As Horse Sense prepares for its 2nd Annual Business Building Intensive, we wanted to introduce to everyone the expert presenters we have lined up for the event. First on the spotlight is Dr. Tracy Weber, from the Kaleidoscope Learning Circle®. We're thrilled to have her join us this year as she shares her in depth knowledge of Leadership curricula, and how to get them implemented in colleges. Check out her bio, taken from the Kaleidoscope Learning Circle® website. Visit her website to learn about her wonderful program!

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Dr. Tracy Weber created Kaleidoscope Learning Circle® as a venue for continuous learning of her two career-oriented passions - horses and helping people discover and re-discover their authentic self. The primary catalyst for creating this company came from her graduate school experiences; one could almost hear the paradigms shift as she participated in the competency-based, learner-centered programs of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Executive Leader Master’s and Andrews’s University’s Leadership program. From her team members in “Microny” to the organizational and human behavior research of her dissertation, each experience shaped the way she views the world and her responsibility to “make the most of herself.”

Tracy’s partnership with horses began in her youth when she groomed, shoveled, and showed Morgan horses on the national circuit with JL’s Ranch.  Throughout her adult life she sought a way of combining her passion for horses, intellectual pursuits, and desire to help people find and follow their dreams. Leading to the creation of Kaleidoscope Learning Circle®.  Like the namesake, Kaleidoscope keeps transforming with every turn, evolving and increasing our mastery and leadership in the fields of personal growth and professional development through the process of partnering with horses.

Click here to contact Tracy!

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And tune in next week for a profile on Lynn Moore, from Acres for Life!

Hey Everyone – Josie here, making my first blog appearance to let you know about this month's Free Monthly Telecall,  coming up next week!

Wednesday,  July 22nd 4:00–5:00 PM EST

Shannon will be joined by insurance expert Mark Fredricksen, Vice President of Peterson, McAnnaly & Tabor Insurance, Co., home to the only EAGALA Equine Liability Insurance Program.

Click here to register!

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Mark D. Fredricksen has held the distinction of being a Certified Insurance Counselor since 1986. The CIC is a designation that represents a commitment to continuous enhancement of one’s knowledge and service. CIC is nationally recognized as a symbol of professional excellence and leadership in the insurance industry.

As an insurance counselor, Mark can act as a third-party consultant to assist in the overview of your insurance programs, giving you an insight into the forms and cost effectiveness of your insurance program. Recommending forms, coverages, and risk management methods to help maintain control over your insurance portfolio.

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Don't worry if you can't make the time – just register now and an email of the recording will be sent to you after the call has been transcoded!!

Click here to see more calls like this that Shannon has held in the past. And you can visit this page to see more upcoming events at Horse Sense Business Sense.

And, as always, please contact me if you have any questions – JosieM@HorseSenseOTC.com or (828) 683-7304, ext. 113.

Take Care!

Josie

Hey everyone,

Here's a letter I got recently from one of the boys we work with using our Running with Mustangs curriculum, for working with adjudicated and at-risk youth. All our businesses can use a little testimony about the effectiveness of EAGALA-Model Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and here's another one!

"Thank you for all your help and support. When I first started at Horse Sense I just wanted to do it because of the horses. Then when ya'll had me start the skill cards, I knew that before I finished I was going to become a better person. I'm surprised by the way I control my anger because I've never been able to control my anger, not even with the anger management classes. I've learned a lot more than I did know about horses since I met you. I really appreciate everything you've done and I will always remember you."

To read more about our Running with Mustangs curriculum, click here!

Happy Trails,

Shannon

I know that many of you are planning to come to Asheville for the EAGALA conference next week. Whether it’s your first time attending a conference or you’re a veteran, here are a few quick tips to help you navigate the event.

1. Set an intention. What do you want this conference to be about for you? What do you want to learn? Who do you want to meet? Set a few clear intentions to help pave the way for a successful experience.
2. Plan ahead. Take time to review the conference agenda. Which speakers do you want to see? What fun things do you want to participate in? 
3. Build in down time. One of the biggest challenges we face when attending a conference is “there’s so much to do? How can I possibly fit it all in?” the answer is you can’t, at least not without running yourself into the ground! Prioritize and know that if you pace yourself, you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience
4. Create a tracking system. You’re going to meet some amazing people during the conference. Set yourself up with a folder to collect information. After you meet someone and get their business card or brochure, take a minute to jot a note or two about that person – what they were wearing, a resource you promised to send to them, a person in common who you know. If you do this, it will help you to follow up when you return home and you’ll be able to continue the relationship. 
5. Enjoy Asheville! Definitely take some time to walk around down town, go for a hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway and of course, visit Shannon and the Horse Sense Farm. It’s a beautiful area and you can’t learn, learn, learn all day, can you? Get outside and have some fun!
   

Set yourself up for success and have a great time!

--- Coach Elizabeth
www.elizabethbarbour.com

Hey everyone!

I recently attended the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges annual conference in Norfolk, VA. Entitled "Navigating the Complex Waterways of the Judicial System," I represented both Horse Sense of the Carolinas and EAGALA at the three day conference July 27-30.

At our booth I answered questions from primarily judges from all over the country about this "horse therapy" idea. I was pleased to see that quite a few had heard of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and several others were interested in how this could help them help the folks who come through their courtrooms. With over 400 attendees, we created awareness of EAP as a viable treatment option for judges in the judicial systems.

There were also many wonderful presentations and events, including "Addressing the Needs of 'At-Risk' Youth Through Community Collaboration," "In School, the Right School, Finish School-Education Issues for Youth in Care," and "A Call for Action: Helping Children and Improving Systems of Care Through Detention Reform".

