Learn about Equine Assisted Services (EAS), a field where horses help people with therapy, learning, and personal growth. Discover how these interactions create change.
Equine Assisted Services (EAS) is an umbrella term for professional, goal-oriented activities where clients interact with horses. These services leverage the unique nature of horses to support personal growth, learning, and therapeutic outcomes.
EAS encompasses a wide range of modalities delivered by qualified professionals, including:
A Note on Terminology: While sometimes called "equine therapy," that term more accurately refers to veterinary physiotherapy for the horse's own health. EAS focusses on the human client, facilitated by a professional alongside the horse.
The power of EAS comes from the intrinsic nature of the horse. As highly sensitive herd animals, horses are masters of non-verbal communication and are acutely aware of the energy and emotions of those around them.
Honest Feedback: Horses don't have hidden agendas. They provide honest, in-the-moment feedback on our behaviour and internal state. They respond to us as we are, and if we change, they change their response.
Co-regulation: Their calm and present nature provides a powerful opportunity to practice co-regulation, where we learn to manage our own energetic and emotional state by attuning to another being.
Safety & Trust: In a well-facilitated session, horses create a non-judgmental space, allowing clients to explore their feelings and behaviours without fear of criticism.
EAS is fundamentally experiential. It goes beyond talking and invites you to engage with your whole self—mind, body, and emotions. This process provides an authentic, 360° appraisal of "how you are" at any given moment.
The benefit is twofold: you gain profound self-awareness, and you have a safe, live environment in which to practice change. There is no change without action, and EAS provides the space to take that action with immediate, unbiased feedback from the horse.
At the Athena, our EAS practice is founded on developing effective social intelligence and a conscious somatic (mind-body) presence. We specialise in skills-based learning that builds mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and robust mental health.
Our extensive network includes qualified mental health professionals, social workers, therapists, coaches, and educators, ensuring we can align our services with a wide variety of client needs.
Athena is a leading provider of high-standard, externally accredited training for aspiring EAS professionals.
We are a Chartered Organisational Member of the ACCPH (Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists) and an Organisational Member of BACP. We are also active members of IAHAIO, presenting at international conferences and contributing to the global development of the field.
Our training courses are structured to meet the high standards of regulatory bodies like Ofqual. We offer a clear pathway for professional development:
£1,899 • 42 CPD points
£2,489 • 158 CPD points
To learn more about our accredited training programmes, please visit our Events & Courses page.
Equine Assisted Services might otherwise be known as, for example, Equine Assisted Learning, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Equine Facilitated Learning, Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, also activities that cover Occupational Therapy, Ground-work, Counselling, Therapy, Coaching, Teaching or Hippotherapy.
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