The EAL Community of Practice™

Thursday, August 20, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Human-Equine Interaction: Prioritizing Relatability 

Presenters:  Merriam Mashatt, CTRI, ESMHL and Laura Smith, Executive Director, Loudoun Therapeutic Riding

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details:
Creating a safe framework where humans and horses relate to one another on the ground is at the core of many equine-assisted learning modalities. This presentation discusses how to assess equines for this work where relatability criteria are prioritized over traditional rideability characteristics. Also discussed are how to build capacity at the barn for this work including training on equine behaviors and lesson plans centered around the horse having a choice. 

Learning Objectives:
1) Explain the importance of understanding equine behaviors based upon science and learning theory.
2) Discuss equine assessment criteria based on relatability.
3) Discuss building capacity for relationship based ground work including volunteer training, tool kits and lesson planning.

Bio:
Merriam is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) Certified Registered Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. She holds an additional certification as a Stable Moments Mentor (foster care focused), is Natural Lifemanship trained and completed coursework at the University of Denver on Equine-Human Interactions.  She is currently working at Loudoun Therapeutic Riding in Virginia.  Laura holds a degree in psychology from the University of Virginia. She has extensive experience working in both the equine private sector and non-profit arenas. She is currently the Executive Director of Loudoun Therapeutic Riding in Virginia. 

Thursday, July 23, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Slicing the Pie: Creating Organizational Sustainability Through Program Diversification

Presenters:  Dr. Blair McKissock and Debbie Anderson

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details:
In the world of equine-assisted services, many organizations have a single signature program or few funding streams—leaving them vulnerable to burnout, financial instability, and unintended consequences for horse welfare. In this dynamic and interactive session, Blair and Debbie will guide participants through the concept of “the organizational pie,” a visual and strategic approach to balancing programs and revenue streams.

Whether you're a seasoned program leader looking to reduce burnout and future-proof your organization, or a new entrepreneur designing your dream model, this session offers real-world strategies and engaging exercises. Participants will explore how thoughtful diversification can lead to more resilient operations, improved outcomes for participants, and healthier, more sustainable care for equine partners.

The session includes a live “hot seat” experience where volunteers can receive direct guidance to assess or reimagine their pie leaving with actionable insights tailored to their unique goals and challenges.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1.) Understand the risks of overreliance on a single program or funding stream and how it impacts staff, horses, and organizational health.

2.) Apply the "organizational pie" model to assess their current program and revenue balance.

3.) Identify practical diversification strategies that align with mission, capacity, and community need.

4.) Engage in collaborative problem-solving through live case studies and peer-supported feedback.

5.) Walk away with a clear next step to build or refine a more sustainable, resilient, and impactful equine-assisted program.

Bio:

Dr. Blair McKissock is a nationally recognized leader in equine-assisted services with over 30 years of experience as a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), equine specialist, and master EAL facilitator. She is the co-founder of HorseWork Education and currently serves as Associate Professor in Health & Wellness Design at Indiana University and Director of Education and Research at Strides to Success. A published researcher and curriculum author, Dr. McKissock has contributed extensively to the development of evidence-based practices in equine-assisted learning, recreational therapy, and nature-based wellness. Debbie has served in the animal assisted industry for over 40 years, and has held every position including lead stall cleaner, program director, board member, fundraiser, founder, and executive director, and is the co-founder of Strides to Success. Debbie is a PATH Intl. certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor since 1996 and is also certified as an Equine Specialist is Mental Health & Learning. Additional certifications include Certified Equine Interaction Professional in Education (CEIP-ED), E3A certified corporate trainer, and EAGALA trained and a Horse Work Master trainer and most recently a PATH EAL credentialed Facilitator.  Debbie has served the EAS industry in many capacities such as being one of the authors of the "Optimal Terminology for Services in the United States that Incorporate Horses to Benefit People".

Thursday, June 25, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Pegasus Refresh the Farm Service Learning and Leadership for Corporations

Presenters:  Jeffrey Rumpf, Executive Director, Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, Inc.

