Finding Inspiration and Purpose Through Horses: Karen Finch's Journey with E3A

From Healing to Helping

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 19:42:35 GMT

How E3A Practitioner Lisa Bowman Inspires Growth Through Horses

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.

From Riding to Life Lessons

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:04:23 GMT

How Stacy Gendels Inspires Growth with E3A

Photo caption: Stacy Gendels and her mare, May. Stacy and May have been partners for 11 years. May has taught Stacy more than horsemanship skills. She has taught her to be present and open to outcome. Stacy is forever grateful to her.

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. "I had flown back to Connecticut from rural North Carolina, where the training was, and my family was already in masks," she recalls. "Quite a time to start a new chapter!"

Stacy is no stranger to the transformative power of horses. A PATH instructor for more than a decade, she has spent her life surrounded by horses and always sensed there was more to learn from them than riding alone could offer. That curiosity deepened when she attended an E3A workshop facilitated by her friend and colleague, Carrie Brady, at New Canaan Mounted Troop . "It was fascinating to watch—and even more fun to learn from," she says.

Since then, Stacy has brought E3A's equine experiential learning to an incredibly diverse range of people. During COVID, she facilitated strength-based workshops for healthcare workers, nurses, and community teams providing PPE. She has worked with first responders, 9/11 survivors and their families, families of children with disabilities, staff from mental health facilities, and individuals seeking personal growth. Each group, she shares, has been deeply meaningful—and she is eager to expand into more corporate work.

One workshop memory stands out vividly. While facilitating Leadership in a Box for parents of children with disabilities, the group struggled at first to guide their horse into the box. Once they chose to work together as a herd, however, success came quickly. During the debrief, one parent shared that the experience reminded her she wasn't alone in her journey—there was a team of support she could reach out to. "That moment was powerful," Stacy reflects.

Looking back, Stacy says the E3A certification process itself was just as enriching. She learned not only from master trainers Kathy and Jennifer but also from fellow participants. "I especially loved stepping into the role of participant before moving into facilitation," she says. "E3A provides such a strong, structured curriculum with activities that can truly meet people where they are."

For Stacy, E3A has opened doors to creating meaningful, life-changing experiences for diverse groups—and it all began with the decision to take that first step toward certification.

Finding Inspiration and Purpose Through Horses

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:46:18 GMT

Karen Finch's Journey with E3A

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 horses, Karen embraced the challenge. For someone who has always loved experiential learning, she quickly realized that there was nothing more experiential than working alongside horses. That moment sparked a new chapter in her life, one that continues to inspire her every day.

Karen's passion lies in serving youth and the adults who work with them. Over the years, she has built a deep toolbox of strategies to help children and teens navigate challenges. Partnering with horses brings those strategies to life, offering young people the chance to learn and grow in powerful ways. But her work doesn't stop there. Karen also trains parents, foster parents, educators, community agencies, and fellow practitioners through equine-assisted learning, giving them the skills and confidence to support youth in meaningful ways.

One of Karen's favorite parts of this work is witnessing the "ah-ha" moments that happen when participants connect with horses. She recalls working with a group of 5th graders in a transition program she created to ease the move to middle school. One student, after quietly spending time with a horse, looked up and exclaimed, "That's what calm feels like? I can be calm!" For Karen, these moments of discovery and growth are at the heart of equine-assisted learning.

Karen officially became certified with the Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) in March 2022. Reflecting on the training, she says her favorite part was the Capstone Arena experience. Participating in the hands-on activities not only deepened her understanding of the E3A process but also showed her how experiential exercises can spark real change. She describes the training as powerful, supportive, and transformative, giving her the tools to become a more confident and effective facilitator.

Today, Karen continues to combine her background in counseling with her love of learning and teaching. Inspired by both the resilience of youth and the wisdom of horses, she helps people build coping skills, confidence, and connection. For Karen, this work isn't just fulfilling—it's a way to continue making a difference in the lives of others, one transformative moment at a time.

What makes a great equine-assisted lifeskill learning horse?

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:54:30 GMT

The Ella Grace Story

By Starr McAlexander
Spirit Song Youth Equestrian Academy

Greetings! My name is Ella Grace. I am a registered 21 year old Overo Paint Quarter Horse. My lineage goes back to 5 breed foundation horses, one of which was Three Bars! So how did I end up in an Equine-assisted program at Spirit Song?!

I have always been a favorite mount of children and youth and have participated in many western play days and gymkhanas, but the day came when my family outgrew the passion for fun and speed. I was donated to Spirit Song's riding program that better suited my needs.

My nature is calm and gentle, therefore, I lend confidence to those who want to learn horsemanship like the young lad pictured here.

My temperament was such that no matter whether a beginner was learning a balanced seat in a round pen or a more advanced rider was riding out and about around the ranch, I was enjoyable for a slow and meandering ride. But because of an anomaly in my carpal joint in my front leg, (something I was born with), sadly there came a time when I should no longer be ridden and my saddle had to be hung back up in the tackroom.

Was I then, a few years after my arrival at what I had hoped would be my forever home, just to be turned out to pasture?! Fortunately for me, because of Spirit Song's afflilation with Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) and my very curious nature, I became a partner in unmounted Equine-assisted Lifeskill Learning.

The question has been asked who is my ideal client to work with? My answer - any age human that is open to connection, from giggly girl teenagers to an older audience who's hearts and minds are still open to learning.

