Hi everyone!

As you know, Horse Sense has not, in the past, had a volunteer program but rather an general internship program due to the confidential nature of the work done at our farm. The general internship is for folks who want to learn more about what we do through volunteering a few hours/days a month in a particular semester.

We are changing up the process a bit and trying out a new interaction opportunity for folks who might be interested in what we do, but who might not have the time to intern with us. Hence our Summer Farm Days!

Three Saturdays this summer we're inviting a small group of folks to join us at the farm to help with grooming, bathing and general "spa treatments" for the horses at the Horse Sense farm. We're combining this with an introduction to Horse Sense, to Horse Behavior and Herd Psychology, and to Natural Horsemanship.

It's designed to be a time when we can hang out and care for the horses, and connect with each other as we do so.

We'll let you know how this works out for the horses, for us, and for our guests. We're looking forward to connecting with folks in our community in this way!

Happy Trails,

Shannon

Recently Horse Sense's Shannon Knapp and Lisa Wheeler presented at the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce (in North Carolina) on the topic of leadership development.

The event was hosted by the Henderson Chamber in their new facility (quite nice!), and we had a nice turnout of business folks from our community, including several independent business consultants. We've since set up opportunities for these folks to come out and experience our work first-hand, so they can add us to their box of tools.

Our presentation was largely guided by the following statement, by Robert Cooper in his book, The Other 90%: "The dinosaurs of the future will be thos who keep trying to live and work from their heads alone." We spoke to the idea that so much business development is geared towards the head, and not so much to the heart and the gut, where a TON of information resides. The heart and the gut are also what tend to be the difference-maker in leaders, as we know from playing with horses.

It was a wonderful, beneficial experience. We encourage you to connect with your local Chamber about giving a presentation!

Happy Trails,

Shannon

To learn more about our professional
development with horses programming, visit
www.HorseSenseLearning.com

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!

This past week Liza Sapir and I presented at the Animals: Our Allies in Health conference here in Asheville, NC. The event was two days, and brought together professionals from a variety of fields, including DVM's, MD's, PhD's, OTR's and lots of others with many initials after their names!

This educational even explored the links between animals and humans from the perspectives of public health issues, from the risks associated with factory farming, and the role of animals in search and rescue. It also included presentations on "Canine Detection of Critical Health Events", and a wonderful first-person narrative by Mike Lingenfelter on animals in service to human health.

Further, Horse Sense presented specifically on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and At-Risk Youth (Trailblazers, look for the complete presentation on the forum!) and another presentation on prison programs with dogs. Representatives were there from Delta Society and many other key organizations in Animal Assisted Therapies.

It was also quite an animal-lovers event. There were many service dogs present, and even a chicken (that's a first for me!).

Happy Trails,

Shannon

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

Hey everyone!

Just back in the office after a demonstration at University of North Carolina-Asheville as part of their "Life is Calling" week. Designed by the Career Center at the University to help people "discover their life intention," my husband, Lisa, Liza, Dreamer and Scout all packed up and went to college today!

We set up in the "mini-quad" of the Asheville college campus, and had over 150 students, teachers and the general public join us during the 3-hour event. Richard and I brought step in posts, and set up a 70' area with 2" tape at the top. It was a simple and easy enclosure that I recommend for your calm, well-behaved horses (and clients!).

We invited members of the audience to join us, and facilitated various activities such as "Select & Halter," "Magic Carpet," "4 Hoof Pick-Up," and "Extended Appendages," all simple activities requiring very few props, but uncovering a wealth of information for discussion and reflection. We had over 30 participants in the demos, and lots of students from the Psych Department and a Communications class. I got interviewed by a lot of students from that class!

Dreamer and Scout were excited that the grounds-keepers hadn't mowed, and they tasted (and gave the "high hoof" to) oranges from one onlooker. We all really enjoyed the event, and will definitely bring the horses to college again soon!

Click here to read about other events that are part of "Life is Calling," including a labyrinth and a Feldenkrais workshop. This was a great way to create more awareness about Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning!

All the best,

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