DRAW FROM > Military, Veterans, First Responders & Families

BENEFITS

Practical Tools to Respond vs. React
My counselor kept telling me about meditation, breathing and mindfulness.  It didn’t hit home at all till I came here and saw the impact in real time with the horses. You can do this quickly, standing up and actually see what happens.  I took it home to my family the first day. Now, we talk things through and give each other space.  It’s amazing. 
RB – Afghanistan Veteran

Self Awareness 
I used to think I was always going to be that guy with the cloud over his head. Now, not only do I know what I feel, but I can tell how others are…and I care. TR – Vietnam Veteran

Tools for Transition
This is the transition from war to peace I never got.
RG – Iraq Veteran

I thought I was coming out to learn something about horses.  Now I understand more about how I come across and how to change that for the better in almost any situation.
EH – Fire Fighter

Energy Management
I’m making better decisions at work and I’m not bringing it  home.  I had no idea how much energy I was spending on things that were over and done.
MC – Law Enforcement

My husband and I painted a room together and we didn’t kill each other.  Now, that’s a miracle.
AM – First Responder

GOING BACK TO GRAZING
We believe that if we can learn to use emotions the way horses do – as information to stay alive, set healthy boundaries and respond appropriately in the moment to any situation — THEN — ‘go back to grazing’ as soon as possible,  

Aside from the learning that comes from experience, we don’t need to go over things from the past or worry about the future in ways that are both  non-productive and costly to our nervous systems. We are meaning-making machines who spend too much time judging ourselves or blaming others – all of which keeps us from spending our energy on who and what is in front of us now.

WHY HORSES?
As large non-predatory animals who never forget that if they make a mistake,  they’re dinner…

• Horses are keenly aware of their environments and who is in ‘their field’.
• They respond willingly and positively when they trust that a handler is emotionally honest with them,  ‘has their back’ and appreciates their attunement to potential danger
• When we use minimum essential pressure to both invite engagement AND set healthy boundaries with them, we also cultivate the key elements of healthy, authentic  relationships with people. 

Knowing how horses  operate, learning how to ‘read’  them and developing mutual trust is an extremely powerful tool to accelerate the process of managing one’s emotions AND handling personal and professional situations more effectively.

THE CHALLENGE
As professionals, guardians know how to use lightning-fast reactions to situations when needed, but have trouble settling down when more thoughtful responses are in order in their personal lives.

Clearly, this is easier said than done but we offer a way to accomplish this  more quickly and efficiently than almost any other kind of approach. 

At The Equus Effect, we believe that it’s not ‘’what’s wrong with us, it’s what happened to us.

One of the greatest benefits of this work is to learn exactly how to spend more time and energy right here, right now – while guardians are here – and when they go back to life and home and work.

We all have a lot to learn about reality-based presence from our horses  – especially those who have not taken the time or had the proper tools to unwind and renew their reserves of emotional and mental energy.