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details: Therapeutic Riding Farms provide a great opportunity to engage large numbers of Corporate Volunteers in the work of the farm. Corporations love the opportunity to be outside in a beautiful environment working together with the values and hands on excitement that built our country.... Painting and fixing Fencing like modern day Tom Sawyers, replacing Rail Road Ties , Road Building like John Henry and Gardening and farm and orchard planting like Jonny Appleseed. Corporations gain teamwork, leadership, connection and community while fixing our farms. Just as importantly, they enter our donor pipeline, engaging in charitable cultivation for the future. 

Learning Objectives:
1) Overview of Pegasus Refresh the Farm Initiative in 4 years, growing from 5 volunteers to 500, from $400 dollars raised to $100,000, from one company to 10 companies (30 minutes) 2) Startup, Paperwork, Marketing the Concept to Corporations (20 minutes)  3) Service Project day, agendas and management, hands on success and safety. (20 minutes) 4)Corporate Cultivation and Funding from materials reimbursement to Foundation access to Marketing sponsorships, to individual donors. (20 Minutes)   

Bio:

Jeff is a program centric Executive Director with a strong and inspired passion for the mission to build community and culture around shared goals. He is also a highly trained and highly effective fundraiser raising over $20,000,000 for his nonprofit organizations. Jeff has 30 years’ experience working with the under resourced, disenfranchised, disabled and those most vulnerable. He does not hesitate to roll up his sleeves and take on the biggest challenges for the most challenged people.

Jeff is the Executive Director of Pegasus. Pegasus uses equine assisted programs to restore and change lives! Jeff is excited to share a leading-edge holistic Pegasus program called HEAL-TH. Working with Horses, participants reach important Physical, Cognitive and Social Emotional goals that change their lives. In the last 7 years Jeff more than doubled programs, tripled earned revenue, rebuilt the facilities with an innovative corporate sponsorship “refresh the farm” volunteer initiative and raised Pegasus GuideStar rating from 1-star to the best in class 4-star rating. From staff development to facilities to fundraising Jeff has had top-tier results.

Thursday, May 21, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Horse Behavior & the 5 Domains Model of Welfare 

Presenters:  Ellen Rankins, Assistant Professor & Director of Texan Therapeutic Riding, Department of Animal Science, Tarleton State University 

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details: Have you ever wondered what horse behavior can tell us about their welfare? Join us to learn more about the importance of equine behavior, how we measure behavior in applied and research settings, and what behavior can tell us about equine welfare. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the 5 Domains Model of Welfare and why conceptual frameworks for understanding animal welfare are so important. 

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe why we observe and measure equine behavior 

2) Demonstrate methods for observing and recording equine behavior 

3) Describe the 5 Domains Model of Animal welfare 

4) Discuss what information behavior provides about an animal's state of welfare

Bio:

Ellen Rankins, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Tarleton State University where her research focuses on equine-assisted services (EAS) and equine welfare. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Auburn University in Animal Sciences – Equine Science and went on to earn a Master of Science degree at the University of Florida in Animal Sciences and a Ph.D. in Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences from Rutgers University. Before joining the faculty at Tarleton State University, Dr. Rankins completed postdoctoral training at the Temple Grandin Equine Center at Colorado State University. She also serves as Director of Texan Therapeutic Riding at Tarleton State University. When not in the lab or office, she can be found teaching adaptive/therapeutic riding lessons. Ellen has been a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International (PATH Intl.) certified instructor since 2012 and a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) certified instructor since 2024. Her hours spent in the riding arena have honed her research interests, which has spanned a variety of fields including kinesiology, behavior, and physiology.

Thursday, April 16, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Natural Mindfulness: Why EAL Works and How to Measure It

Presenters:  James Meaden, MA

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details:
The Environmental Model of Mindfulness (EMM), published in Frontiers in Social Psychology (2024), reconceptualizes mindfulness as an adaptive cognitive style naturally shaped by environmental contexts rather than an effortful practice. This framework reveals why EAL environments are uniquely positioned to foster mindfulness: they inherently contain four factors that naturally elicit mindful states—immediate feedback from horses, experiential learning, nature exposure, and experiences of interconnection. This session introduces the EMM and its implications for EAL practice, then presents a new assessment tool—the EMM-EAL Scale—currently being developed to measure these environmental elements. Attendees will learn how the EMM provides research-backed language for articulating EAL's effectiveness, use the EMM to identify opportunities for enhancement in their own programs, and will have the opportunity to participate in validating the scale.

