Mission Statement: To provide equine assisted learning by connecting people with horses to create an experience that enriches an individual’s mind, body, and spirit.
What is Equine Assisted Pyschotherapy and Learning?
Wyo Hoofbeats, EAL offers a unique therapeutic modality called Equine Assisted Psychotherapy which is an experiential form of learning where horses are involved in the sessions. “Experiential” means that the client will be involved in hands-on experiences with the horses designed to reflect things going on in their life. This process is about providing them the opportunity to experience, explore, problem-solve, discover, be creative, gain insight and experience practical applications of what they are learning in the moment. The process is about “doing” along with the “talking.”
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Why horses? Horses have an extraordinary ability to read our nonverbal communication – picking up on messages we are sending which we are not always conscious we are doing. They respond to us in familiar ways that can remind our clients of other people and things in their life. It is through this they become metaphors (symbols) providing us the opportunity to work on ourselves in relation to those aspects of our lives.
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Horses do not know our past, education, gender, race or other labels we may apply to ourselves and each other. They are in the moment and can be a part of this relationship without the biases, we humans, put on each other. This provides even more value in the insight they can provide our clients about themselves.
