Equine Assisted Learning: Changing Lives Through Horses

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Updated:

December 22, 2024

By Jacqueline Louie

From tragedy, trauma, repeating nightmares, and substance abuse, to healing, wholeness, and helping others. Ross MacInnes, co-founder of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Canada, is living a life of purpose. Horses have helped him get there.

For more than 20 years, EAL Canada — an organization that provides instruction to those working in the EAL field — has been changing lives through horses. EAL Canada-certified coaches help people whose goal is personal development and growth through hands-on work with horses.

“The horse is a partner in this endeavour,” says EAL Canada national training director Ross MacInnes, who co-founded the organization with his wife, Dee. “A horse is really good at picking up the subtleness in a person’s answers. It opens the door for more introspection.”

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Photo: Shutterstock/Irina Inshyna

The ancient Greeks knew about the therapeutic benefits of horses, as did the Bedouins. In contemporary times, research has confirmed the efficacy of equine assisted learning in improving mental wellness and assisting in skills development in people of all ages and abilities.

Here is how EAL Canada-certified coaches across the country describe how EAL Canada has impacted them and the people they work with:

Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities

“EAL Canada can help us introduce people to horses for the first time and [learn] how to be safe around horses,” says Michelle Ingall, executive director of Langley, BC-based Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities, which uses equestrian therapy and activities to enhance quality of life and life skills for individuals of all ages.

Photo: Dreamstime/Katarzyna Mazurowska

“We use those skills all the time because they are useful and you can apply them in many different situations, including how to participate if someone doesn’t want to touch a horse,” explains Ingall. “Simple exercises can bring people to tears. Because horses are prey animals and vulnerable, they can tap into our own vulnerability. An animal like that, that allows us to be in their presence, is a gift. That’s something that makes people feel good about themselves. The connection that people find with horses is real and valuable.”

Lasting Strides Equine

“There’s a sense of calming. EAL Canada helps coaches harness that peace through exercises guiding them in that journey,” says Jade Dykstra, owner and lead facilitator at Lasting Strides Equine, located in the Delacour area northeast of Calgary, Alberta (AB).

“Horses instill a sense of confidence and self-esteem, as well as help people hone their communication skills and teamwork abilities,” she says. “Horses are going to respond honestly, so when someone is able to see that change in themselves and react differently, that’s a powerful moment for that person.”

An EAL-certified coach since 2014, Dykstra primarily works with women, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and people facing mental health issues, grief, and trauma.

As one of the founding coaches of EAL Canada, Dykstra welcomes the opportunity to mentor new coaches.

“The community is incredible,” she says. “It’s a very collaborative group.”

Reflections Equine Wellness

Reflections Equine Wellness in Beechy, southern Saskatchewan, offers EAL and retreats for women and youth.

“I feel the horses bring out more in clients than I could sitting in an office,” says Reflections Equine Wellness facilitator and co-owner, Janelle Kapeller, a former child and youth counsellor who started her EAL business in 2020.

What clients learn through EAL, they can relate back to their daily lives. It impacts how they deal with adversity and uncertainty, showing they can overcome challenges.

Related: The Magic of Horses - CanTRA

“It helps them believe in themselves. It gives them a different way to think.”

Often, she’s seen people go from feeling scared of being around a horse, to saying things like, “Give me more of this horse! I faced my fear, I’m able to go up to that horse, I feel bonded with that horse, and I can see myself in that horse. They’re very noticeable wins,” explains Kapeller, who grew up on a ranch and always knew that horses were special.

When she went through her training with EAL Canada, Kapeller wanted to learn more. “There was a transformation that happened within myself. It’s the biggest gift I’ve ever received in my working career to collide my two biggest passions, people and horses,” she says. “The people at EAL Canada are amazing.”

