Equine Assisted Learning

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is our passion. We see regularly the benefits that horses can bring to young people who find it difficult to participate in main stream education.

Through learning how horses behave and why, young people are able to make sense of their own feelings, thoughts and behaviours. For some, this can be life changing. By understanding and caring for horses, young people can learn how to show compassion for both themselves and others.

Our approach is to provide a caring and relaxed environment in which young people can thrive. We tailor the learning to each individual and provide routines to make our young people feel safe and comfortable. We find that by making learning with horses fun, young people choose to engage more in their education than they would otherwise.

On this page, you can learn more about what we offer and how we work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries.

Sessions

We strive to accommodate specific needs but have found over many years that sessions of 1.5 hours are most effective. 90 minutes is long enough for young people to be able to relax into their session and see their accomplishment and is short enough to ensure that focus is maintained.

We recommend splitting a 90 minute session into two;

  • 45 minutes equine education and care

  • 45 minutes riding

All sessions are tailored to the young persons needs. During Education and Care, young people will learn;

  • About horses’ anatomy

  • Horse behaviour

  • How to groom a horse

  • Horses’ diets and feeding routines

  • How to care for a horse

Timetable

We generally offer our services between 0930 and 1500, Monday to Friday as we find that building Equine Assisted Learning into a young person’s weekly timetable is the most effective approach.

  • Session 1 - 0930-1100 (90 minutes)

  • Session 2 - 1100-1230 (90 minutes)

  • Session 3 - 1230-1330 (60 minutes)

  • Session 4 - 1330-1500 (90 minutes)

We tailor sessions to the needs of the young person. Each session can comprise equine education and Horse riding. Or a young person may prefer not to ride in which case, the session would be focused entirely on equine education.

We strive to be flexible and (depending on availability) , young people have the option to attend to be timetabled on a weekly basis for;

  • One session

  • 2 consecutive sessions on a single day

  • Sessions on more than one day

Qualifications

We encourage young people to work towards equine qualifications . Even if they struggle to engage with traditional classroom based education, we find that they are open to a different approach such as the one that we offer.

We have been part of the British Horse Society (BHS) qualifications system for the past 28 years and have a deep understanding of their courses and qualifications. We use this knowledge to ensure that young people work towards qualfications which are most suited to them.

Our main offering is the Changing Lives Through Horses (CLTH) programme which is owned by the BHS and we‘ve been running the programme since its inception in 2016, along with just 12 other providers nationally. We work closely with the BHS and have seen the programme grow and evolve into the success story that it is now. What we love most about this programme is that young people are assessed by instructors. No exams, No stress, No failure.

We also offer BHS Pony Stars Junior Challenge Award which helps children to discover, develop and nurture their love for ponies and the outdoors. With over 100 topics for children to explore, Pony Stars will ignite a passion for ponies, build knowledge and develop friendships.

BHS Horse Explorers Challenge Awards is aimed at teenagers and young adults. These awards help to develop your confidence, skills and knowledge in a fun, supportive environment

Once completing challenge awards, there is an opportunity for young people to progress their professional knowledge by completing BHS Units. These are great gateway to work and jobs in the equine industry.

Venue

We currently work in partnership with Hargate Equestrian Centre in Hilton, Derbyshire. Hargate is a British Horse Society (BHS) approved livery yard, riding school and training centre and we have an excellent relationship with the owners.

The centre has a wide range of facilities and we are confident and comfortable working with their equipment, horses and staff. The centre is conveniently located just off the A50 so is easily accessible from both Staffordshire & Derbyshire.

Clients may wish to carry out a risk assessment of their own. We don’t anticipate any issues at all and are happy to support with this process

Please note that the horses have a rider weight limit of 14 stones / 89 Kg

Policies and procedures

We recognise the importance of good policies and procedures and have a extensive range of these which we work to. We’re happy to make these available to our clients for their own assurance.

All prospective young people / students will need to complete a rider registration form which we can support clients with.