Step into your power as an exceptional EAL facilitator

Two Brown Horses Behind the Fence — Reno, NV — E3A Equine Experiential

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.

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
MORE POSTS