What am I really good at teaching people?
1. Don't make assumptions.
2. Actions need follow through.

In the activity below, the assumption that was made was, just because connection with me was easily made, and I followed the girls to the goal, their communication to me of the task was not clear and their follow through was not complete. Eventually, it was the black horse that they got in the box!

At the end of the day, I just want to be hand grazed on the choicest tender morsels of grass and hang with my favorite humans.

My horse intuition says and my motto for the last 7 years that I have been partnering in equine-assisted learning is:

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
(Anonymous)

Ready to Uplevel the Horse-Human Connection? Add CliftonStrengths!

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:27:18 GMT

Ready to Uplevel the Horse-Human Connection? Add CliftonStrengths!

Above: Caspian is a former kids' rodeo horse. He is grounded, good-natured, and has an amazing sense of focus. Master trainer Jennifer Kaplan says, "He's just an all-around good guy, and he uses his strengths to benefit the Nevada herd."

Want to supercharge your Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) programs? Here's a game-changer: weave CliftonStrengths into your workshop agenda and watch the magic unfold between your participants and their four-hoofed teachers.

Here's what CliftonStengths brings to the arena:

Custom-Tailored Self-Awareness: CliftonStrengths helps your participants discover what makes them tick—in! With personalized insights, they'll uncover how to create success in their daily lives, both at work and at home. (Think lightbulb moments galore!)
Real-Time Horse Feedback (Yes, Really!) : Horses are incredible mirrors. When your participants show up aligned with their strengths, horses respond with clear, honest feedback—no sugar-coating, just truth with a tail swish. It's powerful, and often magical to watch.
Confident, Calm Facilitators = Smooth Ride: Let's not forget you! CliftonStrengths gives E3A Coaching Facilitators a confidence boost, helping you feel more grounded and in sync with your co-facilitators, your equine partners, and your participants. Less stress, more flow.

So if you're looking to add more spark, depth, and "aha!" moments to your EAL programs, CliftonStrengths is the secret sauce you've been missing. It's time to let strengths lead the way!

E3A Member Spotlight: Anouk Lorie - Bridging Nature, Leadership and International Borders

Tue, 13 May 2025 17:34:58 GMT

E3A Member Spotlight: Anouk Lorie - Bridging Nature, Leadership and International Borders

At the heart of the Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) is a network of passionate professionals who use the power of horse-facilitated learning to transform lives and organizations. E3A member Anouk Lorie is a Belgium-born, Canada-based leadership coach whose work beautifully bridges nature, business, human potential, and international borders.

From Corporate to Connected

Anouk’s path into equine-assisted learning was anything but ordinary. After more than two decades in the corporate and academic worlds, she made a bold shift — not just in profession, but in purpose.

“Moving from Belgium to Canada gave me the opportunity to begin again — this time, not just based on what I was good at, but on what I truly loved,” she reflects. That meant stepping away from titles and toward a life rooted in meaning, connection, and contribution.

In 2016, she became a certified Equine Facilitated Coach through the Academy for Coaching with Horses. But by 2019, she felt a deeper call — to bring this profound work into the heart of leadership and organizational development. That’s when she found E3A, thanks to a trusted colleague, Pamela Hunter.

“The methodology is solid, practical, and absolutely essential if you want to work credibly with the corporate world,” Anouk says. “I now require E3A certification for all members of the Wásábi team — we are four certified practitioners today!”

Leadership that Listens

Anouk’s clients — and the horses she partners with — thrive on authenticity. At her company, Wásábi Leadership, she works primarily with seasoned leaders and teams ready to move past the buzzwords and into values-aligned, embodied leadership.

“These are people willing to reflect, challenge themselves, and lead with intention — not just for their organizations, but for their communities and the planet,” she explains. “We especially love working with leaders humble enough to learn from and with nature.”

Her team also devotes time to nonprofit work, partnering with charities that support individuals who’ve experienced difficult life circumstances. “Their courage and connection with the horses are always humbling — and often transformative.”

Buck the Horse, and a Breakthrough in Leadership

Among the many powerful experiences Anouk has facilitated, one moment stands out. During a session with a group of senior leaders, their lead horse, Buck, refused to cooperate — resisting pressure from dominant personalities and avoiding engagement altogether.

“With E3A’s framework, we unpacked what was happening,” she recalls. “There was too much pressure, no real listening, no awareness of their impact — on the horse or each other. Buck became a mirror for their reality: their ‘employee’ was avoiding them, just like in their actual workplace.”

Then, something shifted. A quiet leader — often overlooked — approached Buck with nothing but presence. No pressure. No tools. Just grounded calm. Buck responded instantly, walking beside him with ease.

“It was breathtaking,” Anouk says. “That moment changed everything — for the team, and for that individual leader. It was a masterclass in trust, leadership, and the power of authentic connection.”

The Power of the E3A Process

Anouk credits E3A’s certification process — especially the Capstone Arena Experience — as a pivotal part of her development.

“You simply can’t learn this work from a book or an online course. You have to live it — with your feet in the arena. E3A helped me bridge my background in organizational development with the non-linear world of horse-facilitated learning in a way that feels credible and alive.”

Leadership Lessons that Transcend Borders

Anouk has led sessions in Europe and North America, and says the impact of equine-assisted learning is universal.

“No matter the country, the moment a person enters the presence of a horse, something shifts. Roles and titles fall away. What remains is raw, honest connection — presence to presence, heart to heart.”

