Coaches, Consultants and Mental Health Professionals Stand out in the Personal and Professional Development Arena with Equine Assisted Learning

Brown Horse — Reno, NV — E3A Equine Experiential

Every coach is passionate about providing the best care to their clients, which is why it’s important to adapt in order to support them. Partnering with horses through equine assisted learning helps you upgrade your coaching method so you can stand out from the crowd.

Not only are equine assisted modalities beneficial for you – by improving your communications skills and emotional intelligence. Equine assisted coaching and learning helps your clients heal in a more natural and fulfilling way.

How do coaches, consultants and mental health professionals benefit from equine assisted learning?

As coaching is the second fastest growing industry in the U.S., it’s important to be able to stand out in this noisy field of competitors.

With equine assisted learning, you upskill your emotional and social intelligence, compassion, and ability to connect to others in a way that you can’t find anywhere else.

Why is this?

Horses are highly empathetic and calming creatures that are 100% honest about how they feel in the moment. As herd animals, they form deep-rooted connections and are able to read their environment to escape danger, communicate, comfort one another, and maintain harmony within their herd.

These are amazing skills to have as an individual and as someone who aims to support and help others. Honing in on these areas will enable you to provide a better level of understanding and empathy. Horses can also teach us about connection and community!

If you are looking to co-create powerful transformation for clients, then adding this powerful and innovative modality to your toolkit will give you a higher footing in the field of personal and professional development.

Another way horses can enhance your business is through generating an additional income stream. You will be providing a niche service that is unlike what other businesses offer and has a unique appeal to potential clients.

How will equine assisted coaching benefit your clients?

Nature and horses are a powerful duo that allows for self-reflection, greater awareness, and a level of calm that cannot compare to traditional coaching or mental health methods.

There are many things that horses can help clients with – including interpersonal communication and teamwork.

For example, the heightened self- awareness and self-reflection realized through working with horses helps your clients understand what makes them tick, what challenges them, and what motivates them in life. By partnering with horses, you help your clients grow into their best selves, consciously creating an environment in which they can thrive.

Self-awareness will allow your clients to realize the areas where they can improve, looking inward to find out who they really are or who they want to become.

If you are interested in growing your revenue stream, enhancing your coaching practice, or providing a modality as a mental health professional, then equine assisted learning may be for you.

December 26, 2025
When Lisa Bowman first experienced the healing power of horses, she knew her life was about to change. What she didn’t realize at the time was just how many other lives those horses would go on to touch through her work. Lisa launched Hope for Hearts Farm in 2013 with a vision to help people grow, heal, and transform through connection with horses. “I personally experienced the healing power of horses and felt led to share that with others,” she says. “Going through E3A’s certification gave me the confidence and tools to assist clients to greater levels of transformation.” She became an E3A Level 1 Certified Practitioner in 2018, followed by Advanced Level 2 certification in Corporate Facilitation in 2021. Empowering Change Through Connection At Hope for Hearts Farm, Lisa offers two main programs: Personal Development and Well-Being for adults and children (ages 8 and up), and Corporate and Leadership Development, including team-building and executive coaching. Her ideal clients are those willing to embrace the feedback the horses provide and dig deep into their own thoughts, feelings, and belief patterns. “Of course, I also love when someone comes in very skeptical of the process and is blown away by the power of the horse/human relationship and the incredible insights they gain from the horses.” Lisa says. Moments That Matter Lisa’s years as a facilitator are filled with powerful moments of breakthrough and transformation—so many, she says, it’s impossible to choose just one favorite. “Seeing the changes in teams and individuals is incredibly rewarding,” she shares. “There’s nothing like hearing someone say, ‘I keep thinking I’ve got it, but every session with the horses knocks my socks off!’ Or a parent telling me that the experience didn’t just help their child, but their whole family—and that it’s leading to generational change.” She’s also witnessed the impact in the corporate world: “When a team tells us after a workshop that they’ll be forever changed, it reinforces just how effective this work really is.” Lessons from the Arena Looking back on her E3A certification journey, Lisa especially treasures her arena training—now known as the Capstone. “Hands-on experience with the horses, activities, fellow facilitators, and Master Trainers was invaluable,” she says. “It was there I learned to truly be open to outcome and trust the process—something that didn’t come naturally for my Type A personality!” That lesson continues to shape her facilitation style today. “It never ceases to amaze me how the horses show up exactly how each person or team needs,” she says. “When we trust our equine partners and stay open, the experience becomes even more impactful.” Through her partnership with E3A and her herd at Hope for Hearts Farm, Lisa Bowman continues to help people connect, reflect, and grow—one transformative session at a time.
October 21, 2025
For Stacy Gendels, becoming E3A certified in March 2020 marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter—one that arrived just as the world was shutting down.
A facilitator and group of participants stand with a brown horse.
September 2, 2025
After three decades as a K-12 school counselor, Karen Finch was ready for retirement—or so she thought. Just one day later, life presented her with an unexpected opportunity. A local equine-assisted learning facility called to ask if she would consider becoming their therapist. Despite having no prior experience with h
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