercises and in turn find themselves learning valuable skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working through the dynamics of the horses.
EAL can benefit everyone. No riding or previous horse experience is required; all exercises are done from the ground. EAL is an innovative approach that has proven to be the stimulus of respectful relationships and active involvement. It not only fits naturally into the process of developing strong leaders, it is a practical approach to teaching youth alternative skills to leverage when faced with difficult challenges and negative influences.
Why Horses?
You may be wondering what you could possibly learn from a horse?! EAL isn’t so much about the horse teaching you, it’s about helping you recognize opportunities for learning within yourself. Our horses provide instant, honest feedback when we work with them. When we learn how to communicate, lead and work effectively with a horse, we learn valuable skills that we can apply to all of our relationships.
Horses are:
Aware & Intuitive
Masters of Teamwork
Seek Leadership
Respond Honestly
The Social Herd
What is Social-Emotional Learning?
“What do we mean by social-emotional learning? Human beings are social creatures. That means in society, successfully interacting with other people is essential to the effective functioning of a community, a workplace and even a family. People need to know how to successfully interact with each other, establish and maintain positive relationships, feel and show empathy, understand and manage their emotions and set and achieve positive goals. Social-emotional learning improves children’s mental health and helps them avoid risky decisions, make healthy choices and stay drug free.”
Paolo DeMaria Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education