Horses, she notes, respond to authenticity, clear boundaries, and emotional agility — the same traits we need as leaders and human beings.

“These are universal human needs. Whether someone is a CEO in Switzerland, a young woman in Quebec, a Belgian, Saudi, or American — the transformation is always powerful. Always lasting. Always deeply human.”

Want to learn more about Anouk and Wásábi Leadership?

Visit www.wasabileadership.com to explore her work.

Member Spotlight : Ginny Telego - A Journey of Leadership, Horses and Human Transformation

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:36:39 GMT

Ginny Telego: A Journey of Leadership, Horses and Human Transformation

Ginny Telego ’s path with Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) began with a lifelong love of horses and a deep desire to help people grow. Certified by E3A in 2010, Ginny earned her Advanced Certification in 2013 and joined the Master Trainer team in 2016. Her career is a blend of passion, leadership, and the unique power of equine-facilitated learning.

Inspired in the mid-1990s by an article in the NARHA (now PATH International) newsletter, Ginny read about a woman partnering with horses to work with youth—a woman she later discovered was Boo Martin, an E3A certified equine assisted learning practitioner and member of the E3A board. That spark of inspiration set Ginny on a path to explore how horses could help people in more profound, transformative ways.

Ginny’s ideal clients are leaders and teams willing to rethink how they lead—not just to reach goals, but to preserve relationships in the process. She particularly enjoys working with skeptics, those unsure of what a horse could possibly teach them about leadership. “They’re the ones who walk away with the biggest ahas,” she says.

One of Ginny’s most memorable experiences came early in her career. Leading a workshop for a community leadership program, she noticed one participant standing with arms crossed, sunglasses on, and a skeptical attitude. When it was his turn to share his goal, he scoffed, “Well, I don’t know what horses can possibly teach me about leadership.” But by the second activity of the day—aptly named "Leadership in a Box"—that same participant approached her and said, “Now I get it.” He not only engaged fully for the rest of the workshop but later became one of her most enthusiastic supporters. To this day, he can still articulate what he learned from her horses.

Ginny attributes much of her success to the comprehensive nature of the E3A certification process. Unlike other programs she attended, E3A offered hands-on practice, in-the-moment coaching, and a clear, consistent model. “I had attended other equine assisted learning trainings with other organizations and while I got bits and pieces of valuable information, after my first E3A certification, I felt 100% prepared to start doing the work—and I did. Just a month later, I had my first paying client for a full-day workshop,” she recalls.

As a Master Trainer, Ginny found joy in mentoring new facilitators entering the equine assisted learning (EAL) field. Watching participants grow, grasp E3A’s 5 question model, and begin to see horses as teachers has been deeply fulfilling. “It’s such a privilege to be part of their journey. Seeing those light bulbs come on fuels my excitement for the future of this work.”

For Ginny Telego, equine-assisted learning is more than a profession—it’s a calling, a continuous journey of connection, insight, and leadership growth through the wisdom of horses.

Visit The Collaboration Partners web site

Listen to The Leading with Instinct Podcast

Why Horses Are Superior in Helping Leaders Grow and Develop Themselves and their Organizations

Sun, 14 May 2023 16:06:50 GMT

Have you ever sat down after a long day of leadership training and wondered what exactly you did or spent all your money and time on? You aren’t the only one — especially if the training isn’t out-of-the-box enough. Contrary to popular belief, more than 90% of human communication is non-verbal, which explains why many of us find it challenging to retain the information we learn when traditional teaching methods are employed.

Enter equine assisted learning, where leaders learn by sitting, listening and actually doing as well. Let’s take a closer look at how and why horses benefit leaders looking to improve themselves and their organizations and why EAL is head and shoulders above other experiential training methods.

Emotional Intelligence – One advantage of utilizing horses in leadership training is that they react instantly and without judgment to human emotional states, allowing us to develop our sense of emotional intelligence. Horses reflect emotions, body language, and sensations back to the human, helping participants become aware of the effects of their emotional and physical presence and what would happen if they changed how they acted because the horse would do the same.
Responsibility – Horses also help people learn self-management, or the ability to control their emotions. For instance, there is a severe danger of unfavorable outcomes for the horse and the handler if impatience and rage are expressed while managing a horse. Evidence has shown that people become more willing to accept responsibility and gain the ability to act when they are among horses and in a stable setting.
Awareness – There is no better way to develop a sense of awareness for yourself and others as a leader than through the hands-on training that equine assisted learning provides. Just think — these are massive animals that don’t have to follow a anyone’s lead, especially if they don’t want to. That is why leaders must become aware of everything about the horses and themselves. From how they hold themselves to how they handle a situation, EAL allows a leader to hone their sense of awareness through practical means you can’t find anywhere else.
Non-verbal Communication – If horses are great at one thing, it’s non-verbal communication, helping those who work with them and training them to learn it. Leadership development programs with horses help people read others and situations and understand non-verbal signals. This non-verbal communication is critical to bolstering several aspects that improve day-to-day work at the office, such as responsibility, assertiveness, work ethics, relationship building, and more.

With EAL, each of these skills has to be learned, trained, reinforced, and repeated repeatedly, building confidence in both the horse and the leader who is learning from them. Very few other experiential training methods can even come close to this level of in-depth communication or repetition of critical leadership skills.