Fern Valley Appaloosas

“It changes lives. When young people who don’t understand their own emotions or how to regulate their emotions allow horses to help educate them in what they’re feeling and how to better manage their feelings, it’s magical to watch,” says Sherry Sikstrom, owner of Fern Valley Appaloosas, a cattle ranch and horse breeding facility in the County of Lac Ste. Anne, an hour northwest of Edmonton, AB. An EAL Canada-certified coach since 2013, Sikstrom works with at-risk youth 18 to 20 years old, providing skills to manage emotional regulation and build capacity and coping strategies. In addition to her work in EAL, Sikstrom is an Assertive Outreach worker providing support for adults living with addiction or chronic mental illness. She also offers mental health first aid training, teaching individuals how to support people experiencing a mental health crisis.

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Sherry Sikstrom of Fern Valley Appaloosas works with at-risk youth, providing skills to help them manage their emotions and build coping strategies. Photo courtesy of Sherry Sikstrom, Fern Valley Appaloosas

Sikstrom recounts an EAL session when she was working with a 16-year-old boy with extremely dysregulated emotions and behaviour, and an Appaloosa mare, Cat (Catch a Dream), at liberty. “He was not paying attention; eventually, the horse removed herself from the situation and was standing at the far end of the arena with her nose in the corner,” Sikstrom recalls. She asked the young man, “What do you think would need to change for her to listen to you?” His thoughtful response was, “Maybe if I stopped blaming the horse.” The horse was looking back at him. The young man continued, “Maybe if I paid more attention, stopped worrying about everything else, and focused on the horse.” He went back to taking personal accountability and focusing his attention, and the next thing he knew, the horse was standing beside him, she says. “He became quite emotional, and wanted to figure out what he did right.” They worked on what went right and how to carry that forward.

The next time they worked together, he was a little bit moody. “As soon as (Cat) started to leave, he realized he needed to take control of his emotions for her to stay.”

Now in his early 20s, the young man has “done very well,” Sikstrom says. “I think it helped him focus his energy and recognize what he was capable of.”

Lily Ridge Ranch

When Chelsey Westerbeek started Lily Ridge Ranch in southeastern Manitoba (MB), her goal was the betterment of both people and horses.

“I wanted to offer a space where kids could feel empowered,” says Westerbeek, who was certified by EAL Canada several years ago.

EAL Canada coaching is “horse-led,” she says. “They go with what the person is feeling, and the coach follows. The philosophy at EAL Canada is that you have to listen to the horse. The horses are leading the session and the human (the EAL coach) is there translating.”

EAL Canada offers great insights to anyone who wants to become a certified coach, according to Westerbeek. “It offers a different perspective,” she says. “You cannot manipulate a horse’s response. And because EAL Canada has that in-the-moment platform in their training and you’re going through a session in real time, you get to experience what your clients are going to experience.”

At one EAL Canada demonstration led by Ross and Dee MacInnes, Westerbeek had volunteered to be the client. In this particular exercise, the horse kept blocking Westerbeek from the rest of the group. “She was protecting me from the people around me,” Westerbeek recalls. “Horses in these sessions will mirror what you’re feeling, whether you realize you’re feeling it or not.”

For Westerbeek, that one session was the start of her ultimate healing journey. “It allowed me to find my voice.”

While Lily Ridge Ranch is not currently offering EAL, Westerbeek plans to relaunch after she narrows the scope of her program.

Classical Equitation

Beatrix (Trix) Strebel is owner and operator of the EAL facility and riding school, Classical Equitation, in Fraserwood, MB, an hour’s drive north of Winnipeg. Classical Equitation works with people ages four to 70, with a focus on elementary school-aged children, youth, and women.

Strebel, who was a professional horse trainer and riding instructor in Switzerland before immigrating to Canada in 2008, received her EAL Canada certification in 2018.

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“It’s almost like you’re looking in a mirror and the horses are showing you things you can work on,” says Beatrix Strebel of Classical Equitation. Photo courtesy of Beatrix Strebel, Classical Equitation

“EAL Canada was the missing piece. It’s a combination of living my passion to work with horses and helping people. I was looking to help people through hands-on work with horses,” she explains.

