Not Just A Pony Ride

We all have a Steady Eddy in our barn. We love them and hate to retire them, but what happens when we need to? Shelby is here to talk to us about options and how to plan for success when we retire a herd member. Get more on Equine Strategic Planning with Shelby’s on-demand webinar:   https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinestrategicplanning This episode is proudly sponsored by Teaching Aids for EAS. Use...

We are adding tools to our instructor toolbox today with another installation of Understanding Diagnoses. This episode is a little different, we aren’t going to talk about a specific diagnosis but rather something that we see most commonly as part of neurodivergent diagnoses.  Stimming. Stimming is short hand for “self-stimulating” – it’s a natural and instinctive behavior that people engage in to...

Barns are not meant to look like the Taj Mahal, but how the public perceives our place of business is important!  We should be advocating for our horses safety and mental health while also putting our best foot forward.  Listen to hear important things to consider when hosting any event or tour including, helpful signage, managing horse vices and unexpected safety tips.  Any person in your barn co...

When grief isn't expressed or addressed, it can lead to prolonged states of depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and chronic health issues. It can also strain relationships, impair work performance, and diminish our overall quality of life.   On this episode, Sandy Lemen, Director of Programming at The Collective for Hope, is here to explain how we can help.  Anyone can provide supp...

Sustainability and longevity of our programs is directly linked to high-quality services for our participants.  If our horses are unhappy, our programs aren’t impactful.  If our volunteers aren’t effective, our programs feel it.  If our instructors/therapists aren’t doing their best, programs are successful.  We train our horses, volunteers and staff to our standard, but how do we ACTUALLY know th...

A continuation from episode 78- click here if you haven’t heard PART ONE yet. https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ZWaQ3Chl9Hb Nonprofit work and getting to change lives every day seems like a dream job until you read the fine print. Kimberly Thomas is hear to help us discover how to effectively work with a board of directors/leadership and how to activate engagement. Expect to hear:  What exactly...

PART ONE:  Nonprofit work and getting to change lives every day seems like a dream job until you read the fine print. Kimberly Thomas is hear to help us discover how to effectively work with a board of directors/leadership and how to activate engagement. Expect to hear:  Variety of “types” of boards How your board changes as your organization grows Thoughts on Board Term Limits How to “evaluate” y...

Cheryl Eriksen has a masters in social work and is an accomplished author, blogger and a life long learner of equine communication.  Cheryl has spent decades as an equine professional and extensively studied equine behavior and how it is influenced by what the human brings to the relationship. Through her work in the field of equine assisted psychotherapy and learning, Cheryl has seen and experien...

This week Cassidy Fredrickson is here to talk all things miniature horses. Our minis are busy at HETRA, from after school programs, mini camps, offsite visits and more!  Listen to hear about the logistics of our different programs and some important tips to consider when traveling and working with these important herd members.  Get the PDF download of the PERSONAL SPACE Curriculum here: https://no...

New Podcast Alert! We recently hosted HETRA University Live and the PATH International Region 7 Conference here in Gretna, NE! Listen in to hear key take aways and our thoughts on why education is so important for our industry professionals. Thank you to The BARN Therapeutic Riding Center and Rhythms of Grace for sharing their favorite things about conference with us on the episode! Follow us on s...

Listen in to hear occupational therapist and CTRI, Kaiti Otte discuss the causes and symptoms of the 4 types of CP.  She also explains what adaptations we can make and what things we need to be looking out for to keep our participants with CP safe and comfortable while enjoying their equine partners.  Get the Common Diagnoses Webinar free by subscribing to our NEW Patreon here: https://www.patreon...

Down Syndrome is the most commonly diagnosed chromosomal condition and it is one of the diagnoses we see most frequently in EAS. Listen in to hear occupational therapist and PATH Intl. CTRI, Dr. Kaiti Otte, discuss the symptoms and precautions that will apply to us in Equine Assisted Services, and highlights some teaching strategies that can help our participants with Down Syndrome be as successfu...