Remember, horses are looking for their leader, and thus, the best way to develop our leadership skills is to become precisely what they are looking for. Visit our website today for more information on EAL and how we can help unbridle your consulting or coaching practice in adding horses to your toolbox. Join us in learning more about this powerful method for creating true leaders at our May Arena Chat that is coming up soon.

Horses Model Leadership and Strong Teamwork

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:56:07 GMT

Today’s business world demands a particular set of leadership and team competencies that look different from how they used to ‘back in the day.’ Business leaders must find new approaches to interacting with and influencing their teams even as employees ask for more meaning, purpose, skills, and room to advance – all while dealing with significant burnout issues.

So how can that be accomplished in a way that engages people who are already overstimulated while also being innovative and producing demonstrable results?

That brings us to Equine-Assisted Learning. EAL is a highly sought-after and efficient method that offers you and your team a unique and unforgettable experience and a natural opportunity to develop new and crucial leadership abilities. Let’s dive into what makes EAL so unique and life-changing for many.

First of all, EAL is different from other learning methods because of what is involved, and yes, that means the horses themselves. Horses are living, thinking, creative beings all on their own and have many life lessons to teach just by being around them. As the California Institute for Advanced Management describes in its blog, lessons like ‘change is scary but must be pushed through,’ or how integral trust and integrity are to being a good leader, are directly learned from being around and working with horses. This communication and interaction allow those involved in EAL not only to remember, but experience for themselves, the depth and breadth of the changes they have to make if they wish to be more effective in the future.

Next up, simply getting out of the office and changing how people learn is critical. People don’t want to be cooped up and forced to look at spreadsheets or watch videos any more – they want to be actively engaged, and what better way to do that than getting them outside and learning through doing? Everything that EAL teaches is hands-on, meaning the lessons stick much more than they would if they were learned simply by rote memory.

And finally, EAL prioritizes going outside of one’s comfort zone and actively learning from the world around. It encourages individuals to work as a team without having to go through trite team-building exercises, and overall, it makes things way more fun and exciting. After all, why watch a training video when horses already model strong leadership and teamwork skills themselves?

By now, it should be clear how and why Equine Assisted Learning is one of the best (and most fun and engaging) ways to boost personal and professional development. E3A is one of the top facilitators for this kind of engagement, and we welcome any leaders and teams who want to experience that for themselves.

Join us at our Introduction to Equine Assisted Facilitation Methods, our online course providing context and a framework for equine-based action learning, and see if this would benefit you and your team!

Why Horses are Head and Shoulders Above Other Methods of Experiential Learning

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:46:36 GMT

When we talk about equine assisted learning, one of the most common questions we hear is, “Why horses?”

That’s a great question! Let’s have a look.

In equine assisted learning, we often say, “How a person does one thing, is how they do everything.” That means, during an equine assisted learning activity or workshop, a person will interact with the horses in the same way they interact with human beings in their lives outside of the arena.

With their naturally honest, empathic and non-judmental natures, horses give clients immediate, honest feedback that helps them see more clearly how they’re showing up in their lives, jobs and relationships.

Equine assisted learning can also help our clients develop leadership skills such as the following:

Awareness and Communication : As prey and herd animals, horses are highly aware of their environment. They use body language and awareness of one another and their surroundings to communicate, survive and thrive. These are also important skills to help us excel as human beings.

Through working with horses, your clients will be able to practice presence, and awareness of self and others. They will also learn the importance of being congruent (having their insides match their outsides) to build trust and inspire horses and humans to follow their lead.

Emotional Intelligence : Horses are strongly empathetic. They sense our emotions and respond to them immediately and honestly. A confident, relaxed human will easily evoke the same feelings in the horse. On the other hand, someone who is anxious will likely find their horse companion picking up on their anxiety and becoming anxious as well. In this way, horses help humans to gain greater self awareness and practice being able to feel, name and manage their emotional state.

Cooperation : A healthy herd relies on shared leadership and purposefully leaning on each individual’s unique strenghts for the good of the herd. This approach aims to foster harmony, unity, and cooperation while protecting the herd. The human workplace can utilize a similar cooperative team dynamic in many different ways. Teams that work well have people in clearly defined positions that play to each person’s skills and working preferences, creating that same sense of unity and cooperation. The team has trust in its leadership and can respond and adapt to the changing environment creatively when this dynamic is present.

Confidence : In the wild, or even in pastures, horses typically live in herds with a leader who keeps the entire group safe, secure and together. Horse leaders usually don’t do this through violence but rather by being level-headed, confident and capable in all circumstances. With equine assisted team-building activities, your clients will learn non-aggressive, non-verbal, assertive techniques to lead their ‘herd,’ bringing out the best in themselves and everyone around them.

These are just a few ways that horses can help humans improve upon their skills, both professional and personal!

Ready for more on how equine assisted learning can help you and your human herd grow? Join the Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) for our next live Arena Side Chat on March 7th at 7 pm ET.

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

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:30:06 GMT

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.

How Incorporating Strengths Can Boost Your Equine Assisted Learning Programs

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:21:26 GMT

Leverage CliftonStrengths to give your equine assisted learning clients a more powerful experience

By Ginny Telego

Why CliftonStrengths and Horses?

For over 20 years, the Gallup organization has studied the impact of strengths-based culture on employee engagement. Their findings consistently show that organizations with a strengths-based culture have higher employee engagement. A recent Gallup article stated, “Workers who use their strengths every day are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life, six times more likely to be engaged at work, 8% more productive and 15% less likely to quit.”

