Willowbend Farm, Inc.

How does Herd 2 Human Work

The interspecies communication, horsemanship methods and philosophies of Herd 2 Human is an understanding and practice of specific methods and philosophies, as well as supporting science that creates unique relationships between horses and humans. In addition to being an effective and rewarding relationship building modality, Herd 2 Human has proven to be an effective aid in trauma therapy, anger management and general mental wellbeing.

The principals shared in Herd 2 Human

  • Once removed from the herd … the horse’s safe place … faced with perceived danger, his or her first instinct is to bolt and run. Herd 2 Human is a program designed to help humans learn how to provide the horse with an alternative … a new safer place with humans.
  • Herd 2 Human is a program designed to help horses respond because they understand and want to rather than because they are afraid not to by sharing energy and communicating through the eye, the unspoken and spoken language.  Herd 2 Human is a method of asking questions and listening to the answers from the horse that builds trust in their human counterpart.
  •  By learning how horses respond to the human’s intent and approach (the human’s presentation) the human may learn how they might be received by other humans and how their presentation might build or distract from a healthy relationship.
  •  Learning how to communicate with thought, reason, retention, analysis, strategy, energy, etc. in conjunction with feeling the sensations of those skills while communicating with the horse. And understanding what is happening.  
  • Developing a habitual balance between the intuitive unexplained thought or feeling and cognitive thought by associating the intuitive thought with experiential sensation.

 How might Herd 2 Human help humans trying to recover from trauma?  

Herd to Human teaches us:

   >   How to create a safe place for the horse

       >  How important it is that we share energy between humans and horses, as well as human to human, and how      that energy affects us.

    >   How to put the horse’s fears in perspective (reframing past experiences)

    >   The importance of being real for the horse

    >   How to listen to the answers to our own questions

    >   How to experience our own value by becoming effective leaders for the horse

     >   How we might apply these same principles to our human relationships

     >   How to apply specific self-awareness and response practices to daily life situations based on how we might        have reacted in the past versus how we can respond as a result of the cognitive experiences we develop by        communicating with the horse.

What might  a Herd 2 Human class look like

Classroom - talking circle

Time spent in a talking circle getting to know each other and learning about equine behavior. This time may include meditation, intuitive writing and inspirational work. 

One-on-one instruction 

Some one-on-one time in the arena with an instructor. 

Arena work

Working as a group experiencing hands-on what is learned in the classroom.

A typical 6-week class  

Program Schedule 

Horse Specialist:  A Herd 2 Human Certified Instructor  

Program schedule for groups of 4 – 6 students

Sessions are 2 hours once per week for 6 weeks. Those 2 hours go by fast when gathering in groups and working with horses. One of the most common comments made by students is that they wish they had more time with the horses. It is necessary to spend time as a group before working with the horses. Students that are late miss important information needed in the arena.  Please make it your goal to be on time for classes.

  NOTE: The following schedule is sometimes condensed into a 3-day intensive class for those traveling a distance to attend.

Two hour sessions once per week:

Week 1

  •        Classroom at the barn – introductions.
  •        Sharing stories.
  •        Setting goals, meditation, and intuitive writing.
  •       Safety agreement.
  •        Introduction to the horses.
  •       Processing time.

Week 2

  •        Classroom at the barn – learning Herd 2 Human philosophies.
  •        Presentation explaining Herd 2 Human.
  •        Connecting with a horse partner.

Week 3

  •       Classroom at the barn – recapping communication techniques and philosophies.
  •        Hands on with the horse – finding a safe place for horse and human.
  •        Processing time.

Week 4

  •    Classroom at the barn – philosophies of leadership. 
  •  Hands-on with the horse - learning and applying the principles of confident, clear and consistent  leadership, applicable and necessary in building good relationships with both horses and  humans.
  •  Processing time.

Week 5

  •      Classroom at the barn – philosophies on moving body parts and being a respectable leader in a         relationship … the importance of how we ask.
  •  Hands-on with the horse - moving body parts. Learning from the horse how to ask a question and the importance of hearing the answer to that question.
  •  Processing time.        

Week 6

  •      Putting it altogether by working with the horse ... putting trauma in perspective based on a 
         newly learned ability to develop relationships based on trust, acceptance and forgiveness     (THE SAFE PLACE).
  •        Classroom at the barn – revisit goals and intuitive writing. Where am I today after 6 weeks?
  •        Processing time.  Meeting or exceeding student goals.

© All rights reserved