
Equine Connection
SOF Equine Connection program started with Fair View High school and has since expanded to other schools in the Chico Unified School District. Equine Connection also works with Chico State School of Education BEST Program utilizing equine-assisted learning to better equip future teachers for the classroom. Click here for an article detailing the with Chico State.
Equine Connection offers much needed and unconventional support to individuals who have not found success within traditional means. EC is able to be extremely nuanced to each participant in the program, therefore fitting the specific needs of each participant. This nuanced approach allows instructors to address specific key issues in communication and emotional regulation, as well as staying present.
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Equine Connection utilizes highly educated horses who understand the work and are able to provide and introspection to participants. The horses in the program have been trained to communicate via body language, specific physical cues, and the tone of emotions/energy. The horses become a vessel to the emotional state of the participant working directly with them.
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Equine Connection strongly aligns with Sheltering Oak Farms' mission by providing support for key elements of mental and emotional wellbeing. SOF works with horses who have experienced trauma and abuse, or have lived with high anxiety, and have health issues leading to tension, pain, or helplessness. Through our work bringing horses back to health, we found that recovered horses are extremely in tune with the needs of the people who work with them. SOF's mission has been to help horses recover from trauma and live a more peaceful life with purpose and proper care. EC applies that mission to individuals with many of the same needs.