Become a Certified Equine Guided Facilitator.
Welcome.
We are so excited and honored you are here to discover more about this unique and revolutionary program!
We have spent the last couple of years teaching this space and expanding it to make it as accessible as we could to those who are called to learn from the teachings in the space of horse medicine leadership.
In the outline below, we will be breaking down what is included in the training, what we cover in the modules, along with the different ways that you can begin your journey with us.
The Horse Medicine Leadership certification program is focused around the development of 4 core pillars:
PILLAR ONE: LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF HORSES
The partnership with the horses is the foundation of where we begin. Horses are our partners in this work and you need to understand their language and how to partner with them to hold integrity with your horses and also how you lead and facilitate this work.
What is important to communicate in this program is this... The horses are your partners and your teachers in this path. You will always come back to the place of co-creating with them and being able to support their inclusion in how you are bringing their wisdom to others. Meaning, you do not teach and facilitate the growth of people at expense to your horses. It is always in partnership.
You will journey in the language of horses.
Learning the language of horses as prey animal: Understanding how to be with and lead from an understanding of horses as prey and in their basic physical being
Learning the intuitive language of horses: How to read non-verbal communication skills, intuitive messaging and energetic body language of horses
Horse Medicine: Knowing and understanding the unique medicine and teachings of your horse partners
Herd behaviour and dynamics
Horse safety
Creating and deepening our unique language with our herd.
PILLAR TWO: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP & SELF MASTERY
This is where you begin to create a practice of knowing yourself in your leadership strengths and how you begin to hold and embody a space of self mastery.
Self leadership and identifying your unique strengths in your leadership
Authentic Self vs False Self
Identifying your personal medicine
Boundaries and creating space for self
Recovery and rest
Honoring your own cycles and rhythms
The potency of your leadership
Claiming and owning your space as a leader
PILLAR THREE: COACHING & FACILITATION SKILLS
This is where you start to develop and build your coaching and facilitation skills and learning exercises and activities to support your clients.
Levels of listening
Reading the space and environment of clients and your herd.
Developing range in leadership and facilitation
Developing a Lens of Neutrality
How to ask and facilitate powerful questions
Integrating and landing learning for your clients
Intuition vs Ego
1:1 and group facilitation skills
Creating safe and sacred spaces for clients and herd
Building your toolbox of activities for clients: This includes: horse dancing, reflective activities, leadership in motion, boundary dancing, mutual respect, energy approach, move the herd and more.
PILLAR FOUR: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MENTORSHIP
This is where you start to develop and build your practice.
What is your unique vision and path with horses?
Who is your ideal client and collective that you serve?
Program and curriculum development
Learning how to price your offerings
Marketing and growing your community
Knowing your core message and who you speak to
Finding and leading through your inner business archetype
Creating your unique business model
Finding or creating a facility
Filling your workshops and retreats
Designing your workshops, retreats and sessions
Building a vision of success in your business
Horse Medicine Leadership Academy’s training is unique because it combines in-person training with an extensive space of online support and mentorship that is ongoing. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
You are able to go through the content at your own pace and there is availability to journey with us in a group space or in private training.
What is required as part of your completion and graduation in this program and to receive a certificate of training?
You must complete all the practicum that is outlined in the online training portion of the program.
You must complete 4 of our in person teaching retreats with us in the private or group training.
You must complete a minimum of 96 hours of practice and training as outlined based on what level you enter into.
You must have access to horses, a herd and video for supervised training if you are doing overseas training.
What to know about the different entries...
We wanted to be able to create a space for those who are called to our teaching to be able to step into it depending on where they are in the journey.
We have a diverse place in which we offer and meet those who are drawn to this path to meet them where they are in the journey.
How the program is held:
One of the things we really deeply support is our unique path, journey and process into this work. We have created an entry and training that takes into consideration the honoring of the unique pace and resources that you have available and what your path into this work looks like.
The entry into the program is held in pieces. You are able to begin the training with the online portion and progress into the retreats depending on where you are in the journey.
For the in person training, it has been divided into 4 retreats. In order to receive a certification in the program, you must enroll in the online training and attend all 4 in person retreats and be able to go through a practicum experience either in person or virtual that displays your competency in running and facilitating an experience or workshop.
Anyone who goes through our training program will be able to apply to our faculty program if they choose.
There is no timeline for completion into the program. We do have a recommended order of retreats and we are able to work with each individual to support their entry into the teaching.
If you are uncertain about the training or want to test it out and our teaching before you commit, we recommend Retreat 1 or speaking to us about designing a custom private retreat training for you to explore the fit.
Our training program can be taken as both a group experience or through a private and customized approach.
Here is an outline of the program…
Training.
ONLINE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
We have created an in depth online teaching and training platform to support the in person training and deepening of the teachings as you move through our program.