Why does this matter to coaches and others who provide personal and professional development?

Focusing on strengths isn’t just helpful to peoples’ professional lives; it can help them thrive in all areas of their lives. Think of a time when you had to put a lot of energy into doing something that just didn’t come easy to you. Or a time when someone told you over and over what you aren’t good at and you started to believe them. It’s exhausting.

When individuals understand their strengths and are allowed to use them more fully, everyone benefits, because people want to do more of what they are good at.

I incorporate the CliftonStrengths assessment into much of my equine assisted coaching work and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the participants’ strengths show up in their interactions with the horses. In 2020, I hosted a group of 18 professionals who are emerging community leaders for a full day equine assisted leadership workshop as part of their 9-month community leadership program. The group had completed the CliftonStrengths assessment a couple months prior to our workshop and had started to explore their strengths reports to understand what their assessment results meant. But I don’t think anyone in the group was prepared for what the horses were going to teach them about themselves and how their strengths could help or hinder accomplishing goals. While there was a plethora of “Ahas” from participants about how they show up as leaders, one participant stood out as gaining immense self-awareness from the exercises with the horses.

This young leader, I’ll call him Tom, presented himself as confident and open to the experience with the horses. The first exercise Tom was asked to complete was leading one of my miniature horses, Dolly, in a small oval shape. Tom had never led a horse before, but he volunteered to go first for his small group. I provided a bit of coaching to Tom, as the horse was providing feedback in her body language that indicated she picked up on Tom’s unsureness in leading for the first time.

Here’s where things started to get interesting. After the other five members of Tom’s group had completed the exercise, Tom asked me if he could go again. My facilitator senses tingled as I thought “All right! I can’t wait to ask about this!” In true facilitator/coach fashion, I responded to Tom’s question with a question. I said “Well, why do you want to go again?” He responded, “I’d like to see if I can do better than my first time leading her.”

Whenever I incorporate CliftonStrengths (or any assessment) into my equine assisted coaching work I print each person’s strengths on their name tags so I, and they, can refer to them throughout the experience. When Tom asked to lead Dolly a second time to see if he could improve, I immediately looked at his strengths on his name tag and saw that Competition was his number one strength. Tom and I discussed this and as he went through the rest of the day with his colleagues, doing different exercises with the horses, he saw how that strength could sometimes impede his ability to collaborate with others to accomplish the goals of the group. Competition overdone can wreak havoc on relationships – and relationships are vital to collaboration.

At the end of the workshop, each member of the group shared their takeaway from the experience with the horses and what they would do differently with that awareness. Tom’s take-away? “Not everything has to be a competition and I’ll seek other perspectives from my colleagues.”

This is just one way that incorporating CliftonStrengths with equine assisted learning can enhance the experience of your clients in learning about themselves.

If you are interested in exploring this through experiential learning, join us for the upcoming webinar Incorporating CliftonStrengths® With Your Equine Assisted Learning Practice where we’ll dive into using CliftonStrengths with adults and youth in equine assisted learning programs.

Step into your power as an exceptional EAL facilitator

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:14:22 GMT

It starts with your connection with YOU.

Curious how you can go from being an “OK” facilitator to becoming an exceptional facilitator?

Take a few moments to read this and decide if you are ready to learn from the Horse Masters of Interdependence.

I train E3A members how to become equine-assisted learning (EAL) facilitators. In this work, I partner with an amazing team of master trainers and wise horse partners to provide a strengths-based, experiential equine-assisted learning certification program.

As a master trainer with many years experience, I am always most excited about new EAL facilitators who possess some of the following characteristics:

Good sense of humor
Willingness to take personal responsibility
Flexibility
Strengths-based attitude
Curiosity
Patience
Lifelong learner

My list would not be complete without a standout facilitator characteristic: a willingness to trust the horses to show up and create inspiring insights.

Now this might surprise you . All of these desirable facilitator characteristics are based in a willingness to develop a relationship with self.

One of our primary responsibilities as EAL facilitators is to show up to our arena gates having done our own work. Ruthless self-awareness, self-trust and healthy boundaries are necessary to do this work well and with integrity. And an exceptional facilitator cannot give to another being (human and horse) what she has not received from herself.

Our horses are counting on us to do our own work.

For the EAL facilitator, interdependence is a high-level relationship skill based on trust, mutually supportive connection, and a healthy balance of receiving and giving with self and other beings .

Interdependence is a blend of independence and dependence. An essential element in an interdependent mindset is TRUST. With enough thoughtful practice and experience, interdependence becomes a way of being with self and your horses.

The interdependence relationship skill is an essential tool in the exceptional EAL facilitator’s toolbox.

The intrinsic benefits of interdependence for the exceptional facilitator is summed up in six transformational words:

Know. Align. Trust. Self. Horse. Process.

If these powerful words resonate within you and an opportunity to learn from the Horse Masters of Interdependence inspires you – consider this your personal invitation to the E3A Inner World of the Facilitator Arena Experience.

Are you on the fence?

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 15:02:25 GMT

By Nicole Schanen

So was I.

NOW I know that becoming an E3A Certified Practitioner is the best decision I ever made.

If you’re reading this blog, you and I may have a few things in common.

