Equine Assisted Learning

What is Equine Assisted Learning?

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is a powerful experiential learning modality that offers our students opportunities to learn, grow, and explore through creative problem-solving and self-discovery.

Horses and ponies live in the present moment, have no agenda and are highly intuitive, social creatures. Because of this, they offer immediate, honest feedback on how a person approaches a challenging new situation. Working alongside horses requires self-awareness, presence, and calm emotional regulation.

EAL involves no horse riding. All learning takes place on the ground. Facilitator instruction is kept to a minimum, empowering pupils to take measured risks, explore roles, and develop solutions independently.

Intent: Equine Assisted Learning at New Horizons Academy

Our vision for EAL is built upon five foundational pillars:

Authentic Communication & Self-Awareness

Developing clear communication begins with presence. By cultivating deep awareness of both themselves and the horses, students learn to align their thoughts, words, actions, and body language. Because horses react instantly to non-verbal cues, children receive immediate, honest feedback that helps them build congruence between their internal feelings and external expressions.

Collaborative Leadership & Teamwork

Through individual and group challenges, students build practical leadership and cooperative skills. Working alongside peers and horses teaches children to listen actively, establish meaningful connections, and respond adaptively to changing dynamics. Together, students solve problems, reflect on diverse approaches, and discover their unique personal strengths

Trusting & Respectful Relationships

Respectful connections are built through reflective practice. Students regularly evaluate their choices, observing how their actions influence both their peers and the horses. Through guided reflection, children analyse what worked, explore alternative strategies, appreciate peer support, and develop empathy and mutual respect.

Nature, Connection & Emotional Well-being

Spending quality time in a natural environment offers essential space for mental health and emotional balance. Interacting with calm animals aids in nervous system regulation through co-regulation, reducing stress and fostering a grounded sense of peace and emotional well-being.

Resilience Through New & Engaging Challenges

Partnering with large, powerful animals provides an empowering experiential challenge. As children learn to navigate novel situations, manage anxiety, and step outside their comfort zones, they build genuine self-confidence and adaptive resilience that prepares them to face future life challenges.

Implementation: Equine Assisted Learning at New Horizons Academy

How EAL Works in Practice:

At the heart of our EAL program is a commitment to developing resilient, empathetic, and confident children. By working alongside horses—nature’s ultimate honest communicators—students move beyond abstract classroom concepts to experience essential life values in a direct, meaningful way

In a typical EAL session, the children have opportunities to learn about how to approach a pony and tune into their own feelings about working with them. Our students spend time brushing the ponies and caring for them which helps build confidence and attunement.

• Initial Approach & Self-Tuning: Pupils learn how to approach a pony while tuning into their own inner feelings and emotional state.
• Care & Grooming: Children brush and care for the ponies, building a direct sense of empathy, trust, connection, and presence.
• Obstacle Courses & Leading: Pupils guide a pony through an outdoor course, taking ownership of choices and problem-solving through trial and error.
• Constrained Problem-Solving Challenges: Facilitators introduce rules and parameters (e.g. reaching a goal without speaking, without touching the horse, or using restricted equipment). These constraints demand a shift in thinking, non-verbal cueing, and sensory awareness.
• Reflections: This is done through group discussions and recording their findings on their learning activity sheets.

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL): Curriculum Mapping:

Equine Assisted Learning offers an experiential environment where children are given opportunities for character growth through unique interactions and experiential learning with ponies. Our students learn to better manage their emotions, communicate non-verbally, build empathy and confidence as well as develop their ability to work effectively in a team. Our planning dovetails to the PHSE curriculum and supports practical application and embedded learning. EAL does not follow a fixed sequence of identical activities across the academic year. Instead, each term provides a framework of varied experiences which can be adapted to the needs, interests and abilities of individual classes and pupils. This enables EAL to remain purposeful and curriculum-linked while retaining the flexibility required to meet the needs of our SEMH cohort.

EAL is adapted for the age and stage of the classes attending, following the same EAL principals and framework. 

Key Stage 1 

• Relationships: Understanding non-verbal cues and body language by observing and reacting to horse behaviour; practicing calm, clear communication and learning to share.
• Self-Regulation & Emotional Wellbeing: Identifying basic feelings (calm vs. excited/anxious) and learning simple self-soothing techniques to help keep horses at ease.
• Connecting Learning to the Real World: Developing respect, responsibility, and care for another living creature; learning basic safety boundaries.

Key Stage 2 

• Relationships & Teamwork: Working collaboratively in small groups to navigate ground exercises; developing active listening, trust, respect, tolerance, peer cooperation and group cohesion.
• Self- Regulation & Emotional Wellbeing: Building self-efficacy and resilience through overcoming challenges (e.g., leading a large animal); recognising how one's inner state directly influences others.
• Connecting Learning to the real world: Exploring responsibility, consent, boundary-setting, and leadership styles.

Impact: Equine Assisted Learning at New Horizons Academy

Measuring Impact:

Students complete weekly reflective activity learning sheets which are added into their curriculum books.

We measure and record the impact of our EAL activities using an individual tracking metric across the specific aims for each class which is set with the class teacher and a teacher judgement start point. The sessions are measured in terms of engagement and learning development for each student and a final teacher judgement measure given which is recorded on our school data tracking tool, Insight.

The children also complete a student appraisal after finishing their sessions to gather data on the student voice over the course of the year which is used to help measure the impact and inform sessions further.

EAL sessions are photographed to capture pupil engagement, achievement and success. These provide tangible evidence of individual progression that are shared with parents and are showcased within our EAL floor book and school displays.