The online training includes:
Lifetime access to Horse Medicine Leadership textbook and modules, including updated content that we continue to add.
Monthly Coaching and Mentorship Calls to deepen the content and space of the training and teachings. You get lifetime access to these calls for your continued learning.
Business Mentorship and Development
You are able to begin the online training at any time. This is the encouraged entry into the program.
The online training and development is also supportive for those of you who have training already but are looking to deepen it with additional content and teachings to add to what you already have.
Practicum.
PRACTICUM AND PRACTICE SESSIONS
In order to receive the certification, you will have to show a minimum of 40 hours of practicum which includes homework, recommended reading material, time spent with horses and practice sessions.
You will have to complete and facilitate a minimum of 10 practice sessions. If you already have a practice, this would be included.
Retreats.
IN-PERSON TRAINING AND RETREATS
The in-person teaching retreats are 3- 5 days in length, depending on the retreat and will include your accommodation and meals on site at our training center, Epona Rise Retreat Center.
These are intimate retreats and training that offer the space of a herd of 28 wise equine teachers to amplify and deepen the teachings of the horse.
In order to receive a certification in the program, you must attend 4 in person retreats, or for those that are doing distance or private training, it must add up to 4 in person teaching retreats.
What people are saying…
In-Person Training Retreats…
In each retreat during the program we touch in all four pillars of our horse medicine leadership philosophy. Depending on where you are in the journey you will be given the opportunity to practice lead and facilitate with the other participants in the retreat.
The four pillars that we touch on in each retreat are:
Learning the Language of Horses
Pillar One
The foundation of the training is built upon your partnership with horses. Developing your capacity to learn, understand and be a teacher of this work, you must understand the full nature and connection that humans have with our equine partners. In Learning the language of horses we deepen into both the language of horses as prey and as intuitive beings. You will also explore how to read and know the unique energy and medicine of each horse. We learn in pillar one as well how to communicate and mirror the language of horses to those that come and do retreats with us.
Facilitation and Leadership Skills
Pillar Three.
To be a skilled facilitator and coach in this work is more than just having some exercises that you facilitate with your clients.
You need to be able to understand how to move with the energy of your client, assist the learning and to rely not on an activity but of the strength of your coaching and facilitation skills.
In each retreat you will be developing essential facilitation and leadership skills to ensure competency and confidence in how you lead and facilitate the clients that you will be creating a business and services for.
You will also be given the opportunity to practice your facilitation skills as you deepen into the retreats, so by the time you are complete the program you are able to demonstrate masterful facilitation.
Under this pillar you will also be learning both reflective and embodiment activities to build your toolbox for support both individuals and groups in your practice.
Personal Leadership & Self Mastery
Pillar Two
Knowing yourself in your leadership and how to hold space for your own process is an important part of being a masterful and skilled facilitator. In each retreat there will be attention on what your personal practice is, what you are able called to focus on in your own self leadership and begin to develop powerful practices for self mastery.
Business Mentorship and Purpose.
Pillar Four
In each retreat we are putting attention on clarifying the unique purpose and path of each person in our program.
Knowing who you will be serving, how you will be facilitating and who for will be part of each retreat.
Finding language and knowing what your practice is going to look like and given encouragement in this space will be integrated into each retreat.
Along with the online mentorship that is part of our program, teaching in a way that the learning is applicable to how you will walk this work out into the world is a very important part of our program and teaching model.
Who is our certification program for?
Our certification program is for those that are beginning their journey to become an equine guided facilitator and are seeking a program that empowers the horse in our partnership with them.
Our path to certification is for those that know they are wanting to step into becoming equine facilitators, are devoted to their journey of developing their leadership and voice alongside the horse and are looking for a program that support them in the entirety of their journey.
You do not have to have horses, or a facility to begin your journey, there are many cases where others have begun their path with us and have had horses and a place emerge as part of their journey with us.
Our certification journey begins with attending a teaching retreat so you have the opportunity to make sure this is the right teaching for you and from there are able to create a journey that feels supportive of where you are and how you want to go through the program.
Investment
Your Training Investment includes:
2 years of online mentorship, which includes monthly mentorship calls per month and access to our library of online content and modules.
Accommodations in a private cabin at our retreat center at Epona Rise. This also includes any extra nights needed for travel purposes.
Catered Meals
Shuttle to and from the ranch if you require it.
4 in person teaching retreats
8 1:1 mentorship and teaching calls with the faculty of Epona Rise Retreat Center
$16,500 CDN + tax
(Custom payment plans are available and can be created to make your time in our program feel supportive and spacious. You can also pace yourself through our training, choosing how many retreats you are able to do each year. To apply to our program please fill out the application below and we will be in touch for an interview before acceptance into the program. )