You love horses
You have personally experienced their healing, transformational presence
You want to help other people have that same experience
You want to make the world a better place, for people AND for our four-legged friends

I came to horses later in life when I began volunteering at a horse sanctuary in southeastern Wisconsin called Stepping Stone Farms.

As I learned to care for, handle and be with the horses, I began to notice changes in myself. I felt safer in my body. I was more present. I learned to regulate my emotions to show up better for the horses when they were feeling unsure. I learned to lead through connection, trust and clear intention.

I also saw that many of the horses at the farm were older. Many could not be ridden.

I knew from my own experiences that it wasn’t necessary to climb on a horse’s back to benefit from their presence. I knew other people could experience this, too.

It could also generate revenue to support the horses on the farm.

I began researching Equine Assisted Coaching and Learning certification programs – and I found E3A.

I’ll be honest. I was nervous about taking this step. I’ve worked in communications for over 20 years. This was starting to look like a mid-life career change, a significant investment of time and money, and I was scared.

I talked to a friend who was familiar with E3A and she recommended taking baby steps. Take the intro class, and see if it resonated.

I did, and it did resonate. I then enrolled in the online Foundations course and made plans to attend the capstone arena training in Reno. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

My biggest takeaways from E3A’s certification program:

I am so impressed at the breadth and depth of knowledge presented throughout the program. The online Foundations portion of the training was accessible, manageable AND comprehensive.
The in-person Zoom meetings with the master trainer and other trainees during the Foundations course were invaluable. Those discussions really helped me integrate the online material in the course – and connect with other people who are doing this work.
The Arena Capstone Training was AMAZING. We took a deep dive into practicing everything we learned during the Foundations course: practicing safety demonstrations, setting up activities with the horses, and debriefing the experiences. The integration of the Clifton Strengths into the training was powerful.
I made some great new friends during this process, and also made a better friend with myself. I’m so excited for what comes next on this journey.

What’s next?

After completing the Practitioner Certification with E3A, I am 100% ready to go out into the world and offer Equine Assisted Learning experiences. In fact, less than a month after completing the training, the horses and I coached our very first client together on the farm. I know there will be many others, and I’m especially excited to start offering workshops in Spring.

Overcoming Global Challenges:

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 14:52:21 GMT

How Horses Teach Us About Co-operation and Trust

The challenges of recent times have led to people becoming more divided, fractured, disconnected. This is evident in all aspects of our lives – from our day-to-day interactions through to the global political landscape.

Born to co-operate not compete

Yet, according to a recent article in Nature Human Behaviour, humans are a social species and co-operation rather than competition lies at the heart of our lives and social structures. The researchers cite examples of hunter-gatherer societies sharing out meat as a way of strengthening reciprocal bonds and distributing the burden of future scarcity. This culture of trust in collective action and the sharing of risk is noticeable absent in much of human society today.

Communication is key

The article points to a lack of communication as being one of the primary barriers to co-operation. It quotes a study by Fotouhi et al. which indicates that promoting even the most limited interconnections between societies that were previously segregated can support global cooperation. Maybe that explains the popularity of the Heineken Worlds Apart advertisement which created the conditions for people with opposing views to talk together over a beer. While many of the conflicts in our world can seem insurmountable (between nations, political, religious and ethnic groups and people with different belief systems), research indicates that learning to communicate more effectively is the key to building greater co-operation.

The transformative power of horses

It may not be immediately apparent to many people that horses can assist in this process of co-operation, communication and shared purpose, but as therapists and equine-assisted learning facilitators, we know better. Within organizations, horses offer feedback about leadership – specifically, what it takes to be a good leader. A herd is run as a matriarchy, with the traditionally ‘female’ quality of care taking precedence over domination and control. Horses know how to set boundaries and they respond to authenticity. While it may be possible to bamboozle people in the boardroom, the arena is an entirely different space and horses will move away from anyone who is not completely aligned with their core values.

Non-verbal communication

As humans, we tend to regard ‘communication’ as being what we say, but in reality this only makes up a small fraction of our communication. The numbers vary – and we need to be careful not to oversimplify, as this article in Psychology Today warns – but typically we might regard around 55% of communication as body language, 38% as tone of voice and only around 7% as the words we speak. Horses are a great mirror, reflecting our non-verbal communications back to us. They show us the impact we are having when we walk into a space, irrespective of what we might say or how we might try to appear.

Healing division in a fractured world

Our forthcoming conference – The Next Frontier – will explore, from many different perspectives, the crucial role that horses can play in helping to heal divisions in our fractured world.

From October 14-16, our speakers will share their passion and insights and, in their different ways, each one will offer delegates a greater understanding of themselves, their horses and their clients. We have selected topics that are underpinned by research and evidence-based studies and that bring together the latest understanding about neuroscience, and human health and wellbeing, as well as horse welfare. Delegates can attend in person at our Arizona ranch or online, allowing facilitators from all over the world to participate.

Keynote speakers

Among this year’s keynote speakers are:

Jackie Stevenson, whose presentation ‘Entering the Culture of Horse and Herd as Humble Guests’ discusses how we can enter the herd in a respectful and trustworthy way and the benefits of co-creating a human-horse partnership.

Patty Beach and Lissa Pohl, whose Alignment Model will show how a new approach to organizational development can be incorporated into EAL workshops with corporate groups and individuals.

Stuart Morse, who will explore growth opportunities for the future of the E3A community and identify actions to foster a community of collective leadership and strategic stewardship.

