When we step into the world of equine-assisted coaching, we are not just working with or using horses; we are partnering with them. This partnership is one rooted in respect, communication, and a deep understanding of how horses perceive and interact with the world. Knowing how horses sense and connect with their surroundings is an essential part of becoming an equine-assisted coach. It's why we dedicate hours of training and personal hands on experience to help our coaches develop a strong foundation in this area. Without this understanding, we miss a key opportunity to ethically and effectively co-create transformational experiences for our clients.
Why Understanding Horse Senses Is Crucial
Horses are prey animals, which means their senses are highly attuned to their environment. They rely on their keen sense of sight, smell, hearing, and touch to survive in the wild. While they may not face the same threats in our care, these senses remain essential to their perception of the world and how they communicate.
As an equine-assisted coach, understanding how horses experience their environment allows us to tune into the subtle signals they give us. Horses, for example, have panoramic vision due to the placement of their eyes, allowing them to see up to 340 degrees around them. However, they have blind spots directly in front and behind, which explains why horses might react suddenly to something they can’t see clearly but sense through other means. Knowing this can help us guide our clients more effectively, creating a safe and calm environment that takes into account the horse’s natural instincts.
Similarly, a horse’s hearing is more sensitive than ours, picking up frequencies we can’t detect. A coach who understands this might notice how a horse reacts to distant sounds long before we’re aware of them. Horses also use their incredible sense of smell to identify people, other animals, and even emotional states. Recognizing these sensory cues enhances our ability to work with them as conscious, sentient beings rather than just tools in the process.
Building an Ethical Partnership with the Horse
A core principle of equine-assisted coaching is that the horse is not a passive participant in the session but an equal partner. To honor this, we must develop an understanding of their needs, boundaries, and ways of interacting with their environment. Without this, we risk compromising not only the ethical foundation of our work but also the depth of the healing and transformational experiences we offer clients.
Our student coaches develop a deep understanding of how horses interact with and respond to their environment, as well as how they sense, perceive, and communicate. Coaches must not only learn how to observe horses’ behavior but also how to effectively communicate with and listen to them. We believe that to work ethically with horses, one must first learn to truly listen, which involves much more than interpreting physical cues. It’s about sensing their energy, recognizing their emotional states, understanding instinct versus intuition, and respecting the feedback they offer during a session.
Ethical and conscious training programs emphasize seeing the horse as a sentient being with its own preferences and experiences. Coaches need to know how to observe the horse’s body language, interpret its subtle shifts in movement, and understand the energetic dynamics of the session. This allows coaches to respond to the horse’s input with respect and care, creating a space where both the horse and the client feel safe and supported.
The Value of Personal Experience
While training provides the foundation, personal experience with horses is equally important. Spending time with horses outside of a coaching setting allows us to deepen our connection with them. It helps us to develop a relationship that’s based on trust and mutual understanding. This personal experience is where many of the most profound lessons in equine-assisted coaching come from.
We encourage coaches to spend as much time as possible simply being with horses, observing how they interact with their surroundings and with each other. This time is invaluable, as it allows coaches to learn how horses communicate in ways that aren’t always obvious but are deeply meaningful. This, in turn, enhances their ability to facilitate powerful, transformative coaching sessions.
A Commitment to Excellence and Ethics
Our commitment to training coaches in equine senses and behavior is rooted in a desire to create a more compassionate, respectful, and ethical approach to equine-assisted coaching. By ensuring that our coaches have the knowledge and personal experience necessary to work ethically with horses, we create a space where deep, transformative healing can occur for both the client and the horse.
Ultimately, understanding how horses sense and connect with the world around them is not just a skill—it’s a responsibility. As equine-assisted coaches, we owe it to our equine partners to understand their experience and ensure that we are engaging with them in ways that are respectful, ethical, and aligned with the highest standards of care. This is what allows us to succeed as true partners with the horse, creating a more powerful and authentic coaching experience for everyone involved.
If you're ready to deepen your understanding of how horses communicate and connect with the world, and want to ethically be their partner in this life changing work, now is the time to take the next step. Our comprehensive training programs are designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and personal experience needed to become a successful and ethical equine-assisted coach.Take the opportunity to elevate your coaching practice and create truly transformative experiences for your clients. We also welcome those new to this work, or with little or no horse experience, who have a deep desire to transform lives. Reach out today to learn more about how The Freedom Way® programs can help you build a powerful, ethical partnership with horses.
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