Welcome to Saffron Equine Centre

What is Equine Assisted Learning?

To put it simply, Equine Assisted Learning is a learner based educational experience with horses. More specifically, it is an effective approach to human development that encourages individual and team growth. Participants engage in objectively driven exercises and find themselves learning valuable life skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working with horses. Equine Assisted Learning has proven to be effective, powerful, positive, educational, and creative. The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning’s program emphasizes it’s curriculum of objectively driven exercises and facilitating life skills through positively reinforced interaction with horses. Exercises are developed to encourage self-esteem and self confidence through validated, hands-on experiences. Current research has found this experiential form of learning to be most effective as the person learning will retain the newly acquired skill.

Why Horses?

Horses are tough and stead fast dance partners. Horses consistently react to stimulus provided by participants. Some of the joys associated with working around horses are – they don’t judge but they constantly assess. Their feedback is honest and instant. Learning to listen to what horses have to say is powerful and can sometimes spur the answer to individual change. By including horses in specially designed educational exercises, equine-assisted facilitators have greatly multiplied the participant’s rate of success to self discovery.

How?

Horses respond and react from the stimulus of the people they are working with and address the problem immediately. A skilled and certified facilitator has the opportunity to step-in and help identify what needs to happen to move forward. Horses don’t over think a participant’s motive but horses do challenge their behaviour and leadership.

Meet our staff

Tivio the horse

Tivio

This is Tivio. He is a quarter horse born in 2006. Tivio has been part of the family at Saffron Equine Centre since 2015. He is a big, gentle and friendly teacher in our skills development programs. Many people comment that he looks just like Spirit from the Disney movie.

Ice the horse

Ice

Meet Ice. She has beautiful eyes. One is blue and one is brown. Her eyes are as colorful as her personality. Many people are drawn to Ice and like to take her picture. She is happy to make friends with people, she loves to go out on trail rides and enjoys her job as a teacher. She was born in 2003.

Image of Ruby the brown hose

Ruby

Meet Ruby. Ruby is a quarter horse, born in 2005. She joined the family at Saffron Equine Centre after retiring from work as a show horse and a breeding mare. Ruby has found a new job here as an excellent kind and patient teacher.

Scout the horse

Scout

This big guy is named Scout. He was born in 2009. He is part Friesian, Belgian, and Paint. Not many people or horses push Scout around. He is a strong leader in his herd but also a gentle teacher and friend to visitors at Saffron Equine Centre. He joined our family in 2014.

Learn more …