How many of you have participants that aren’t using verbal language yet to communicate?  Whether someone has recently experienced a TBI or a child who isn’t using their words quite yet, there are lots of ways we can help these “emerging communicators”. Emily Harringon is a Speech-Language Pathologist that is currently working toward her PhD. She is researching this population of communicators and...

We’re back with PART TWO from author and accomplished horsewoman, Lynn Acton.  If you missed part one, go back and listen to that first!  In part one she introduced her concept of “protector leadership” and she starts her list of actions that we can do to help horses feel more safe. In this episode she will finish that list and talk to us more about about desensitization, which is a hot topic for...

PART ONE:  Lynn Acton is an accomplished horse woman and author.  While working with a foster pony, Lynn discovered that aligning with her horse’s' natural social order (cooperation) worked far better than the dominance model of interactions.  She then wrote a book and founded a method called “Protector Leadership”  with helping horses feel safe as the foundation.  In PART ONE you can expect t...

HETRA CEO, Edye Godden reflects on how HETRA has grown and what year 34 was like for us at our center.  She talks about her philosophies as a CEO:  never settling, always being open to change, thoughts on valuable mentorship and learning from each other in the industry.  Expect to hear: Challenges HETRA has experienced and what challenges Edye foresees for EAS industry as a whole including horses,...

Steph Pharr has a unique career as a neurodiversity consultant and psychological educator for the equine-assisted services field.  She is here to tell us why it is so important to educate ourselves about Neurodiversity and gives us some tips on creating an inclusive environment including focusing on strength based language.  We have an important discussion about “masking” and “stimming” and Steph...

  Where do I even start to find good grant opportunities?  How do I get creative with keywords and grants that might apply to EAS?  How do I know if it’s even a good grant for me?  What the heck is a 990?  Get all your questions answered in this advice packed episode from a true veteran of the grant writing world, Lucy Charvat, HETRA Grant Manager and PATH Intl. CTRI.  Resources from this episode:...

Christina Coxe shares how her life paths have intersected between athletic trainer, CTRI and program manager.  We share thoughts on tracts of education for therapeutic riding instructors including the importance of understanding the biomechanics of humans and horses alike.  Checkout this episode for an EXCITING announcement. Check out Equi-librium here: www.equi-librium.orgDetails on registration...

Wanting to start a new program? Wanting to figure out how to maintain sustainable programming? This episode is for you!  HETRA’s Program Manager, Shelby Schult, sits down with us to discuss the art of program sustainability. Expect to hear information on:  Cost of programming Community need Horse Workload & Horse Selection Diversifying your horse herd Business Techniques for Success Resources...

This episode is a very special one.  HETRA University was on the road to PATH Intl. International Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina October 26-28, 2023 and we met so many wonderful people.  During the conference we set up an impromptu live recording of the podcast and ended up with this gem of an episode.  You will hear some amazing perspectives on what does “It’s not just a pony ride” mean...

Start your own transition program at your center! Transition Programs are for students with disabilities that need extra time after HS graduation to help develop valuable life skills that will prepare them for independence.  We hear from two experts in the field from Gretna Public Schools, Kendra Schneider, Assistant Director of Special Education and Dawna Daily with the Gretna Young Adult Program...

The Common Ground Project is a unique organization in the Tom Miner Basin near the Yellowstone National Park in Montana that specializes in retreats, workshops and gatherings.  More than programs they offer a beautiful space to facilitate relationships and connections with other people, animals and nature.  Listen in to hear Daniel’s take on the “Theory of Change” and why coming together can be so...

What do you do if mounted lessons can’t happen? Whether we can’t ride due to weather or horse changes, how can we keep our participants engaged and progressing? Join Cassidy and Edye to hear TONS of examples on creative ways to continue learning even without riding.  Even some tips on how to get participants, families and instructors on board with alternative programming.  Lots of links and resour...

  Listen in to hear Joe Hunter, Executive Director of a local non-profit, give valuable advice on building a high quality board that understands your mission and is able to communicate it effectively for donor cultivation.  He also speaks on organizing unique fundraising events and getting your community involved to support your mission. Also hear tips on: Strategic planning, sponsors vs. donors,...