Equine-Assisted Personal Growth for Individuals and Groups
We provide opportunities for individuals and groups to experience transformative personal growth through guided interaction and activity with docile, gentle horses. Horses make ideal partners for people seeking greater self-awareness or improvement in critical life skills such as:
interpersonal communication,
navigating power dynamics,
establishing healthy relationships,
reducing anxieties,
building confidence, and
many others.
How Horses Help People: Natural Biofeedback
Therapists and physicians have long used biofeedback techniques to help people reduce stress and focus their energy productively, and in recent years they have learned that horses can be excellent companions in achieving the same results. Biofeedback involves becoming aware of your body's involuntary, unconscious physical reactions—knowing your body's patterns enables you to take control of your thinking. Because they are such social, intuitive animals, horses make wonderful natural biofeedback tools!
Horses have a deep, instinctive understanding of human moods, responding to each person differently depending on his or her current mental state. In equine-assisted personal development, we help our clients become attuned to the subtle changes within their own bodies and minds while paying careful attention to the horse's reactions to them—horses are excellent non-verbal communicators. Their natural sensitivity, intelligence, and sociability allow them to serve as "mirrors" of our human emotions, helping our clients recognize and control their focus and attention to reduce anxieties and build personal skills.
Anyone Can Benefit from Time Spent with Horses
Our clients range from professional dressage athletes seeking to enhance their competitiveness to corporate teams looking for ways to improve group dynamics in the office. If any of the following resonate with you, you'll get a lot out of guided interaction and activity with our horses:
Need a retreat but don't have time for a getaway
Want to explore awareness
Hope to learn how to stop making permanent habits out of temporary negative emotions
Want to build a mindful approach to your daily life
Seek growth in your athletic or professional endeavors
Wish to expand and/or deepen your connections with others
Equestrians and Other Athletes Improve Performance
All sports require as much mental control and stamina as physical—and these traits become particularly valuable when an athlete is sidelined by injury or retires from professional sports. While equine-assisted personal development programs seem to be a natural "fit" for equestrians, athletes of all kinds experience clarity of purpose, performance gains, and psychological advantages from working closely with horses.
Businesses Benefit from Personnel Development
Executive teams and other groups that need to work closely in sync discover practical, immediately applicable skills in hiring, leadership, and team building. Working with horses enables participants to develop their emotional intelligence, allowing them to make powerful adjustments in how they manage workplace relationships, ultimately becoming more effective individual performers and more successful collaborators.
No Riding Experience Necessary
Most equine-assisted personal growth occurs on the ground—no riding required—so even if you are afraid of horses, you can still derive benefit from our equine-assisted development experiences. In fact, you may just change your perspective and find a deep, peaceful understanding of horses…while gaining greater power to focus your own thoughts and guide yourself and others to success.
For more information about upcoming personal development sessions, or to schedule a customized program for yourself or your organization, please call Trudi Howley M.S. at 561-212-6276 or email maverickquest@gmail.com.
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