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe the four reserach-backed environmental factors that naturally elicit mindfulness in EAL settings 

2) Use the Environmental Model of Mindfulness to explain EAL's effectiveness to stakeholders

3) Apply the EMM-EAL Scale framework to assess environmental strengths in their own programs and identify areas for enhancement

Bio:

James Meaden is an industrial/organizational psychologist, certified mindfulness teacher, and equine-assisted learning specialist with 15 years in psychometric assessment and research and six years working directly with horses. He holds a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology from George Mason University, along with bachelor's degrees in psychology, neuroscience, and business administration. James holds certifications in equine-assisted learning from the HERD Institute and in mindfulness from The Mindfulness Center's Science of Mindful Awareness (SOMA) program. His published research includes "The Environmental Model of Mindfulness" in Frontiers in Social Psychology and "The Abstraction Habituation Model of Knowledge Worker Burnout" in Frontiers in Psychology. A regular speaker at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) conferences, he leads program evaluation for EAP and EAL initiatives and is the founder of The Alive Institute, an organization dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their innate mindfulness through evidence-based practices and experiential learning.

Thursday, March 26, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Pony Pals - A reading program

Presenters:  Kristen Marcus, Executive Director, CHAPS Equine Assisted Services

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details: Interested in offering a reading program to young children? I will walk through how we planned and implemented a reading program with a local private school.

Learning Objectives:

1. Plan a reading program

2. Logistics 

3. Implementation

Bio:

Kristen is a life-long equestrian and Wyoming native. She has been in the EAS industry for just over 20 years and has held several different roles. She is certified through PATH International as an ESMHL and Driving instructor. She is certified with ARIA for english and western riding as well as stable management. Kristen also holds an EFL certification from the HERD Institute. 

Thursday, February 19, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Silos work for farms but not healthcare: Collaborating with horses to prepare team-ready health professionals

Presenters:  Jim Ballard, Associate Professor and Director, University of Kentucky Center for Interprofessional and Community Health Education

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details:
Optimal models of patient care require a collaborative approach that involves the integration of care providers from all professions working together within a shared mental model to solve complex problems. Since 2016, most health professions accreditation requirements have mandated students to engage in interprofessional education (IPE) to prepare them for this model of practice. Most training has relied on classroom and some clinical training methodologies. This presentation will explore methods, opportunities, and emerging data to support collaborating with horses to provide interprofessional team leadership development for future providers. 

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the emerging need for interprofessional collaboration among health professionals.
2. Describe a unique approach for improving collaboration among future health providers by collaborating with horses.
3. Discuss the impact of, and opportunities for, collaborating with horses to build a stronger more collaborative health workforce.

Bio:
Dr. Ballard is Director of the University of Kentucky Center for Interprofessional and Community Health Education that houses the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network and the interprofessional education missions of the University. Additionally, he is Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Nursing. Within this role he supports the rural health workforce, education, and interprofessional education activities in partnership with the Colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Dietetics), Dentistry, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Social Work. He is past chair of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC), board member of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, and a member of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Expert Panel “Leveraging the IPEC Competency Framework to Transform Health Professions Education.” Dr. Ballard is a graduate in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. He received a Doctorate in Education at Northern Kentucky University with an emphasis on interprofessional education and a Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Kentucky focusing on adult intellectual and cognitive development. He is an E3A certified facilitator.

Thursday, January 22, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

De-Mystifying EAL for Corporate Groups

Presenters:  Jeff Arnold, President, Leadership Adventures, Inc.

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

Session Details: Interested in offering Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) to corporate or organizational groups but not sure where or how to start? Join us to learn about the importance, impact and how-to’s of offering EAL to local corporate or organizational groups. We’ll demystify the process based on our experience of helping more than 60 Centers. We’ll cover a framework and checklist of steps and considerations, along with lessons learned and pro-tips (including audience best practice sharing)!

