Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)

“I was on a favorite horse, Manitou,
a wise fellow, with nerves not to be shaken by anything…in Manitou
I had perfect trust…and he stood steady as a rock.”
President Theodore Roosevelt

Manitou Connections provides a variety of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)and Equine Assisted psychotherapy (EAP) programs and services. All of our EAL/EAP programs follow the EAGALA Model . The EAGALA model (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) has been taught in over 32 countries and has been used with a wide variety of organizations, groups, agencies, management teams, businesses, corporations, teams, agencies and wellness programs. As a national and international professional organization, EAGALA has established high professional and ethical standards that members must follow. The EAGALA Model incorporates horses experientially for personal and professional growth and learning.

Equine Assisted Learning Programs

• Leadership Development Programs
• Organizational Development and Corporate Workshops
• School Programs

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy:

• Individual clients
• Wellness programs

School Program: Our school program incorporate equine assisted learning with experiential education, character skills, developmental assets, and state academic standards. In addition to leadership development for youth their school programs have addressed a number of at-risk youth and childhood disorders concerns. Leadership and Organizational Development Programs: These program are designed to assist a variety of groups, organizations, agencies, and businesses. These programs are specifically designed to meet the needs of our clients have unique benefits over traditional programs.

The EAGALA Model (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist, a horse professional and horses that is used when working with an organizational or individual client and is experiential in nature. Utilizing this experiential learning model, clients learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then processing (or discussing) behaviors, patterns, communication skills and feelings that were exhibited during the activities. This approach has been compared to the ropes courses used by human development courses, experiential learning programs, and therapists around the world. However, EAP/EAL has the added advantage of utilizing horses. Who are dynamic, intuitive, reactive and interactive living beings.

The focus of EAL/EAP is not riding or horsemanship. The focus involves setting up ground activities involving the horses which will require the client or group to apply certain skills. Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, work patterns, taking responsibility, teamwork and relationships, confidence, and attitude are several examples of the tools utilized and developed by this approach. As a therapeutic model, EAP/EAL is a powerful and effective approach that has an incredible impact on individuals, youth, families, and groups. As an experiential approach, what is learned is frequently retained and used longer than information gained in a traditional learning setting. As a therapeutic model, it can address a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral issues, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, self injury, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs.