Not Just A Pony Ride

We are doing a  replay of a VERY popular episode, Season 2, Episode 40 of the show.   At the time of this episode, Shelby Schult was our acting Equine Operations Manager, which she was for 8 years, but is now our program director here at HETRA.  We are replaying this episode because number one it was a really popular listen but also we get a TON of questions on this topic through the show and when Shelby presents on Equine Welfare at conferences.  As you know we are really passionate about that around here, so that is why we decided to take this conversation LIVE!  We are doing 2.5 FULL days of equine welfare this coming March 14th -16th, 2025.

Get all the details and to register for the workshop here:   https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html

Follow us on social and plug in here:  https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks

This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. ⁠https://www.equi-force.com/

2 Tips for going into episode 102… #1 it’s a little longer than our typical episodes, so be prepared fr that, but #2 it’s longer because it’s JUICY. There was too much good information to make it any shorter!  Joe has such a fresh perspective on managing therapeutic riding centers.  Joe Wappelhorst is the ED at SIRE and he was able to not only grow their organization SUBSTANTIALLY in a short amount of time, but also really position them in a sustainable spot that they did not have before he arrived. What’s unique about Joe is that he is not a grassroots horse person.  While the passion for the services SIRE offers definitely shines through, he really specializes in the business side of being an ED.  His perspective is super fresh and different from what is typical in the EAS industry… if you’re wondering if any of these tips will be worth it…  I think his center success speaks for itself on that!

Expect to hear conversation on:

Equine Strategic Planning webinar: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinestrategicplanning

Register for the HETRA University Live Conference in Gretna, NE on March 13-15, 2025

https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html

Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks

This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. ⁠https://www.equi-force.com/

Today we are gong to look at tone.  Everyone has heard it… high tone, low tone, fluctuating tone, spasticity … what does all that even mean!? Spoiler alert it’s can be a little complicated and depending on the diagnoses can look very different from participant to participant.  Today we are going to do our best to simplify it and break down the basic differences between hyper- and hypo-tonia and how both impact our participants in the saddle. 

Register for the LIVE WEBINAR:  Postural Corrections and Modifications for Adaptive Riding Participants, November 17th at 6:30 PM CT  https://form.jotform.com/242204635686055

Get a more complex look at tone in Episode 53:  Understanding Diagnoses in EAS: Cerebral Palsy  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9dNNl17b6Nb

Register for the HETRA University Live Conference in Gretna, NE on March 13-15, 2025https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html

This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. ⁠https://www.equi-force.com/

Reference from today’s episode:  Ganguly J, Kulshreshtha D, Almotiri M, Jog M. Muscle Tone Physiology and Abnormalities. Toxins (Basel). 2021 Apr 16;13(4):282. doi: 10.3390/toxins13040282. PMID: 33923397; PMCID: PMC8071570.

We’re celebrating 100 episodes of the podcast!  Listen in to hear Edye Godden, CEO of HETRA and Erin Bevington, COO of HETRA, share their thoughts on how we have stayed adaptable as a center and why that is so important for sustainability.  We share great reflections and some laughs about the adventure to where HETRA has ended up today.  

As an adaptive riding instructor, you might find yourself in an uncomfortable situation you don’t know how to navigate with your participants.  It could be oversharing, traumatic responses, panic attacks, being shut down and a lot more. As instructors we have a tendency to want to help our participants and step in to offer advice,  but we have to be careful to stay in our lane and offer the correct support and resources for our participants with mental health concerns.  Listen in to hear Hallie Sheade, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, share her advice when it comes to managing our “lane”. 

Expect to hear her advice on:

She also tells us about her unique EAS program offering mental health services and adaptive riding, specifically for those with mental health concerns who have been through their ground program. 