Lissa Pohl, who co-authored a paper in 2020 describing the various types of Equine-assisted Services, will close this year’s conference by talking about the future of EAL.

For more information about these and other talks at the E3A 2021 conference and to book your place in person or virtually, visit: https://e3assoc.org/conference-2021/

Jackie Stevenson , whose presentation ‘Entering the Culture of Horse and Herd as Humble Guests’ discusses how we can enter the herd in a respectful and trustworthy way and the benefits of co-creating a human-horse partnership.

Patty Beach and Lissa Pohl , whose Alignment Model will show how a new approach to organizational development can be incorporated into EAL workshops with corporate groups and individuals.

Stuart Morse, who will explore growth opportunities for the future of the E3A community and identify actions to foster a community of collective leadership and strategic stewardship.

Lissa Pohl, who co-authored a paper in 2020 describing the various types of Equine-assisted Services, will close this year’s conference by talking about the future of EAL.

How to Stay at the Top of Your Game as a Coach and Facilitator

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 14:11:48 GMT

As equine-assisted coaches and facilitators, we also need to become adept jugglers – managing the competing demands of working with clients, building our business and caring for our horses. It may feel like an impossible task to keep on top of the latest research, information and resources on top of everything else, yet we must do that as well in order to stay at the top of our game.

Leading-edge education

This is one of the primary reasons why people across the world choose to work with E3A – or Equine Experiential Education Association, to give us our full title. Our sole focus is helping facilitators to create transformational experiences with their clients and one of the ways we do this is through leading-edge education. We work with individuals and organizations across the world to understand the latest thinking and practice in equine-assisted therapy and learning, and to assimilate this into exciting and accessible programs for our clients.

Global forefront

Our annual conference is a particularly effective way for facilitators to build knowledge and expertise as it brings together keynote speakers at the forefront of global equine-assisted learning and research for a dynamic and thought-provoking program of talks and exhibitions.

This year’s conference theme is The Next Frontier, reflecting the rapidly changing world we are living in. While this brings many personal and professional challenges, it also offers exciting opportunities for those working in the field of personal development and it is no accident that the coaching industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, estimated to reach $20bn USD by 2022.

Conference aims

From October 14-16 2021, at the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson AZ, our speakers will share their passion and insights and, in their different ways, each one will offer delegates a greater understanding of themselves, their horses and their clients. We have selected topics that are underpinned by research and evidence-based studies and that bring together the latest understanding about neuroscience, human health and wellbeing, as well as horse welfare. You can attend in person at our Arizona ranch by registering on line at our website ( https://e3assoc.org/conference-2021/ ) and can also opt to purchase selected presentation videos from our on line store after the conference. Our aim is to allow facilitators from all over the world to participate and have access to valuable information.

Some of the highlight presentations this year include:

Merril Morse: A Facilitator’s Horsemanship – This exhibition, a mix of demonstration and participation, will explore how the use of Natural Horsemanship techniques (at liberty, in-hand and under saddle) in facilitation can improve facilitator interaction, leading to better outcomes for clients.

Tracy Weber: Conscious Use of Self – One of the human behaviors that gets in the way of building authentic relationships is being on autopilot instead of being conscious and self-aware. This engaging introduction to the use of self in partnership with horses is based on the work of Organizational Development expert, Dr Michael Broom.

Debbie Busby: Evaluating and Assuring the mental and emotional welfare of the horse in EAL settings – This lecture, backed up by virtual workshops in breakout groups, looks at the evidence base for assuring the horse’s emotional and mental welfare in equine-assisted learning settings.

Sue Binks: The Power of Presence – This interactive and thought-provoking session draws on unique doctoral research into the practice of facilitation and explores key findings, such as the importance of presence and psychological safety and how our mental models influence our practice.

What We Can Learn from a Horse’s Innate Way of Being

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 13:56:34 GMT

For hundreds of years, humans have believed in their supremacy over horses and worked hard to train them to do our bidding using domination and fear-based control techniques.

What horses teach us

In recent decades, however, the equine assisted learning movement has turned this belief on its head by showing us just how much we can learn from a horse’s innate way of being. In essence, what a horse has to teach us is of far more value than what we have to teach a horse. Think about the many different areas where a horse has absolute mastery….

Non-verbal communication

One of the most obvious is in non-verbal communication and body language. As humans, we tend to rely on speech as our primary method of communication but, as they don’t have this, horses are far more adept at reading body language. If a horse feels threatened, it will move away from the source of the threat. As humans, a large amount of what we communicate with others (and what they communicate with us) is through our body language, so learning to become better at interpreting body language and using non-verbal cues can help us in all areas of our life. We can learn to extract ourselves from potentially difficult situations before tensions accelerate out of control, for example, as well as to spot when a person’s words and body language don’t match. In many different situations, actions really do speak louder than words.

Self-awareness

We spoke in a recent blog about self-awareness and how it is the dominant development area in both business and personal growth. Horses excel in this particular skill because they are prey animals and, by necessity, need to be constantly aware of their surroundings. The lessons they can teach us can help us to become more conscious of what is going on around us, thereby enabling us to make better decisions. A horse can read human facial expressions and provide immediate feedback on what they see, enabling us to see ourselves from a different perspective, that of the horse, putting us in touch with our emotions.

