Equine Assisted Learning (NZ-HALO)

About

NZ HALO (New Zealand's Horse Assisted Learning Organisation)

Story

NZ HALO™ New Zealand’s Horse Assisted Learning Organisation is at the heart of Dune Lakes Lodge. We incorporate excellent facilities and committed professionals (horses and human) providing development & learning programmes geared to each individual need and goal.

Horses teach you alignment by their very beingness.

Equine-assisted learning integrates horses into the learning process. Horses can help people with physical issues, speech problems, behavioral issues and emotional problems.

It is experiential and non-directive in nature. It’s not about teaching riding or horse care skills - and no previous experience of horses is necessary.

It has been clinically proven that being in the vicinity of horses changes brainwave patterns. They have a calming effect which helps stop people becoming fixated on past or negative events - giving them a really positive experience.

Horse assisted learning encourages growth and learning using our equine friends as intermediaries. Having evolved over 60 million years as a prey animal being totally aware of its environment and surroundings the horse is an excellent mirror to the thoughts, feelings, attitudes and behaviours of those around them. Living in the “now” horses cause you to perceive life and relationships in the immediacy of the present. The combination of facilitator and equine guide offers unique reflections geared towards developing self knowledge and self-responsibility.
Results using horses in this way have been startling. Individuals, youths, families and groups learn about themselves and others by taking part in our equine assisted activities. Our programmes help with emotional and behavioural issues, anger, stress, self-confidence, communication skills, and relationship difficulties developing a healthy self-image and supporting new patterns of behaviour and personal and/or professional goals.

NZ HALO™ offers Team Building Workshops; Personalised Leadership Development Courses; Business and Corporate Training Programmes; Team interactive Youth Programmes and Personal, Couples and Family Growth and Development Workshops.

Horses have an amazing power to heal and to teach. They offer unconditional friendship, experience a wide range of feelings, and provide immediate, honest, observable feedback in response to our interactions with them. Horses are sensitive to nonverbal stimulus, which makes them astute therapeutic guides. They are social beings that bring us insight into group dynamics and our individual roles we play in our daily lives.

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an emerging field in which horses are used as a tool for emotional growth and learning. It is experiential in nature in that individuals learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with horses and then discussing feelings, behaviors and patterns. This approach has been compared to rope courses and other adventure-based activities. EAL has the added advantage of utilizing horses, dynamic and powerful living beings.