What is an Equine Advocate?

In any equine assisted session, whether it is geared towards psychotherapy, learning or therapeutic riding, there are two elements at play: one human and the other equine. High quality equine assisted sessions involve a team approach. The team includes: a horse or horses, a human services professional and an equine professional. The members of the team may have cross-training (for example, an equine assisted facilitator knows about horses as well as people) but the roles are clearly designated. This is because horses and people have very different and sometimes clashing needs and perspectives. Clients who are vulnerable my lack self-awareness, social skills or basic equine knowledge. Horses communicate non-verbally and an inexperienced person may miss or misinterpret their subtle signals. If the situation is not carefully orchestrated, physical or emotional harm can be caused both to the human and the equine participants.

It is the role of the equine assisted facilitator, psychotherapist, human services professional or coach to focus upon the person, not only ensuring their safety but also observing their body language and keeping open lines of verbal communication so that their needs are met and their opinions are heard. The equine advocate, on the other hand, is focused on the horse. They ensure that its safety, welfare, basic needs and particular preferences are honoured. It is their job to advocate for the voiceless equine in the session, interpreting their behaviour and paying attention to subtle equine communication signals. When managed well, equine assisted sessions should be as enjoyable for the horse as they are for the person. A skilled equine advocate can make the difference between an interaction that is based on partnership, mutual trust and clear communication or one that is unfulfilling and or even harmful to both parties.

This course includes a long weekend residential and a distance learning prep course. Upon completion of a porfolio, you will gain an accredited OCNCredit4Learning Level 3 Qualification.