Building trust

Horses have much to teach us about building respect and trust. If you have ever tried to control a horse through force, you probably didn’t get very far. Similarly, if you have encroached on the horse’s personal space, it may have let you know about the importance of setting good boundaries. Getting a horse to trust us teaches us about who we are. A horse won’t judge us or blame us, but if we are fearful, lack confidence or try to dominate, we will not be able to connect with the horse. By learning to master our fears and develop our confidence in the arena, we can take this into our work and personal lives, to great effect.

Leading through partnership

The way horses lead can also be of great benefit for humans. Horses will disengage when faced with an intimidating leader but will respond well to partnership, trust and clear communication. Think about the traditional command and control approach to leadership and how, increasingly, enlightened business leaders are moving away from this and towards the horse’s model of leadership. All of us – even parents – could improve our effectiveness as leaders by leading the way horses do it.

Why Self-Awareness is the Number 1 Skill for Coaches

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 13:46:28 GMT

As coaches and equine-assisted learning (EAL) facilitators we teach our clients the importance of self-awareness. It is a core principle of effective leadership and self-improvement. But do we ever stop to examine our own self-awareness?

We set out to ‘make a difference’ in the world but the onus is on us to ‘be the difference’ by becoming more self-aware ourselves. This blog explores how horses can support us to do that.

What is self-awareness?

The first question we need to ask ourselves is what does it mean to be ‘self-aware’?

Self-awareness means the ability to see yourself more clearly and honestly. According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review1, there are two types of self-awareness. Researchers at The Eurich Group, led by Tasha Eurich, carried out a study into self-awareness, analysing nearly 800 scientific studies.

They identified self-awareness as:

Internal self-awareness – This is about how we see ourselves in relation to our values, reactions, aspirations, impact on others and place in society.

External self-awareness – This relates to our understanding of how other people see us. A greater external self-awareness is associated with increased empathy and the ability to see things from the perspective of others.

The researchers point out that both types are crucial for effective leadership and, as coaches, it’s important that we strive to cultivate both. So, the next question is how can we do that most effectively?

The role of equine-assisted learning

While many of us tend to be pretty adept at internal self-awareness, as coaches and EAL facilitators it can be harder to build a clear picture of our external self-awareness (how we are perceived by others, including our own partners, our horses). This is where horses can be so valuable as they give us unbiased, real-time, objective feedback which may be harder to elicit from the people in our lives. Horses are perceptive. They are clear. They don’t lie. If we want to understand more about our external self-awareness, doing our own work with our horses can be a huge advantage.

Why is self-awareness important for coaches?

Self-awareness is important for everyone not just coaches, but if you are coaching others in leadership roles or personal development, your own self-awareness is crucial. It enables us you to build good relationships with clients and avoid unconscious triggering. Being able to see yourself clearly helps you make better decisions, build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively. It enhances confidence and creativity and supports you to become a better coach and role model.

Discover how to increase your self-awareness with horses

The E3A 2021 conference – The Next Frontier – brings together some of the world’s leading authorities in equine-assisted learning for an inspiring three-day program. It is taking place both face-to-face on our Arizona ranch and online and will consider the topics of Awareness (including self-awareness), Alignment and Action.

Among our keynote speakers are:

A different way of being is emerging

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 22:11:59 GMT

We’re living in a time of unprecedented chaos, disruption, and widely differing opinions on causes and solutions.

A global pandemic, political discord, economic uncertainty, digital transformation and climate concerns.

But amidst all that chaos and disruption, people are seeking sources of self-improvement, at levels never known, to not only survive, but to thrive.

How we work and how businesses manage their workforces are changing exponentially.

Everyone is looking for ways to innovate – how to make better decisions under pressure. As Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends stated, “A fundamental mindset shift: from a focus on surviving to the pursuit of thriving” in times of sustained uncertainty.

And self-awareness is marked as the dominant developmental area, for both People and Businesses. A different way of being is emerging.

Now is a great time to be a coach.

The coaching industry is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in the world – the estimated market size is expected to reach $20bn USD by 2022.

91% of Fortune 1000 companies provided senior leaders with access to coaching and want even more in the future.

Personal development focusing on Self Awareness is on the rise

On a personal level, there is an increasing consciousness about self-recognition and the pursuit of happiness. The desire to improve social skills with a focus on critical areas of self-awareness such as emotions, character traits, habits and individual values, is up. Individuals are analyzing their capabilities for better decision making, both personally and professionally, seeking a different way of being.

Businesses are adjusting to a more Human Way of being

It’s Deloitte’s view that “the shift from Survive to Thrive depends on an organization becoming – and remaining – distinctly human at its core. This is not just a different way of thinking and acting; it’s a different way of being, one that approaches every question, issue and decision from a human angle first.” This is a huge transition from Command and Control to one of Human Connection.

Making a Difference for Individuals and Businesses

The over-riding response to “why do we do what we do” … is to “Make a Difference.” It unites us as our reason to be. And being equipped to make that difference in today’s culture requires us to “Be the Difference” in that moment of transformation. And we are well-positioned, in fact, we couldn’t be better equipped to do that, because our Coaching Partner, the Horse, knows how to live and thrive by “Making a Difference.”

Over the coming weeks, we’re going to share how E3A is evolving to support our Associates, in partnership with their Horses, to “Make a Difference” using innovative and current research, tools, techniques and resources that’s needed today to “Make a Difference” tomorrow.