Q   Horses make me nervous.

A   Critical incidents are full of nervous elements. If you cannot control your nervousness in the arena what do you think happens during an escalating situation?  We all get nervous it is what we do with it during a critical situation that is important. This would be a great class for anyone who is nervous around unpredictable situations.

Q   Can I still attend if I have allergies?

A This is up to you. If you think it will interfere with your learning then maybe not?

Q   Do I need to have experience with horses to take the class?

A   It does not matter if you have or do not have experience. This is not a riding program. Everything is done on the ground in the arena. Mounted unit members that have been to this class say they look at their horse differently because of the ground interaction between the horses and human.

Q   Is this a good class for officers with anger issues?

A   Yes. Working with horse, on the ground, is a way to practice self-control and awareness of frustration levels. This is a great class to learn not to take what people say personally. Often time that is the reason for the frustration or anger.

Q   How does this address adrenaline?

A  Horses pick up on the adrenaline levels caused by anxiety and hyper-vigilance of the individual in the environment. You can see the horse reaction to the levels of adrenaline. As student become aware of their adrenaline they can bring it down to a more manageable level appropriate to the horse.

Q   How does working with horses, engage the mindset, conscious and subconscious?

  A  The scenario timeline is created in the arena

               1     Mindset: Horses are unpredictable when at liberty. This characteristic makes people think about personal safety. Personal safety is not a concern in traditional scenario training.

              2    Conscious:  Working with horses at liberty, the conscious part of the brain is thinking and aware of the potential risk as they navigate the scenario timeline with the horses. Thinking about adrenaline levels and seeing how they impact the environment is not part of traditional scenario training.

               3     Subconscious: This part of the brain is always engaged to the environment. The conscious and mindset are working together to think about the situation, control the subconscious reaction, and cope with stress when things are not going as planned with the horses. 

Equine  Assisted  Learning (EAL) will engage all three parts of the brain to stay balanced for better recall and decision making for the optimum  outcome of any situation.

Q   Does this training replace classroom training for similar subjects?

A   Having classroom training helps with the understanding of what is happening in the arena, and with the horses. This is an experiential learning class to apply the skills you learn through classroom lecture, zoom or online courses. This training is a practicum class on self-control, awareness and resilience for real-world events.

Q   Does this training class interfere with the mounted unit horse's training? 

A   No, the horses are at liberty during the class. Horses are not learning or being trained for a behavior in this class. The horses' responses or reactions are monitored by the instructor. Horses are the measurement of the physical and emotional levels of the officers in the arena. You cannot force a horse to do anything they are not comfortable doing. The horses get to choose where they want to be in the arena. The calmer the officers are the calmer the horses become. The calmer the horses are the easier they are to work with on the ground. This is natural horsemanship in reverse.

Q   How are you sure that the horses are not negatively impacted by this class?

A   At the end of class the horses are mingling with the students. This is a contrast to the start of the day where the horses are not with the students. Horses do not want to be in an environment where they are not comfortable or safe. When horses and people become one group, that is the indicator that the horses and people are in a balanced state of mind.

Q   How does a program in Kansas go anywhere in the country?

A  This class can take place at any mounted unit facility. When a class is located at a mounted unit facility some of the money from class fees goes to the mounted unit. It can be a donation to the mounted unit or fees to be paid to the department for the use of the facility. This program is a win win situation for the department and the mounted unit.

Contact Donna at 316-641-4403 on how to make this happen in your city.