Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator Training

Hello, my name is Krista. Those that know me, know that I have had a desire to work with horses for as long as I can remember. As a teen and young adult, I devoted 11 years to volunteering with a therapeutic riding center where I learned about the power of horses as helpers and healers when it comes to at-risk populations. Since that time, I have become a Registered Veterinary Technician mainly working with small animal medicine for the past 10 years. I have also become a student of the horse by pursuing knowledge on hoof care, nutrition, behavior, training methods and bodywork. Just this past spring, I started back up volunteering at Agape East therapeutic riding center that also offers equine assisted learning services to schools, abuse victims and veterans.

So I don't like asking for help with anything. Putting this out there and being this vulnerable is very outside my comfort zone. I have started this GoFundMe to help supply funds for an equine assisted learning facilitation training course and accompanying business sustainability course. Both are being offered through Strides to Success, a company based out of Plainfield, IN that has been on the leading edge of evidence based research and theory application for equine assisted services. The decision to pursue this program came after some time exploring some different options for training to become certified as a facilitator.

For those that are not familiar with equine assisted learning, the following is the definition provided by Strides on their website: "Equine-assisted Learning is an experiential learning approach that promotes the development of life skills. This focus on life skills can be related to academic achievement and classroom behavior, personal growth and exploration or professional pursuits such as leadership development, team building and executive coaching." I wholeheartedly believe in the benefits of this work and how it helps people from all life stages. It has mostly been geared towards at-risk groups, but has so much relevance for people from all walks of life. Research for those within the general population that seek ways to find more presence and mindfulness through horse related activities is ongoing.

The courses that Strides will be offering begin this coming year in April 2024. They cover a wide range of topics including theory application, scope of practice, program customization and session design, discerning client needs and how to ask the right questions, how to choose the horses, and herd dynamics/behavior. The sustainability course also goes through lesson planning, business modeling, contracts, insurance and budgeting. They really make it to where you can hit the ground running when courses are complete!

The coursework involves online assignments with practical application hours at approved sites throughout the program. There is also an onsite immersion half way through where I would work onsite and receive mentoring with current facilitators and real clients. Application hours, skills checklists and video demo sessions have to be documented and submitted at the end of the course for review. After course completion, course graduates are granted the dual accreditation of HorseWorks Facilitator certification and Path International Fundamentals of EAL Certification.

I am really looking forward to the opportunities afforded by these certifications and am ready to get serious with this calling. I do feel called to this; words fall short in expressing the emotion and wholeness that this work encompasses for those involved.

Thank you to anyone who reads all of these words and for any monetary offerings that could be made towards achieving my goals.