KINDRED SPIRITS EQUINE

Welcome to Kindred Spirits Equine

Discover the heart of equine connection at Kindred Spirits Equine.   We're dedicated to providing exceptional Equine Assisted Learning and workshops.   Join us as we celebrate the spirit of the horse and create lasting bonds with our magnificent horses.

Equine Assisted Learning is an experiential, ground-based activity where participants work alongside horses to build trust, communication, and teamwork. No horseback riding is involved; instead, the focus is on unmounted, objective-based exercises like grooming, navigating obstacle courses, or solving puzzles together.

The Benefits of Equine Interaction

Because horses are prey animals, they are highly sensitive to their environment and instinctively mirror human body language, energy, and intent. This provides immediate, unfiltered feedback that helps groups evaluate their own interpersonal dynamics.

The Benefits of Equine Interaction

• Improved Communication: Highlights how people convey boundaries and non-verbal intent to others.
• Team Building & Cooperation: Requires pairs or groups to work in unison to safely guide a horse through a task.
• Emotional Intelligence: Helps participants recognize and regulate their emotions based on how the horse reacts to their "energy".
• Shared Experience: Fosters empathy, vulnerability, and bonding outside of a traditional environment.

What to Expect in a Session

A typical EAL session lasts anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes and is guided by a certified Equine Assisted Learning facilitator. The structure generally follows a three-part framework:

• The Brief: A pre-session talk where the group and the facilitator discuss objectives and map out the goals for the day.
• The Activity: Hands-on, unmounted puzzles or exercises. The group must navigate a challenge with the horse without using physical force, forcing open, authentic communication among human participants.
• The Debrief: A group reflection where participants discuss what feelings and reactions the horse brought up, and how these lessons translate into their everyday family and peer relationships.

Land acknowledgement and honoring our Indigenous roots

"We acknowledge the land where we gather demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the original spirit and intent of Treaty 7, also known as the Blackfoot Treaty.  This agreement is to share the land and live well together, in peace for "as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the river flows".  This acknowledgement is an act of Truth and Reconciliation to honor the Indigenous peoples who have cared for their traditional territories since time immemorial and leads us to consider our individual and collective roles and responsibilities to the treaty relationship.  Kindred Spirits Equine located just outside of Calgary, Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut'ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations).  The city of Calgary is also home to the Metis Nation within Alberta (including Nose Hill Metis District 5 and Elbow Metis District 6).  Calgary is situated on land Northwest of where the Bow River meets the Elbow River, a site traditionally known as Moh'kins'tsis to the Blackfoot, Wichispa to the Stoney Nakoda, and Guts'ists'i to the Tsuut'ina.  On this land and in this place we strive to learn together, walk together, and grow together "in a good way".