Our Philosophy

At Alma Equine, we believe that horses are extraordinary instructors in the art of unspoken spatial language, imparting invaluable tools that resonate far beyond the barn. Our approach emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting personal space and boundaries, both with horses and in everyday life. Through horsemanship, participants learn patience, trust, and effective communication, skills that are essential for personal growth and leadership development. Our horses, who are highly sensitive and responsive, serve as partners in teaching these life skills, offering children and teens a unique opportunity to connect with nature and themselves in profound ways.

Herd Mentality

Horses used in the Alma Equine program live together in a pasture. They have formed relationships with each other and with their environment. They have individual personalities and relationships that are ever changing and growing. They have chosen a herd leader. This creates a unique opportunity to learn from them in a herd setting.

Labels

Horses don’t understand or have a need for the value labels of ‘good and bad’ or ‘right and wrong’. They simply respond to what works and what doesn’t work. When communication from their human partners includes fear and anger, horses respond like the prey animals that they are – they attempt to fight or flee. But when our interactions with them are based upon mutual understanding, they can see us as first among equals.

Universal body language

Horses are grounded in the natural world. Their survival frequently depends on being fully in-the-moment and responding rapidly to changes in their immediate environment. As herd animals, this requires the elaborate and instantaneous use of non-verbal communication between themselves.

Peer Pressure

The honesty and sincerity of horses provides a window into what abstract concepts like ‘intent’ and ‘centeredness’ really mean. The directness and immediacy of the human-equine relationship is a powerful experience of what it is to have flexible and resilient boundaries in the face of peer pressure.

Entering into the equine world and gaining an understanding of this herd language can help bring to a more conscious level the universal body cues that we all practice in the presence of others.

Working With Teen Volunteers

Teenagers need to know that their lives matter. When teens interact with these deceptively vulnerable and sensitive creatures, they may identify with these softer qualities. In the presence of 1200-pound thoroughbreds born and bred to dominate a race track, teens can learn that vulnerability and sensitivity are actually among their own personal strengths. Working with horses can teach them that accepting one’s own nature is fundamental to keeping oneself safe.