Welcome!

To the number one equine-assisted learning program in North America. On this website, you will be looking through information about the most incredible, interactive horse-human learning experience in the country.

Albert Wight studied methods of education extensively and concluded a need for change from the traditional classroom and lecture format to an educational alternative called "participative method", which focuses on the experiential process of learning rather than the mere transmission of information. Experiential learning has recently been termed "the natural way of learning", and defined as the process by which the experience of the learner is reflected upon, from which new insights emerge.

The Cartier Equine Learning Center's certified equine-assisted learning programs are the first to implement this interactive, BuildingBlock™ format by which individuals, like yourself, come to learn how to facilitate the participation of opportunities of engagement in experiential learning while working with horses. We are excited at this opportunity to help you understand how to incorporate this innovative style of learning into your existing program.

We are excited you chose the Cartier Equine Leaning Center and want to assure you that everyone is a dedicated professional committed to do everything in our power to assist you in your journey to EAL learning. It is our mission to provide you with the keys necessary to find long term success with these valuable EAL skills.

Cordially,
Tamara MacKinnon
Program Director

What is Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)?

Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is an effective approach to human development through horsemanship. Participants engage in team emphasized exercises and find themselves learning valuable skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working through the dynamics of horses.

EAL has proven to be effective, powerful, interesting, exciting, therapeutic, positive, educational, and creative. Equine-Assisted Learning can be a very powerful journey of facilitating participants learning alternative skills to draw from when faced with difficult challenges in an effort to overcome negative influences.

This particular building block style of learning helps individuals better understand themselves as they participate in exercises designed around understanding the nature of "the horse". We call it, "Using Horse Sense".

When one has learned the fundamental principals of EAL, it is easy to understand why individuals with compromised moral values or ethical standards find it difficult, if not impossible, to keep their secrets hidden when they start to work through exercises with horses.

By recognizing a horse's ability to read and understand human body language, it is equally understandable how one can use EAL to provide leadership development opportunities, as well.

Why horses?

Equine-Assisted Learning programs are a powerful journey of learning and understanding for those who participate. Horses in this program are effective teaching tools; immediately responding to what participants do, trained facilitators look for "teachable moments" that horses identify. Quite simply, the horse does the teaching; facilitators are there to offer explanation and provide guidance as they work through the solution.

The single most asked question is, why are horses uses? To understand how this process works we must first realize how horses learn and understand the laws of survival. In a horse's world, the rules are clear, easy to understand and dealt with swiftly when challenged.

Nature provides them with instincts and senses that are very astute. For their mere survival, a wild horse, must be aware of their surroundings and quick to react. They watch for the slightest movement, especially threatening body posture. Horses know how to discern the difference between a calm non-threatening approach and anxious, nervous energy; immediately identifying individuals struggling internally. By understanding the true nature of the horse, we can alter our techniques to become efficient facilitators.

Horses look for strong leadership and willing to follow, but only after they find respect and trust. If we provide contradictory behavior, they will question and challenge our authority to lead. Horses respect the stringent outline of the hierarchy. In a horse's world, team work is respected and expected. Horses respond favorably to positive stimulus and respect consequences inasmuch as it is fair. Horses are tough and steadfast dance partners; they don't judge, but they don't forget. They don't let you cheat and their feed back is honest. Dr. Phil may have paraphrased "how's that working for you" but horses have been asking since the beginning of time.

If we, as facilitators, are willing to listen, they can assist us with guiding groups to becoming better individuals. By including horses in specially designed educational experiences, equine-assisted specialists have greatly multiplied the participant's rate of success to self discovery. Horses can't over think a participant's motive and horses can't manipulate behavior. But by their intuitive nature and innate sensitivity, horses can provide facilitators with a window into the participant's personality. As facilitators listen to a horse's non-verbal communication, together, they have the ability to walk participants through to finding life-altering change.

By understanding why and how horses are aware of our every movement – you will come to understand how effective equine-assisted learning programs are to finding individual.

Quite simply, equine-assisted learning, works.