Welcome to SEDA Equine

Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) and Equine Facilitated Therapy (EFT) (also called Equine-Assisted Learning or Therapy) are approaches that involve interactions with horses to promote emotional growth, learning, and healing. While they sound similar, they serve different purposes.

SEDA Equine offers an intervention which blends equine facilitated learning (EFL), equine facilitated therapy (EFT), with equine interaction based groundwork skills; this approach offers  increased self-awareness, personal and emotional development, increased levels of self-esteem and confidence for the participants.

The work often includes goal-oriented coaching and will most certainly develop a basic understanding of some horsemanship skills; the work we do will develop participant's abilities to self-regulate emotions, and develop a communication, and compassionate leadership style which will produce many skills which are transferable into everyday living.

Blending EFL/EFT with Natural Horsemanship

When EFL/EFT is combined with natural horsemanship, the focus shifts to the relational aspect between the person and the horse, fostering healing and personal development. Here’s how the blend works:

• Trust-building: Both the human participant and the horse are encouraged to trust one another. Horses are prey animals, so they are naturally cautious. By practicing natural horsemanship principles, the human builds trust with the horse, learning patience and subtle communication.
• Non-verbal communication: Horses respond to body language, tone, and energy, so participants in therapy learn to become more aware of their own non-verbal cues. This helps them improve self-awareness and emotional regulation, which are critical skills in emotional healing.
• Behavioural change: By learning to work with the horse rather than against it, the person often sees parallels in their own life. For example, if they’re struggling with anxiety, they might learn that a horse responds better to calm energy than to nervous, erratic behaviour. This can be a profound insight that helps them manage their own emotions.
• Empowerment: As participants build skills in natural horsemanship, they develop confidence. The horses’ responses to them serve as immediate feedback—if they approach a horse in a calm and confident manner, the horse will mirror that behaviour. This can have therapeutic benefits, especially for individuals who struggle with self-esteem or self-doubt.
• Healing through connection: Horses, by nature, are empathetic and non-judgmental. In therapeutic settings, the horse’s instinct to connect emotionally with the person allows a safe space for the participant to process difficult emotions, heal, and find new perspectives.

In a nutshell, blending equine facilitated learning/therapy with natural horsemanship focuses on:

• Horses playing an integral role in facilitating a session  - where the client's challenging emotions and behaviours that are creating blocks in the communication are brought more into focus and can begin to be worked through in a safe space with the facilitator - these blocks are often the same blocks that affect the client in their everyday life.
• Encouraging more affective, authentic communication, trust, and respect in a non-dominant way.
• Empowering participants to gain insights into themselves through their interactions with horses.

It's a profound way of learning and healing, emphasizing mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and healthy communication.