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Eponicity

Equine Facilitated Learning ~ Explained

© Eponicity 2019 www.eponicity.com

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What is Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL)?

Interaction between horses and people designed to create

experiential learning and development

No prior horse

experience

necessary!

What is Eponicity’s

Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning (EFL)

• The way horses sense, think and behave can help humans better understand how we sense, think and behave

Equine

• Activities are uniquely designed, facilitated and de-briefed to deliver profound and powerful experiences

Facilitated

• Having an experience is a powerful way to learn and create sustainable change (rather than just books or lectures)

Experiential Learning

“Fast track” personal learning


Horses….

• Magnify and reflect emotions (the science behind this is explained more in the next pages). This ability means they can help us see what we are feeling (which we often suppress).

• Highly sensitive animals, they respond to subtle changes in our body language and energy, providing immediate and objective feedback on our presence in that moment.

• Powerful non-verbal communicators, in their behavior during an exercise they can show us what our body language and “non-verbal” communication is saying to others.

• Interacting with horses and understanding their “language” helps us rediscover our own sensing abilities and how to balance our intuitive knowledge, and what our body is picking up instinctively all the time, with our logical reasoning.

Impact on us….

• Examining our own reactions to equine behavior leads to powerful new insights into our own natural abilities and talents.

• This self-reflection and discovery enhances and promotes our personal and professional growth.

• We can learn a great deal about teams, leadership and setting healthy boundaries from natural survival wisdom and herd dynamics.

• EFL exercises create an opportunity for us to understand our own impact – the horse does not judge us or watch the clock so we can keep on practicing until we figure out what works well for us.

Contact us for more information at: [email protected]

How do Horses Help Humans?


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To really understand

how horses help

humans, we must

first understand things from the horses’ point of

view…


5 Key Concepts about Horses


Horses are prey

60 million years of evolution

Herd Animals

Live in the present

moment –non-

judgmental

Energy based, non-verbal

communication

#1 The Horse is Prey


Prey and predator see the

world very differently

A prey animal must rely on its

senses to survive – one mistake can cost it its life

#2 Designed to Survive over 60 million years


Imagine a time-line

representing 60 million years, as long as a football field

Then imagine putting your

little finger on that time line -that is how long

horses have been

domesticated (10,000 years)

The rest of the time they have

just been hunted and

wild...so that’s how their

senses remain..

Humans

have 6

million years

of evolution!

(10 x less)

Evolved to Understand Intention


Evolution has fine-tuned the horse’s ability to understand and accurately interpret intention, notice how they feel when

sensing the intention and reacting to that emotion, their life depends on their ability to sense, feel, and respond to emotion.

1 liter per beat

4 oz per beat

Comparing Hearts - the Sensing Center

The electrical signal from

the heart is 60 times

stronger than the brain and

5,000 times more powerful

electromagnetically than

the brain.



• A growing body of scientific research suggests that decisions are actually made by the brain and body acting together, and the heart plays a particularly significant role

What is that “gut feeling”?

• Studies show that electrical activity in the heart creates a magnetic field much larger than that of the brain

• Scientists at the HeartMath Institute are discovering that this electromagnetic field contains certain information or coding and that signals generated by the heart have the capacity to affect others around us

Electromagnetic field research

• S.Q.U.I.D. Machines (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) are used in scientific studies to measure electromagnetic energy generated by the heart

Measuring fields

• The horse’s large heart projects a powerful electromagnetic field which may explain their extraordinary sensing capacity

• In EFL activities, we experience these as “energy layers” when interacting with the horse

Horses as sensors

The Heart as a Sensing Center


Body Atlas Reveals Where We Feel Happiness and ShameBy Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, December 30, 2013

Studies by the HeartMath Institute indicate that our electromagnetic field

changes according to our emotional state

Horses have the ability to sense these fields, they pick up these changes - we cannot hide what we are feeling from a

horse

Remember that their life depends upon their ability to read emotional

“state” or intent

When we try to suppress our emotions, the horse sees this

incongruence and gives us feedbackduring EFL exercises

The Eponaquest approach sees emotions as information and looks at

the message behind the emotion

Our Emotions Revealed

Horses sense, magnify and reflect back what is actually going on around them –

transmitting it through the whole herd. For example if a horse sees a lion, his electromagnetic field will change to show Fear and he will magnify it so the other

horses pick it up instantly. These horses then also magnify it through their fields etc. such that it spreads through the

whole herd and – before our human senses notice anything – the whole herd will turn and run away together.

We see examples in nature all the time, herds of animals, birds or fish moving seamlessly together,

seeming to flow as one body with synchronized movements.

They are reading the “invisible” energy – it’s not magic, just science!


How can this help us?

Horses can help us feel

and identify our emotions

Horses magnify emotions so that we become aware of them and can

process or let go of them


A horse you are working with wants you to be a

good partner / an effective herd member

(remember in his mind, his survival is at stake)

so by magnifying your emotion, he can help you

be aware of it so you can process it (and not use

all your energy trying not to feel it or keep it

hidden, like we often do). Then you can be a

good partner or leader for him. To a horse,

hiding his fear would make no sense, he needs to

act on it

Once we become more aware of our emotions

and learn tools for processing them, they

become a great source of information (e.g. I am

scared, what do I need to do to feel safe)

We often look like this sign to a horse!


