How It Works

Social-emotional issues, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns often get in the way of student learning

Horsing Around & Learning can break through those challenges giving students a chance to learn or reinforce reading and other academic skills in the moment.

Horsing Around and Learning integrates social-emotional learning with academics; thus allowing students see and experience reading with their entire mind, body and emotions by creating metaphors for the skills involved in reading.

Students interact with horses from the ground, while using toys and props to identify obstacles and learn five critical reading skills – phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

* Session goals vary depending upon the needs of the individual or group

We use the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala) model of Equine Assisted Learning as the foundation.

During sessions, students are given the opportunity to…

Identify

Issues affecting learning are identified and made visible by the client, through the use of obstacles (toys and props), which symbolize stumbling blocks that get in the way of understanding

Experience

Memory retention and recall improve dramatically when movement anchors learning

Issues getting in the way of academic and social emotional growth are addressed by our expert team in the moment

Connect

Students are allowed to choose their own horse to work with, just as they would choose a book to read

Students are then given an opportunity to connect with their chosen “book”

Reflect

Sessions allow students a chance to reflect on what they are experiencing and provide an opportunity to create new patterns of learning in a supported environment

Discover how we are helping children all around the world

To learn more, watch our video lovingly created by HPR facilitator Monica Kubik from MSB Connect in Dubai, United Arab Emirates who has gifted this version to all HPR programs to use

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Powering through challenges

Horse Powered Reading® focuses on the learning process for the individual and builds upon children’s natural curiosity and determination. 

During sessions, students are allowed to make discoveries and experiment with knowledge firsthand.

Our facilitators are trained to see what tools (toys and props) the child uses to choose and connect with their book (horse) and how that connection is made.

The interaction between client and horse gives the facilitator insight into what the client is experiencing inside and what patterns are working or not working for them. That interplay allows for profound learning to take place. 

Through this process, the horse creates an opportunity for immediate feedback and experiential learning to take place.


Why Horses?

Horses can help clients build connections.

They are honest in the way they react to situations

Horses are extremely sensitive to the actions of humans

Horses have an incredible ability to pick up on our non-verbal behavior

Horses will only bond with someone when they feel the person is being “authentic”

Skill Addressed

  • Decoding – building phonics skills and sight word recognition
  • Vocabulary enhancement
  • Fluency development – reading quickly, accurately and with expression 
  • Overcome barriers blocking comprehension
  • Practice study skills
  • Comprehend textbooks
  • Learn new, unfamiliar, and multi-syllable words
  • Achieve higher order thinking
  • Use critical and creative thinking


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We Track Measurable Results

Our research has discovered it only takes a few key reading skills combined with motivation, self-efficacy/confidence, and persistence, all of which are taught by the horses, to create an exponential growth in learning.

  • Pre- & Post- Assessments
  • QRI-5 Word List Assessment
  • QRI-5 Graded Paragraph Assessment
  • Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
  • Motivations for Reading Questionnaire
  • The Reader Self-Perception Scale
  • Parent Interviews Six Months After Tutoring