If you are in the Equine Assisted World and you have not yet hear of the Institute for Human and Animal Connection at Denver University, then you should. The institute - one of the first to really get academics behind the work we all do with horses and people (and not just horses) paved the way for real careers in the field, and through its research and collaborations had brought a much needed scientific legitimacy to what was once disregarded as mere 'playing with ponies'.

At the helm of the Institute is the amazing Nina Ekolhm Fry. Originally from Finland - indeed from the minority of Swedish Speaking Finns, she grew up with horses in the northern European tradition but also began working early in her career with the Red Cross and humanitarian aid, so the combination of horses with compassion based healing work comes was established early on.

Nina has a fascinating story - how she came to the usa and began exploring the many equine assisted programs on offer while developing programs at Prestcott College in Arizona and then at Denver, and helping to develop the field into a globally recognised therapeutic modality, including the work of HETI (Horses in education and Therapy International) in which she is a prime mover. So if you don't yet know her, meet Nina now, and you'll realise how much we all owe to her pioneering work, as how far - thanks to those like her - we have all come. Listen on.

Contact Nina:
nina.ekholm-fry@du.edu
https://ihac.du.edu

Also mentioned in the podcast:
Fran Jurga equine repository research
https://equineassistedresearch.com/

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Linda Kohanov is a legend.

A household name in the horse world and also for many of those interested in shamanism and myth, her bestselling books The Tao of Equus Riding Between The Worlds, Way of the Horse, The Power of the Herd and The Five Roles of a Master Herder have established her as a go to as a reference for the spiritual side of the horse and human connection.

Her courses and lectures and method Eponaquest, keep her busy nationally and internationally.

But there is a lot more to Linda than that. her background as a musician, journalist, historian and music critic, as well as her deep inquiry into mythology have given her worldview that sees patterns where others might miss them, discerns structures and connections between seemingly disparate world and - in about as clear a way as one could wish for - sets a gold standard for self actualization: creating a life and career through ones passions that also serves and inspires others.

The world of equine assisted human development owes much to Linda as a pioneer, but her work has spilled over into the non equine mainstream of human development as well.

Living in the Sonoran Desert near Tuscon, and opening her ranch to seekers of the horse human connection from around the world, Kohanov has a story that can inspire anyone from any walk of life seeking to self actualize through their interests, their passions, their heart.

There is much to learn here as Linda takes us on a journey that gives us many clue as to how we too, might find our calling.

Books mentioned:

• All of Linda's books listed on Amazon
• Tao of Equus
• Riding between the Worlds
• Way of the Horse
• The Power of the Herd
• The 5 Roles of a Master Herder

Contact Linda:
rasa@eponaquest.com
Online courses: LindaKohanov.com
Workshops EponaQuest.com
Epona Quest Instructors

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Anyone in the Equine Assisted World had heard of the legendary EAGALA program - perhaps the first organization to really bring the field out of the realm of purely therapeutic or adaptive raiding and into the realm of the neuro-psychiatric, at least on a level outside certain isolated mental health institutions.

What many in the Equine Assisted fields may not know is that EAGALA was the brainchild of Lynn Thomas, a mental health professional who didn't know much about horses but who from a very young age, through being drafted into a series of outward bound programs for at risk youth, some of which had horses,observed the radically positive effect that nature, movement and horses, even when one didn't ride them, had on people.

Here on Equine Assisted World Lynn recounts the fascinating story of how these early insights morphed into the EAGALA program and how that grew exponentially into the giant we know today.

But then, as all innovators do - she pivots - creating two new programs that are no less fascinating . Arenas For Change - a new cutting edge approach to well being for the equine practitioners themselves, addressing the burnout that so often goes with the demands of this field. And Horses For Mental Health, which - get this - helps therapeutic equine programs tell their story and get both recognition and more crucially, funding.

This podcast is also time sensitive, as if writing this, on December 15th 2023, Horses For Mental Health is calling for submissions from programs in need of having their stories told. If your program could use a helping hand, and whose doesn't, then perhaps you should listen all the way to the end..

Contact Lynn
https://horsesformentalhealth.org
https://arenasforchange.com

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https://rupertisaacson.com