Our Program

We are proud Licensee’s of Sue Spence’s Horses Helping Humans ™

Equine Inspired delivers an innovative equine-assisted life coaching and mental health program that integrates extensive knowledge-bases in interpersonal communication skills, body language, emotional intelligence and personality types.

The Program Aims to:

  • Build Confidence & Self esteem
  • Develop Emotional Awareness, Control & Self Discipline
  • Apply Anger Management & Impulse Control
  • Develop Healthy Relationship Skills and Respect for Others and Self.

We teach participants about the 4 different temperaments ( Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic, Melancholic) and the default body language that each displays when under stress. We explore what happens in our brain as we move through different emotional states and how this impacts our decision making, behaviour and outcomes. Specific ground based exercises with the horses (no riding involved) are used to teach how participants can adjust breathing and body language to keep themselves calm, improving assertive communication skills and enabling good decision making when under pressure.

We work with people challenged by

  • PTSD,
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  •  Autism
  •  ADHD
  •  ADD
  • Domestic Violence
  • Trauma
  • Anger issues
  • Shyness / lack of confidence, fears/phobias and more.

And have proven results in:

  • Improved confidence and self esteem
  • Improved emotional regulation
  • Improved assertive communication skills
  • Improved self awareness
  • Improved awareness of others
  • Improved mental well being

As a result of the program, many of the participants are then empowered to re-engage back into family, education, workforce, society or their community. These life changing skills also impact the lives of others in their direct environment.

The Horses Helping Humans ™ Program is so successful in creating such drastic changes due to the psychological base which underpin each natural horsemanship exercise. These introduce students to techniques on how to focus, turn anger or anxiety into calm assertiveness and offer practical ways to apply effective communication which is easily transferable to interpersonal (human to human) communication. Each session gives valuable take home skills to use in everyday communication.

Horses Helping Humans ™ Program typically runs once per week for 3 consecutive weeks of 1.5-2 hour duration per session. However if time is limited we can run 2 x 3 hour sessions or even a day course. Each participant needs to come along to each session with their case worker / support worker/ parent, who is required to be in attendance for the entirety of each session. This is one of many reasons why the program is so successful, because there is a mentor in the ‘background’ encouraging the participants transfer of learning as they apply the skills learnt in the HHH program to their everyday situations.

Week 1: Awareness, Respect and Trust. Students gain an understanding of their own personality and conditioned response when under pressure. They learn how to make simple body language alterations to be able to regulate their emotions and create safe boundaries of personal space. Our students learn how to create a calm partnership with their horse by using breathing techniques to lower their own adrenalin which in turn allows the horse to feel safe. This technique is applied through various natural horsemanship ground work exercises and creates an awareness of how their own energy effects communication.

Week 2: Patience, Partnership and Effective Communication. During this session we refine the skills learnt in session 1 and apply these in more challenging tasks. Students learn how to focus on and listen to what their horse is communicating. Learning when not to rush or apply unnecessary pressure in order for the horse to calmly navigate the natural horsemanship tasks is an important and transferable communication skill.

Week 3: Focus, Confidence and Sense of Achievement/ Celebration. During this session we apply all skills learnt through a presentation agility show. Students link the natural horsemanship ground work tasks together to demonstrate an understanding and application of all the commination techniques including use of breathing and adjusting energy levels. This is an ultimate demonstration of the partnership clients have developed with their horse and a celebration of their incredible learning over the course. Each participant is presented with a trophy in recognition of their achievements.

” Jed (horse) has shown me that even a simple breath out doesn’t go un noticed. I no longer feel invisible and know how to stand to look and feel confident”

A young women who completed the program