Practicing Congruency


We have the opportunity to practice our own impact

without fear of judgment

Horses read electromagnetic fields - when we

mean what we say, and say what we mean, we make

sense to the horse


The horse gives immediate

feedback in his reaction, positive or

negative. The horse has no agenda and

does not judge so feedback is truly

objective and we can keep practicing.

Learning through experience is the best

teacher, it sticks


Left Brain vs. Right Brain Explained

Since humans evolved to use language, we have

relied more and more on the so-called ‘left brain’, the side that processes

logic

As a result, many of us find it hard to access our

‘right brain’, the side where our creativity,

instincts, natural sensing wisdom and intuition lie

The price of this over-reliance on the ‘left brain’

is that it becomes dominant, stifling the

‘right brain’ and separating us from our instincts and natural

senses

The horse is powerfully intuitive and instinctual and can help us learn to awaken and access our

‘right brain’

When we connect both sides of our brain and balance

logic with intuition, we can operate at our

full potential


We practice using our senses and

intuitive knowledge, balancing our “right

brain” intuitive wisdom with our

“left brain” logic to find our full

potential

Logic and reason alone will not keep horses alive in the

wild


Interacting with horses in EFL activities

using horse “language” encourages us

to find and access our own senses and

non-logical wisdom. When we are not

connected to our natural sensing

abilities the horse gives us immediate

feedback in his reaction – we start to

notice how much time we spend in our

“left brain” and how much capacity we

are missing out on...


“Beyond the veils of language

and the noise of activity,

the most profound events of our

lives take place

in those fleeting moments

where something else shines

through,

something that can never be

fixed in language,

something given as quietly as

the gift of your next breath.”

-John O’Donahue, Theologist

#3 Communication is Non-Verbal

Like humans, horses have interpersonal dynamics and

are communicating with each other all the time

They interact with each other in powerful, non-verbal ways and are masters at reading and interpreting non-verbal

communication


Horses assess the relationship and intention in that

moment and situation to

determine their reaction

There is no “judgment” of you, just a reaction to whatever is going on in that moment

• It’s not personal, it’s helpful

Discerning the “Relationship”



Horses can (in their reaction to a situation) reveal

things to us immediately

about our beliefs, intentions or fears

Horses are extremely

perceptive of human non-verbal communication


For example, they notice doubts

before we even know they are there. This

unspoken dissonance is also present,

though often unacknowledged,

in human interactions and can lead

to unintended negative impressions or

outcomes. During EFL exercises, horses

help us to notice our unfocused intention

or unresolved emotions so we can

consciously choose what to do with them

Awareness is a powerful tool

#4 Horses are Herd Animals


Herd dynamics require a defined hierarchy and

identified leadership roles

Order in the herd creates structure. Structure creates

safety and protection

Horses move in and out of different roles depending on

what is needed to best support the herd

They constantly re-assess their environment – if they follow a bad leader they will

not survive

Herd DynamicsLinda Kohanov, founder of Eponaquest and author of The Power of the Herd: A Non-predatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership and Innovation, describes the following key roles in her studies of herd dynamics:

Leader: heightened knowledge of terrain, food, predators; calm and focused; sets effective boundaries; motivates through inspiration

Dominant: “drive and protect” orientation; moves the herd from the back; manages disagreements/power plays; protects valuable resources

Nurturer/Companion: holds the herd together; appreciates diversity; increases socialization through affection and connection

Sentinel: heightened awareness of the big picture; scans environment so that others can securely interact, rest or do their job; alerts others to predators/dangers on the horizon

Predator: acts to cull what is no longer needed; sensitive to energy and resource drains -can make tough decisions during lean times; offers additional protection from predators

Each role has its benefits and challenges – the most effective and respected herd member is one who can move fluidly in and out of these roles when appropriate, without avoiding or over-emphasizing any particular one

This powerful yet relatively simple model can help us understand instinctual behaviors that

surface in groups of social animals, including humans


Predatory v. Non-Predatory Power


The most effective leader uses predatory power effectively when necessary (and only when necessary)


We can learn a great deal

about teamwork,

leadership and setting healthy

boundaries

Horses’ survival depends on

following a good leader and on well

functioning, balanced herd

dynamics


A horse is likely to respond well to you

when you have the characteristics of a

good leader (e.g. you know where you are

going, you believe in yourself etc) so you

can practice and refine when you are at

your most effective and what may not be

working for you

#5 Horses Live in the Present Moment


Unlike us, horses don’t judge things (as good/bad) or try to explain things on the

basis of what “should” be done

Instead they sense, magnify and reflect back what is actually going on around them –

transmitting it through the whole herd so the others can react/act on it (like heading for

grass or running from a lion)

They don’t get stuck in the past or worry about the future - they stay present to

stay alive


They show us how to stay present and escape our

mind-chatter

As instinctive prey and herd animals they live

very much in the present (not in the past/future or in their minds, as we

tend to) and in full awareness of what is around them, and will

respond when we do the same


For example, in one of our EFL activities

you may ask your horse to follow you

without any lead rope (free will). You may

notice that when you are present and

paying attention he will follow, and as soon

as you get distracted he will simply not

follow (he will lead himself to stay safe).

So you get to understand how easy/hard it

is for you to stay focused and to practice

what works best...


“Awareness is the

greatest agent for

change.”

Eckhart Tolle

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