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Equine Assisted Sensory and Relaxation Exercises

Lindsey crosbie

4.5

Based on 40 ratings

Lindsey crosbie

Horses are the best purpose-made sensory apparatus in the world. They provide stimulation for all the senses. Their bodies have so many variations of temperature and texture that we cannot help but touch them. Their coat colour, physical form and movement draws the eye effortlessly. They even come with their own in-built olfactory stimulation. No one spends time around horses without noticing a few unique smells. Being on a moving horse or learning to move a horse from the ground provides some heavy-duty proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input too.

We think of sensory input as something that people with learning or processing difficulties need but actually all people need and can benefit from sensory input. Sensory processing helps with new learning. If there is a breakdown in this process, people may not respond appropriately to the information they are receiving. Many ‘behavioural problems’ actually come from a craving for sensory input. Equine assisted practitioners and horse owners can make use of these simple sensory integration activities and exercises.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

Learn breathing, grounding and sensory exercises with horses.
Enhance relaxation

Promote connection
Practical exercises for yourself to try with your own horse at home or for equine assisted professionals to use with their clients.

Learn breathing, grounding and sensory exercises with horses.
Enhance relaxation
Promote connection
Practical exercises for yourself to try with your own horse at home or for equine assisted professionals to use with their clients.

Syllabus

Introduction

The Nervous System

Stress Responses

Co Regulation

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Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for Equine Assisted Sensory and Relaxation Exercises. These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete Equine Assisted Sensory and Relaxation Exercises will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Equine Assisted Coach

The role of an Equine Assisted Coach involves guiding individuals to achieve personal development and therapeutic goals using interactions with horses. This course is specifically designed for professionals like you who work with horses and people, offering a comprehensive toolkit of sensory integration and relaxation activities. It directly equips you with practical exercises to enhance client sessions, focusing on promoting connection and reducing stress responses in a unique equine environment. By delving into the nervous system, stress responses, co-regulation, and the profound connection between horses and humans, this program provides detailed methods for delivering effective equine assisted exercises with clients. It supports the development of skills in holding space while facilitating sensory input exercises, relaxation techniques, and various breathing, grounding, and movement activities, making you a highly capable professional in this specialized field.

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Therapeutic Riding Instructor

A Therapeutic Riding Instructor teaches horsemanship and riding skills to individuals with diverse needs, leveraging the horse for physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits. This course provides an exceptional toolkit of equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that directly enhance the therapeutic impact of your sessions, whether mounted or on the ground. It offers specific activities to stimulate all senses, focusing on promoting connection and enhancing relaxation. The program delves into the nervous system, stress responses, and co-regulation, giving you a deeper understanding of how to support clients effectively. For a Therapeutic Riding Instructor, the practical breathing, grounding, body scan, and movement exercises learned here can be seamlessly integrated to address sensory processing, improve emotional regulation, and deepen the therapeutic bond between rider and horse.

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Occupational Therapist

As an Occupational Therapist, you empower individuals to overcome barriers and participate in activities meaningful to them, often addressing sensory processing challenges. This course offers invaluable insights into sensory integration and relaxation techniques, leveraging horses as unique sensory apparatus. It provides specific exercises to stimulate all senses, which is crucial for clients with learning or processing difficulties. An advanced degree is typically required to practice as an Occupational Therapist. Delving into the nervous system and stress responses, the course equips you with strategies for co-regulation and enhancing relaxation. The practical breathing, grounding, and movement exercises, delivered in an equine context, can be adapted and integrated into your therapeutic toolkit to support clients in improving their sensory processing and overall functional engagement.

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Animal Assisted Interventions Facilitator

An Animal Assisted Interventions Facilitator designs and leads structured sessions using animals to achieve specific therapeutic or educational goals. This course provides an exceptional, specialized toolkit focused on equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises, directly enhancing your capacity as an Animal Assisted Interventions Facilitator. It explicitly covers how horses serve as powerful sensory apparatus, offering diverse stimulation vital for relaxation and connection. The program delves into the nervous system, stress responses, co-regulation, and the unique bond between horses and humans. You will acquire practical skills in holding space and facilitating various sensory input, breathing, grounding, and movement exercises within an equine environment, making you highly proficient in leveraging these interactions for client well-being and development.

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Mental Health Counselor

A Mental Health Counselor guides individuals through emotional and psychological challenges, fostering well-being and resilience. This course is directly relevant for enhancing your therapeutic approach, especially by incorporating equine assisted methods for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and connection. An advanced degree is typically required to practice as a Mental Health Counselor. It provides a profound understanding of stress responses, co-regulation, and the deep bond between horses and humans. The syllabus outlines practical exercises for relaxation, including body scans, progressive muscle relaxation, and a variety of breathing and grounding techniques using horses. By learning to hold space and facilitate sensory input exercises within an equine environment, you can offer clients a unique and powerful pathway to process emotions, enhance self-awareness, and achieve greater mental and emotional balance.

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Trauma Specialist

A Trauma Specialist supports individuals in healing from traumatic experiences, focusing on nervous system regulation and building resilience. This course offers highly relevant equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can profoundly aid in trauma recovery. An advanced degree is often required for this specialized role. It delves into the nervous system, stress responses, co-regulation, and the concept of "holding space," all crucial elements in trauma-informed care. By learning practical breathing, grounding, body scan, and movement exercises facilitated by horses, a Trauma Specialist can provide clients with unique somatic and relational tools to process difficult emotions, enhance self-regulation, and rebuild a sense of safety and connection. The course's emphasis on horses as natural co-regulators offers a powerful complementary modality in trauma work.