It was an informative and useful conference. I'll bring you more highlights from it in the coming months, as we delve a little deeper into some of the issues raised at the presentations.

Happy Trails!

Shannon Knapp
Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc

Recently I attended (and Horse Sense & EAGALA had a booth at) the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's National Youth Gang Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-26. (Click on logo at right to take you to the OJJDP website to learn more.) It was a wonderfully informative conference, and we had a lot of interest in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and utilizing the EAGALA model for working with court-involved and particularly gang-involved youth!

This conference focused on the range of services for this particular population, from Faith- and Community-Based Organizations to Law Enforcement. I attended many helpful and insightful breakout sessions with new ideas for prevention and intervention, both areas that Horse Sense is involved in in our own community.

Of particular interest to me was a presentation called "Community-Based Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression and Re-Entry", given by the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (GRIP) of Richmond, VA. Quite similar in description to the Gang Violence Prevention Program in Buncombe Co, NC, which Horse Sense is a part of (now funded by the Govenor's Crime Commission), the GRIP program was launched in 2003 and has really leveraged the idea of partnership and community-based intervention. Among the folks from the GRIP program presenting were representatives from the Office of the Attorney General for Richmond, VA, the Richmond Police Department and various GRIP outreach workers.

There are various ways EAP/EAL programs can work with gang programs in their community. Prevention would include events to engage kids before they become involved with gangs. Intervention would include programs like Horse Sense's Running with Mustangs, providing counseling, skillbuilding and vocational support for kids already involved in gangs. Re-entry is another area where EAP/EAL is an appropriate consideration. (Suppression, however, is primarily a police/enforcement level of engagement.)

Hey Everyone!

Just got back in town from a recent trip to Ohio State University. Lisa Wheeler, Diane Voytek and myself were up there doing presentations on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.

How did Horse Sense of the Carolinas end up in Ohio? Well, a business intern from last summer went back to the University excited about her experience, and drew the interest of her faculty and other staff at the University about this unique new treatment modality and learning opportunity.

She arranged two demonstrations for us: one for her classmates in an Animal Sciences course, and another for the general University, including the medical department, the psychology department, the social work school and many more.

We were joined by Pam Smith, of Reinbows at Serenity Springs Equine Center of Canton, Ohio (visit her site at www.serenityspringsequine.com). Together we offered a general introduction to EAGALA-model Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.

We were very warmly received, and want to encourage you to look through the course listings at your local college or university for possible demonstration opportunities. It's a great way to further spread the word about your program and what you do, and to inform your community!

Happy Trails!

Shannon

Shannon Knapp
President & Equine Specialist
EAGALA Advanced
Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc
Real Help, Real Results™
www.HorseSenseOtc.com
828-683-7304 (office)
828-683-6281 (fax)

Business Building Intensive in Asheville, NC, Sept 19-20
Jump-Start your EAP/EAL Business and your Business Skills! 

Hey everyone!

Well, another group of boys from the Youth Development Center (YDC) here in Western North Carolina (WNC) are about to graduate from our Running with Mustangs program. We are always sad to see them go!

From rather simple beginnings and with the collaboration and efforts of the YDC, our Running With Mustangs program is the counseling and vocational element of the multi-agency Gang Violence Prevention Program in Buncombe County. Running with Mustangs has grown into one of the cornerstones of the programming at Horse Sense of the Carolinas, and we really feel that others are looking to us as leaders in the field of innovative treatment of this specialized population.

As those of you who have attended our trainings know, we're passionate about adjudicated youth, and we're honored and grateful to be able to provide such an effective intervention.

Running with Mustangs, our curriculum for working specifically with incarcerated youth, is comprised of four components:

• Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)
  
• Natural Horsemanship
• Vocational
• POETIX

We always begin with EAGALA-model EAP, and then progress into Natural Horsemanship. The Vocational and the POETIX components run concurrently with the EAP & Natural Horsemanship.

Today the boys prepared for their graduation ceremonies, in which they will perform some of their spoken-word poetry, and also demonstrate "freestyle" some of the skills they've learned playing with horses. The confidence and satisfaction in their eyes always fills us with gratitude.

As soon as we incorporate these boys' poetry into our Mane Lines book, we'll make them available for you to buy. All proceeds from the Mane Lines goes to support the Horse Sense Scholarship Program.

All the best as we continue to make a difference, together!

Click here to learn more about our Running with Mustangs program.

Hey Everyone!

Just getting my feet back under me after returning from the EAGALA conference (and if you've sent me an email in the past week, know I'll get to it as soon as I can!).

There were so many excited and exciting individuals at this conference...over 200+ people there for the first time, I believe. The arena day was provocative and a great learning experience for everyone in the audience. I was most excited and impressed by the "three" sessions Mark Lytle and Lynn Thomas did that day with one client. They showcased the EAGALA model, and I think are getting ever better at clearly and concisely articulating the EAGALA model. This was a great way to thread the model throughout the day, and reinforce what EAGALA is (and isn't!). Oh, and I tried to fit that adorable burro into my carry-on, but was busted at the airport!

The next two days' of breakout sessions were wonderful and, as always, we walked away with many great ideas for bringing the work that others are doing into our community. There's just so much creativity and "juice" flying around during breakout session days. The booths as well were full of innovation and electricity (or is it just my enthusiasm for this field?). We brought out BodySense curriculum, our Policies & Procedures CD, and premiered our Running with Mustangs curriculum on working with adjudicated and/or incarcerated youth. The response was overwhelming!

We put lots of faces to email addresses, and got to meet a lot of new folks interested in bringing EAP/EAL to their community. With EAGALA's help, we all just keep getting stronger and better!

See ya next year, in our own backyard, as the EAGALA conference will be here in Asheville!

Happy Trails,

Shannon