Learning Objectives:

1. To share the importance and impact of offering EAL to local corporate groups

2. To walk through a framework of steps to demystify the process, including obtaining contacts of local businesses, developing or acquiring EAL programming, business development and outreach process, contracts, and instructor training/certifications

3. To share first-hand Center stories, corporate stories, and pro-tips within each step

Bio:

Jeff has 15 years of Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) design, delivery, and implementation experience within a 31-year corporate consulting career focused on operational excellence, organizational design and leadership development. He has worked with more than 100 CEOs and client organizations world-wide, including Fortune 10 companies, non-profit organizations, colleges/universities, military and veterans organizations, police and first responders, and faith-based organizations. His organization has partnered with more than 60 therapeutic horsemanship centers to design, deliver and implement accelerated, experiential Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) to local organizations., colleges/universities, veterans, police & first responders, and youth to advance their leadership skills using EAL. In 2023, his organization developed the biennial EAL Summit™ to help organizations collaborate, innovate, and accelerate their EAL journey. He has been the recipient of the Inspiring Leadership Award by the world's largest consulting firm as measured by revenue, a Fortune Global 500 company, is published in McGraw-Hill's Industrial Engineering Handbook, and was recently featured in JH Style magazine and PATH Intl. Strides magazine discussing the use of experiential, accelerated, equine-assisted leadership development as part of the Equine-Assisted Leadership Development Academy™ (EALDA™).

Thursday, December 04, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Reading, Riding and Arithmetic

Presenters:  Jo Anne Miller, Executive Director, Brook Hill Farm

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

This presentation is based on a research paper I wrote (Applying Equine-Assisted Learning: A Program for At-Risk Youth ) that is being published in the HETI Research Journal Summer 2025. Based on existing theories by Dr. Steve de Schazar, (envisioning the future and making small steps to achieve that outcome), Anders Ericsson (deliberate practice) and Ann Masten (resilience), working on these skills partnering with horses leads to academic success in school. Combined with actual academic lessons in the arena, the at-risk youth studied in this paper showed a 100% improvement in grades and behaviors in the classroom, as well as 100% graduation rate of the participants.

Thursday, October 30, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Engaging Your Staff & Volunteers

Presenters: 
Paula Del Giudice, Executive Director, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Lindsay Shepard, Director of Volunteer Involvement and Digital Media, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Jessica Comunale, Human Resources Manager, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

Join us to understand the journey of building engagement internally with your staff and volunteers.  We've embarked on implementing the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey twice - we'll share the process for doing this, as well as our results from year 1, what we implemented to drive engagement after year 1 results, and year 2 results.  In the process, we've implemented Strengths-Based Leadership and a number of initiatives including Catalytic Coaching and others.  We'll walk through the process and benefits (qualitative and quantitative) of our approach, as well as lessons learned. 

Thursday, September 25, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Hope and Activation: An innovative program for people living with a diagnosis of dementia and their care partners

Presenters: Nancy Schier Anzelmo MSG, Co-Founder, Connected Horse, Paula Hertel MSW, Co-Founder, Connected Horse

PATH INTL. CEUs: 0.5 CE, 1 DE

The purpose of this session is to acquaint attendees with an exciting new research-based, equine guided learning and engagement program for people living with dementia and their care partners. This session will expose attendees to an evidence-based program with equine assisted learning principles . The highlights of the program and the benefits of activation after a diagnosis will be explored while considering offering programs to this population.
Session Learning Objectives:

• To gain knowledge of working with older adult individuals living with a dementia diagnosis and their care partners.
• Obtain insight and knowledge and special consideration for EAL Centers working with this special population
• Understand the foundation of the Connected Horse research project and program of evidence derived findings

Thursday, August 28, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Youth EAL Programming

Presenters:

Kay Barkwill, CEO, Horses with Hearts

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

In this session we'll review partnerships and results of EAL programming with youth, including our partnership with Boys & Girls Club to do a Horse Power Summer Camp, how to get corporate sponsors such as B&G sponsors a 4 day camp for both their K-2 grade children and a 4 day camp for their middle/high school students.

For the younger campers we provide Horse Power Reading and EAL sessions.  The Horse Powered Reading session allows children to interact with the horse

on the ground and uses toys and props to identify obstacles and learn five critical reading skills. (horsepoweredreading.com).  Our EAL sessions help children learn communication, self-care, confidence, and resiliency using the horse as their partner. We'll also review our extended EAL sessions for older youth where we use the 