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Recreational Therapist

A Recreational Therapist designs and facilitates activity-based interventions to improve a client's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive well-being. This course delivers a rich toolkit of equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises perfectly suited for enhancing your practice. It highlights how horses provide diverse sensory input and how integrating these experiences can significantly benefit clients, promoting relaxation and connection. The program explores nervous system responses and stress management, offering practical strategies like breathing, grounding, body scan, and movement exercises within an equine setting. For a Recreational Therapist, these structured activities offer innovative ways to address clients' sensory needs, reduce stress, and foster a deeper connection with themselves and their environment, ultimately supporting their overall therapeutic goals and quality of life.

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Psychomotor Therapist

A Psychomotor Therapist utilizes movement and bodily experience to address psychological and emotional challenges, focusing on the mind-body connection. This course provides highly relevant equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can significantly complement a psychomotor approach. An advanced degree is typically required for similar roles in expressive therapies. It deeply explores the nervous system, stress responses, co-regulation, and the importance of sensory input for well-being. The practical body scan, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing, grounding, and movement exercises, specifically designed with horses, offer unique opportunities for clients to become more aware of their physical sensations and emotional states. For a Psychomotor Therapist, these tools provide an innovative, non-verbal pathway to facilitate emotional expression, regulate the nervous system, and foster integrated self-awareness.

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Rehabilitation Counselor

A Rehabilitation Counselor supports individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions in achieving their personal, social, and vocational goals. This course provides invaluable equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can be powerfully integrated into rehabilitation plans. An advanced degree is typically required to practice as a Rehabilitation Counselor. It offers a deep understanding of the nervous system, stress responses, and co-regulation, which are critical in supporting clients through recovery and adaptation. The practical breathing, grounding, and movement exercises, facilitated by horses, can help improve sensory processing, enhance physical awareness, reduce anxiety, and promote connection. For a Rehabilitation Counselor, these specialized tools offer an innovative, experiential approach to foster resilience, well-being, and functional improvement for diverse client populations.

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Experiential Learning Facilitator

An Experiential Learning Facilitator designs and leads activities that enable participants to learn and grow through direct, hands-on experiences. This course is highly relevant, providing a rich array of equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that perfectly align with experiential learning principles. It underscores how horses offer diverse sensory input, promoting connection and allowing participants to explore stress responses and co-regulation in a dynamic, engaging environment. The program equips an Experiential Learning Facilitator with practical tools, including breathing exercises, grounding techniques, body scans, and movement activities, all within a unique equine setting. These exercises encourage self-discovery, emotional regulation, and skill development, offering profound opportunities for personal growth and deeper understanding through interaction with horses.

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Special Education Teacher

A Special Education Teacher works with students who have diverse learning and processing needs, creating tailored educational experiences. This course, while external to the classroom, provides valuable insights and practical equine assisted sensory integration activities that may be helpful for students struggling with sensory processing difficulties or behavioral challenges. It emphasizes that sensory processing aids new learning and addresses how a craving for sensory input can manifest as behavioral problems. By understanding the nervous system and stress responses, a Special Education Teacher can better appreciate how unique sensory input, facilitated by horses, can enhance relaxation and promote connection. The course offers exercises in breathing, grounding, and movement that could inspire complementary outside-of-school interventions to support students' overall learning and emotional regulation.

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Youth Development Coach

A Youth Development Coach mentors young people, fostering their personal growth, resilience, and life skills. This course provides a unique set of equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can be very helpful in engaging youth, particularly those who may struggle with emotional regulation or behavioral challenges. It highlights how sensory input is vital for learning and can address underlying needs that manifest as "behavioral problems." The program enhances understanding of the nervous system, stress responses, and the power of co-regulation. By learning practical breathing, grounding, and movement exercises within an equine context, a Youth Development Coach can facilitate experiences that build connection, enhance relaxation, and equip young individuals with effective self-regulation strategies, promoting their overall well-being and positive development.

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Wellness Program Coordinator

A Wellness Program Coordinator develops and implements initiatives to promote holistic health and well-being within organizations or communities. This course offers a distinctive set of equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can be highly beneficial for enriching wellness programs. It emphasizes enhancing relaxation, promoting connection, and managing stress responses through engaging activities with horses. The program provides practical tools such as breathing exercises, grounding techniques, and body scans, all within a unique equine context. For a Wellness Program Coordinator, integrating these experiences can offer participants an innovative pathway to improve mental clarity, reduce stress, and foster a deeper mind-body connection. These exercises provide a unique and impactful approach to supporting overall health and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices for diverse populations.

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Equine Behavior Consultant

As an Equine Behavior Consultant, you analyze and modify horse behavior, often addressing communication and relationship dynamics between horses and humans. This course may be useful by offering a deeper understanding of how sensory input, relaxation, and co-regulation impact both humans and horses. It highlights the profound connection possible between horses and humans and how understanding stress responses in both can improve interactions. While primarily focused on human clients, the emphasis on nervous system function and practical grounding and breathing exercises can inform your approach to creating calmer, more connected environments for horses and their handlers. For an Equine Behavior Consultant, this perspective could enhance your ability to advise horse owners on fostering relaxation and connection, which are vital components of positive equine welfare and training.

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Community Health Educator

A Community Health Educator designs and implements programs to promote public health and well-being. This course may be useful by introducing innovative equine assisted sensory and relaxation exercises that can be integrated into community-based health initiatives. It emphasizes that all people benefit from sensory input, which aids new learning and can address various "behavioral problems." Understanding the nervous system and stress responses, alongside practical breathing, grounding, and movement exercises, equips a Community Health Educator with unique tools. These can be leveraged to create engaging programs focused on stress reduction, mental wellness, and fostering connection within diverse community groups, offering accessible and impactful ways for individuals to enhance their overall health and improve their quality of life.

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