Equine Assisted Learning W/Students - EAL

Douglas Horton -
When my horse is running good, I don't stop to give him sugar.

Horses + A safe, fun, learning environment + Letting kids think/do on their own = Experiential Learning/EAL


DEFINITION

Equine Assisted Learning w/Students is a program that has been developed to meet the needs of school age children utilizing our miniature horses and donkeys. Lessons are tailored to meet the needs of the students and are experiential in nature allowing the students to learn by exploration, hands on activities, team work, and problem solving all while immersed in a fun activity with the horses.

GOALS

  • Offer learning activities in an experiential setting
  • Tailor lessons to the need and ability level of the group
  • Incorporate focus of IEP, 504 or teacher/parent goals
  • Allow clients time and space to think and problem solve so learning can occur
  • Assist as needed for safety of the horse and client
  • Focus on teaching character traits allowing for the development and personal growth of the client
  • Encourage client discussion before and debriefing after the lesson 
  • Meet the expectations of the parents or organization requesting EAL
  • Establish routine for entering and exiting a session modeling expected social skills





    CONTACT SPRING BROOK FARMS

BENEFITS

  • Identification of personal strengths
  • Opportunity for reframing, metacognition and new paradigms
  • Increased creative thinking and problem solving 
  • Developing and/or enhancing social skills: teamwork, communication, sharing, following, leading 
  • Enhanced sense of self and spatial awareness
  • ​Learning from doing

THE PROGRAM

A single session may be scheduled to address a specific topic such as safety or respect.* Sessions can be 30 minutes to 90 minutes long.

A series of progressive sessions may be scheduled which are tailored to the needs of the clients, experiential in nature, based  on teaching character traits allowing for the development and personal growth of the client * Sessions should be no more than an hour long and can be shortened based on the clients need.

For example lessons may progress from:
  1. Safety and Respect - the clients meet the horses, learn how horses protect themselves and how to be safe around them.
  2. Care and Responsibility - Math game is used to teach the students about grooming tools. Students learn and practice using a couple of tools. Horse care is discussed. Students share about how they care for and are responsible for a pet or someone at home.
  3. Teamwork and Following and Leading - Students play follow the leader and take the horse with them. Each student gets an opportunity to follow and lead.
  4. Problem Solving, Taking Turns, Encouragement - Play a relay game with loose rules allowing clients opportunity to use problem solving to do better each game.
  5. Oral Speaking, Pride, Confidence - Students dress their mini horse for a style show. They then present their horse by introducing them and describing their "look". 

​Small group sessions are held at Spring Brook Farms or offsite at organizations'/clients' location: church, school, center, etc. If offsite only mini horses will be assisting in all sessions.

Cost is determined by the number of clients, number of horses needed, number of facilitators needed, and location of the sessions.
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