Great ways to get a better MH Understanding:

www.coursera.org 

The Gift of Therapy by Irvin D. Yalom, M.D.  https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Therapy-Generation-Therapists-Patients/dp/0061719617  

As the EAS industry continues to expand and diversify, it is of utmost importance to keep the needs of our equine partners at the forefront of the movement.  The better you are to your horses, the longer they will be in your program.  It’s about education and staying honest with yourself about what our horses need to stay happy, healthy, sane and sound.

 Check out HETRA University Live, October 4-5, 2024: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html

Check out these Equine Welfare webinars now for just $10: 

Seamless Transitions: Integrating New Horses into EAS Programs webinar: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/seamlesstransitions

Avoiding Equine Burnout webinar:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/avoidingequineburnout

Evaluation of the EAS Horse webinar:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/evaluationoftheeashorse

Equine Strategic Planning webinar:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinestrategicplanning

Evaluation of incoming participants is an important piece of the puzzle in so many ways. It helps your participant be as successful as they can be, but it also helps your instructors, volunteer team and horse team make important decisions and be prepared.  Listen to hear what Edye Godden, CEO at HETRA thinks the primary barriers are to thorough evaluations and why they are so important. 

Get the CEU’s and more details with Edye’s on demand presentation, Evaluation of EAS Participants here:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/evalofeasparticipants

Join us at Patreon to get the webinar for free!  Learn more here:  https://www.patreon.com/notjustaponyride

Follow us on social, buy merch and plug in with us here:  https://notjustaponyride.my.canva.site/linkinbio

Join us for a global conversation!  Vera, the President of HETI is here to talk to us today about the importance of connection with other professionals, not only locally, but on an international scale.  We discuss what HETI has to offer it’s members as well as what sort of challenges and successes she has seen on a global scale for the EAS community.  

Learn more about the Federation of Horses in Education and Therapy International:  https://hetifederation.org/

Learn more about the Leadership Adventures EAL Summit here:   https://www.equineassistedlearning.org/

Follow us on social and plug in here:  https://notjustaponyride.my.canva.site/linkinbio

Executive function is the cognitive process of the brain that allows us to set goals, plan things, stay organized and make the right decisions while keeping our emotions in check.  It consists of a series of 7 skills: self-awareness, inhibitory control, non-verbal working memory, verbal working memory, emotional self-regulation, self-motivation and planning/problem solving. This episode will take a look at each one of these skills and how deficits in one or more of these areas might impact our riders in the arena.  We will talk about helpful strategies and ways to help our participants be successful despite challenges with executive functioning. 

For more helpful learning strategies and an in depth look at ADHD checkout this webinar:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/understandingadhdineas

Learn more about the Leadership Adventures EAL Summit here:   https://www.equineassistedlearning.org/

Follow us on social and plug in here:  https://notjustaponyride.my.canva.site/linkinbio

We have been getting a lot of questions lately about how to get involved in the Equine Assisted Services industry.  There are SO many ways to make an impact, listen in to hear the options and what all goes into each area of service.  Today we will cover options for instructors, therapists, coaches, educators, facility, horse and volunteer management as well as the different areas of programming and what qualifications you may need for each! 

Be sure to check out all of these resources for a deeper look!: 

Instructor Certification with CHA:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/TnWvIb51xLb

Instructor Certification with a Therapeutic Horsemanship Degree at University:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/SIgG3H01xLb

Adaptive Riding vs. Therapy Services:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/2ykDTlc2xLb

American Hippotherapy Association:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/SGv2nM71xLb

Horse Powered Reading: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/wbbCxbY1xLb

EAL Certification with Strides to Success:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/oOAeHSf2xLb

EAL and EA Psychotherapy with the HERD Institute:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/JgvAWMh2xLb

EAGALA:  https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/G2rdvI01xLb

Graduate Students in EAS:   https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/UuE1rT71xLb

Learn more about the Leadership Adventures EAL Summit here:   https://www.equineassistedlearning.org/

Follow us on social and plug in here:  https://notjustaponyride.my.canva.site/linkinbio