“Horses respond to our body language and emotions through non-verbal communication. They really tune in to our energy and reflect that back, with no ego or judgment. It’s almost like you’re looking in a mirror and the horses are showing you things you can work on. Horses put us into the present moment. It’s something humanity has lost a little — always crying about yesterday or planning for the future.

“Horses are bringing up things in the human which open up a conversation. It’s about discovering yourself. For example, what is holding you back? This can be someone caught in grief who cannot let go of the past. What can that person do to start moving forward with life again?”

In another example, she says that “watching how children who might be timid grow with the horses, become more confident, learn to trust themselves and become leaders, is amazing. You start to peel off layers from people who are suffering from something, so they can work through things, let go, and then move on from there.”

EAL Canada “is a great program,” Strebel says. “It was exactly what I was looking for when I was already working in the field. It has great people behind it. It really gives you the tools you need to start.”

She also appreciates the fact that EAL Canada graduates “can always go back to EAL Canada as alumni. They are always there for you if you need help. It’s like a big family.”

Epona Glen Equine Assisted Learning

It was more than a decade ago that Ross MacInnes introduced Sue McGoldrick, co-owner and founder of Epona Glen Equine Assisted Learning in Arnprior, Ontario, to EAL. McGoldrick vividly remembers the horse involved in a demonstration exercise stopping to sniff one person and giving them a hug — and the person broke down crying.

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Epona Glen Equine Assisted Learning gives people the tools to deal with day-to-day issues and helps learners meet their own objectives. Photo courtesy of Epona Glen Equine Assisted Learning

Horses, with their larger hearts, can influence and help a person regulate their biorhythms, which is calming explains McGoldrick. She draws on her EAL Canada training to help people with a broad range of skills development, including communication, leadership, and confidence. She works with veterans, first responders, trauma survivors, and women’s groups, supporting people in setting goals and realizing their full potential.

“EAL Canada is very much a wellness-based program that helps learners meet their own objectives,” she says.

In addition to her work as an EAL Canada-certified coach, McGoldrick is an equine first aid instructor trainer; an instructor with Equi-Health Canada, which provides equine first aid and emergency care training courses for horse owners and professionals; and a longtime serving member of the Canadian military. McGoldrick is also certified with Cartier Farms in EAL.

Some EAL Canada coaches are also mental health professionals or have a mental health professional working with their program. EAL is not meant to replace therapy, McGoldrick notes.

“We help give people tools to deal with day-to-day issues. If a client comes in who needs a bit more support than we can provide, we refer them to the appropriate mental health professional.”

FLAR Equine Experience

For Rachael Dent-Flynn, owner and lead facilitator of FLAR (Facilitating Lifeskills and Relationships) Equine Experience in Halifax, Nova Scotia, “the truly magnificent piece [about EAL] is that it’s very honest and instant.”

Dent-Flynn, an EAL Canada-certified coach since 2016, primarily works with frontline first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health issues. She has been a volunteer firefighter since 2010 and served on the front lines of the 2023 Nova Scotia wildfires.

FLAR Equine Experience also helps neurodivergent people, those with mental health issues and addictions, people involved in domestic violence, and children (no younger than about eight).

If someone is intimidated by horses, Dent-Flynn notes that it’s important “not to get stuck on the horse piece. It’s really much more about finding that safe environment to become empowered to make change,” she explains. “Horses have a natural ability to help with that.”

All of the horses at FLAR Equine Experience are rescues — a bonus, according to Dent-Flynn, as they are very relatable for the people who are coming through the door for help.

“People realize these horses had a previous life and they can see them thriving now. If they can do it, then we as humans can do it too,” Dent-Flynn says.

EAL Canada

A 30-year policing veteran with the RCMP and Calgary Police Service, Ross MacInnes is a lifelong rider who completed equitation training under the protocols of the RCMP Musical Ride.