Sources of Strength's platform.  Sources of Strengths is a national program that takes a strengths-based, upstream approach to preventing negative outcomes while promoting well-being, help-seeking, resilience, healthy coping and a sense of belonging. We'll also review our Equine-Assisted Leadership Development Academy approach with CASA of the Eastern Panhandle to provide leadership development for their teen leadership groups as well as staff.  Finally, we'll cover our Seasonal EAL programing for youth and young adults who are dealing with a variety of complex issues. Individuals with a variety of diagnoses such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, Autism have found the EAL sessions assist them in learning coping skills and resilience to improve their social skills and activities of daily living. Individuals participate in a 6 week semester meeting 1 time a week for 30 minutes.  Lastly, we'll cover our "My Village" program for Youth - a partnership with the Brian O'Neill Jr. Foundation allows us to host "My Village" once a Month during our open season (April-Oct). These events are focused around The Sources of Strength which is a suicide prevention program for middle/high school teens. We also provide a variety of other equine assisted learning sessions focused on resilience, focusing on martial arts, art therapy, music therapy, yoga and mood management techniques. This gives teens the opportunity to explode new things which can add positivity and strength based learning. 

Thursday, July 24, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

True Safety Comes From the Relationship: A look at connected horsemanship principles in practice 

Presenters: 
Kate Naylor, LMFT, Director of Trainer Development and Community Engagement, The Natural Lifemanship Institute
Tanner Jobe, NL Director of Equine Professional (EP) Development & Director of Media, The Natural Lifemanship Institute

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

Safety is a foundational topic in any equine discipline, but perhaps none more so than in Equine Assisted Services (EAS). When we pair large animals with people who have little to no horse experience, safety is - and should be - a priority. 

But what do we mean when we say “safety”? And how do we go about securing it?

Join Natural Lifemanship trainers Tanner Jobe and Kate Naylor as they explore how intentional conversations with our horses develop their brains to achieve safer EAS sessions, while prioritizing equine welfare and acting as burnout prevention for both horse and human. Participants will get to see Connected Horsemanship in practice, consider the value of ongoing equine development, and learn practical tools for their own equine programs.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Veterans EAL Programming

Presenters:
Courtney Gramlich, Executive Director, Storm Harbor Equestrian Center, Slippery Rock University
Betsy Kemeny, PhD, Associate Professor, Slippery Rock University

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

This veteran session will focus on the ins and outs of having a thriving veterans program: the need for funding and who it could encompass, where you can go to find veterans that want to participate, who we serve, length of a typical program and what programming encompasses, community partnerships, research components of the program, accommodations and adaptations that can be needed, precautions and contradictions when working with the veteran population. Any other questions people might have will be answered throughout or at the end.  Zoom session will also include a "walking tour" and a demonstration.

Thursday, May 22, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

EAL Research with Impact

Presenters:
John Lyons, University of Kentucky, Director of the Center for Innovation in Population Health and Professor of Health Management and Policy
Kimberly I. Tumlin, PhD, MS, MPH, University of Kentucky, Faculty, Center for Innovation in Population Health; Assistant Professor, Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition, College of Health Sciences Research Director, Equestrian Athlete Initiative

PATH INTL. CEUs: 1.5 CE

Are you interested in capturing change in EAL, but need a starting point? Transformational Collaboration Outcomes Management (TCOM) is a theory of change that emphasizes assessments, shared visioning, and collaborative decision-making. TCOM permits you to capture meaningful change from the stories which define people by more than their deficit. Fostering learning is core to EAL, and TCOM makes a natural starting place to ensure individuals are active partners in their experiences thus describing the transformation often observed with horse interactions. In this session we will both explore how organizations must act as agents of change, how applying the TCOM approach can help define transformations in EAL and explain a means for developing partnerships in applying TCOM.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

Diving into Your Strengths & Strengths-Based Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL)

Presenters: Jeff Arnold, President, Leadership Adventures, Inc.

PATH INTL. CEUs:  1.5 CE

We'll dive into the power of CliftonStrengths and its use and applicability both internally (within your organization) and externally (for EAL applications). Learn from a certified CliftonStrengths Coach, and discover your Top 5 themes of most natural talent - which are your greatest sources of potential strengths! A CliftonStrengths Top 5 Code is included for those attendees who have not previously completed the CliftonStrengths assessment. We'll also look at the breakdown of Strengths from the results of hundreds in the industry, and share insights and trends. 

Thursday, September 17, 2026 -  12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

sESSION TITLE

Presenters:  TBD

PATH INTL. CEUs: TBD

Session Details: TBD