Equine Advocate Training

You must have attended a volunteer orientation first!

As an Equine Advocate volunteer, a large part of your role is to support the horse. Participants typically don’t have experience and can inadvertently overwhelm a horse with their emotions or behavior. The horse needs an experienced handler (you) to notice his responses and intervene if necessary, either by redirecting participants or taking the horse off for a break. If you want to read a great book on horse handling philosophy, read Zen Mind, Zen Horse by Allan Hamilton, MD. Also What Horses Really Want by Lynn Acton.

With participants, your role is to be friendly, supportive, informative and neutral. Keep the focus on the horse and the activities. It’s easy for conversations to develop and sidetrack into therapy but this is not the goal of this environment. Don’t engage in exchanging personal details, do stay neutral and focused on the present and what the horse is doing right now. Please refrain from speaking negatively or too positively about the horse- neutral is always best.

You do not need to become a sidewalker before completing Equine Advocate Training.

You may also like the following events from People & Animal Learning Services (PALS):

• Next Monday, 1st September, 04:00 am, Picture of your PALS: Pet Spooktacular Photo Contest in Solsberry, Indiana
• Next month, 17th September, 06:30 pm, Sidewalker Volunteer Training in Bloomington
• Next month, 27th September, 08:30 am, Relax, Reconnect, & Recharge: A Day of Mindfulness & Nature in Bloomington

Also check out other Workshops in Bloomington.