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EAL Canada offers programs to help people of all ages and backgrounds learn to understand how the power of the horse-human bond can lead to meaningful, lasting change. Photo courtesy of EAL Canada

In 2002, Ross and Dee founded Higher Trails, an equine centre in southern Alberta, dedicated to the healing of trauma survivors, with a focus on teens experiencing drug addiction. They named their company based on their philosophy of taking a higher trail in life and the development of positive character traits using horses as a mechanism. When he was a commander in the organized crime division of a major urban police force, MacInnes saw the terrible things that young people addicted to drugs face in addition to the addiction itself. After he retired in 2004, he and his family decided to put their efforts toward working with this population with the goal of making a difference. He began working in EAL on a full-time basis.

“The earlier you can work with somebody caught up in that world, not waiting until they’re 25 or 30 or coming out of prison — if you can work with them when they’re 13, 14, or 15 — that’s where you’re going to have the best opportunities for success. We work with the entire family, not just with kids — we work with the parents and siblings as well,” he explains.

Three key things that teenagers need, says MacInnes, are: one, sleep; two, authority as they mature; and three, risk as they try their strength in the world and test their limits. Horses can meet all three of these needs, he explains. Being around horses is a physical activity; there’s no social media, it’s out in the fresh air, and there’s a positive impact on melatonin and the sleep-wake cycle. Horses also provide an opportunity to experience adrenaline. And, “you can’t exercise defiance against a 1,200-pound horse,” he notes. “If there’s defiance or anger, the horse walks away. It’s very illustrative of how their behaviour impacts others.”

The MacInneses established EAL Canada in 2014 as a separate organization from Higher Trails.

EAL Canada coaches, who do both mounted and groundwork, help children and youth, couples, families, seniors, organizations, and companies with ongoing programs to address specific issues and build resiliency, confidence, and skills. EAL Canada programs are not a therapy session, MacInnes explains.

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Ross MacInnes of EAL Canada, with friends Legend and Max. Photo courtesy of Ross MacInnes

There are approximately 200 EAL Canada-certified coaches across Canada, in Ontario, Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. EAL Canada offers a general coaching certification encompassing equine assisted personal development; EAL Canada coaches will often go on to develop their own specialties. For example, Ross and Dee help people with PTSD, mainly first responders and military personnel; First Nations communities; teens with high anxiety; and people with early onset dementia.

EAL Canada coaches help people with special needs, learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism; those suffering from PTSD or occupational stress; people with eating disorders or other addictions; victims of violence; and those who are grieving. EAL Canada coaches work with corporate teams, members of the military, first responders, and Indigenous Peoples. There is also an EAL Canada coach who provides a reading program for children. “The horse is very attentive, and the child learns to read to the horse because the horse accepts it without judgement and without corrections,” MacInnes explains.

Those who enroll in the EAL Canada coaching certification program receive the precourse reading one month in advance of the course and write an exam on the first day. The course itself involves 40 hours of hands-on work with horses, with students revolving through different roles — client, coach and wrangler — as they learn. After course completion and certification, graduates leave with a variety of resources and programs to take with them and apply in their own businesses and practices.

Programs take place across Canada, with anywhere from two to four instructors. These include Ross and Dee, and Lee and Bobby Brochu, who have come on board as EAL Canada co-owners alongside the MacInneses.

Owners of Paradise Acres Ranch near St. Albert, Alberta, the Brochus are certified Equine Assisted Personal Development coaches and Equine Assisted Organizational Development Professionals with EAL Canada, working with individuals, families, and organizations. The Brochus will eventually take over the reins of EAL Canada from Ross and Dee.

“We are there to create and produce the best coaches that we can all across Canada, to serve people with equine assisted learning,” Bobby says. “This is their legacy. We’re going to build the next generation and keep it going forward.”

For anyone who is interested in learning more about EAL Canada, look for a coach in your area to obtain more information. You can ask to do a short Walk and Talk, for example, to help you decide whether it is something you’d like to pursue.

Resources:

EAL Canada encourages certified coaches to further their education with other organizations as well.

Similar organizations include: