Horses Change Lives Blog

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Your Certification Should Be an Investment, Not Just a Certificate

When people think about investing in an Equine Assisted Learning certification, one of the first things they often look ...

October 23, 2026 • Equine Connection

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You Don't Have to Build This Alone

Starting an Equine Assisted Learning business is exciting, but it can also become overwhelming pretty quickly. You may h...

October 9, 2026 • Equine Connection

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Before the Business Comes the Foundation

You can have the prettiest website, the best social media, a beautiful facility and an amazing marketing plan, but if yo...

October 2, 2026 • Equine Connection

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Are We Listening to the Horse? or Just Putting Human Meaning on What They Do?

One of the most important things we can learn when working with horses is also one of the hardest: Stop assuming the ...

September 25, 2026 • Equine Connection

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What Happens Between a Horse and a Human?

If you’ve ever stood quietly beside a horse and felt yourself settle without really knowing why, you’re not alone.

September 4, 2026 • Equine Connection

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Sometimes the Best Program Is the One You Didn’t Plan

Sometimes when things don't go as planned, it can turn into pure magic!

August 21, 2026 • Carolyn Charles

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The Science of Energy

Why Horses Respond to What We Feel, Not Just What We Do

July 31, 2026 • Equine Connection

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Why Horses Have a Remarkable Ability to Help Calm the Human Nervous System

Have you ever noticed how simply standing beside a horse can make you take a deeper breath?

July 24, 2026 • Equine Connection

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Is It Scary to Leave the Safe Path? Absolutely. Is It Worth It? Every Single Time.

When people think about entrepreneurship, they often picture numbers, marketing, and paperwork. But when you build an...

July 17, 2026 • Equine Connection

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5 Things People Think Will Happen During Equine Assisted Learning... But Usually Don't!

July 9, 2026 • Carolyn Charles

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Why Your Clients Feel Stuck… and How Horses Help Them Move Forward

Have you ever worked with someone who knows exactly what they need to do, but just can't seem to move forward? They'v...

July 3, 2026 • Carolyn Charles

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Why Horses Are Helping Men Rebuild Their Lives at the Calgary Dream Centre

Discover how horses are helping men at the Calgary Dream Centre build confidence, healthy boundaries, communication, and...

June 26, 2026 • Carolyn Charles

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You Don’t Have to Be Fixed to Change Lives

One of the biggest myths that stops people from pursuing meaningful work is the belief that they need to have everything...

June 12, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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Communication Is Everything - both with humans and with horses.

Communication is more than words. Horses teach us the importance of energy, authenticity, awareness, and adapting to the...

May 22, 2026 • Carolyn Charles

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The Equine Connection Hard Truth Manifesto

We believe in truth before trend. Science before story. Responsibility before romance. Working with horses is not i...

May 15, 2026 • Equine Connection

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 11 - When the Work Outlives You

This blog is about what happens when a dream is no longer about you.

April 17, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 10 - When The Dream Becomes Bigger Than You

This blog is about the moment when a dream outgrows personal ambition and becomes a responsibility to something larger.

April 3, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 9 - The Crystallization of Equine Connection

This blog is about the moment when lived experience solidifies into something intentional. It is about the point where ...

March 20, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 8 - The Emergence You Do Not Rush -

This blog is about the season when life slowly begins to move again.

March 13, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 7 - When You Keep Going Without Knowing How-

It is about the quiet, unglamorous season that follows deep loss. The season where there is no big decision to make, no ...

March 5, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 6 - A Season of Silence and Storm-

It is about grief, responsibility, and the moments where purpose is forged not through inspiration, but through enduranc...

March 4, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 5: ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU THERE

This chapter is about that kind of attitude. The kind that does not come from motivational quotes or blind optimism, but...

February 27, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 4

We often say that if your dream feels heavy, you are probably on the right path. Horses do not shy away from effort. The...

February 20, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 3 - Get Busy

We have seen it again and again. When life hits hard, there are two paths people tend to take. One is to collapse and st...

February 13, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 2 -Mother And Soulmate

At Equine Connection The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning, we often talk about the herd and the relationships inside ...

February 6, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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It's Not Your Dream If It's Not Hard - Part 1

At Equine Connection The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning, we believe horses do not just stand beside us, they stand ...

January 16, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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Near Death But So Beautiful All At The Same Time

I have always lived by this belief, and I always will. I can die today, so make sure it is how you want to leave this e...

January 2, 2026 • Kari Fulmek

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A facilitator story with Cathy, Officer Unicorn, and the kids who just needed to sniff a horse

Some interviews just make you smile the whole way through. This was one of them. I had the absolute pleasure of working...

December 20, 2025 • Carolyn Charles

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An Hour That Changes How You See Horses Forever — For the Price of a Coffee!

We are very excited. Like, "little kids at the big table" excited. Why? Because Rescued Hearts, the documentary that ha...

December 5, 2025 • Carolyn Charles

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Real Stories, Real Impact: Equine Connection Testimonials

At Equine Connection – The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning, we always say that our certification is life-changing....

November 21, 2025 • Carolyn Charles

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Two Hearts. One Purpose. A Christmas Movement for People Who Love Horses (and the Humans Who Need Them)

We went live to share something big, beautiful, and wildly hopeful: a Christmas Movement from Equine Connection that put...

November 7, 2025 • Carolyn Charles

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Humour In Life Is Needed!

At Equine Connection The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning we know that humour is not just something nice to have in l...

October 24, 2025 • Equine Connection

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What If's

At Equine Connection we often hear from people who are sitting on the fence. They have a dream they want to chase, maybe...

October 10, 2025 • Equine Connection

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The Horse Is Not A Product

At Equine Connection we believe in something simple yet profound. The horse is not a product. This magnificent being is...

September 27, 2025 • Equine Connection

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The Horse Speaks One Language

At Equine Connection, we often remind our students and facilitators of something simple yet profound. Humans speak thous...

September 6, 2025 • Equine Connection

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The Coco Loco Trip – Part 1: Snowstorms, Saint Louis and a Missing Passport

Our first big trip of the season wasn’t even supposed to happen—but like most things in our world, plans shifted, an...

May 9, 2025 • Equine Connection

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Answering Your Horse Business

Questions Starting a business can be hard and lonely. Joining a supportive community and understanding your why c...

March 21, 2025 • Equine Connection

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If you took ONE step forward... what would success look like?

Success is different for everyone, but for the horse industry, what is the certification that you are looking for? Ta...

March 7, 2025 • Equine Connection

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Excuses 101

Excuses 101: What's Yours? Are you one to constantly make excuses for yourself? Today they stop. They stop us from do...

February 15, 2025 • Equine Connection

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A Retro Christmas Tale

Hey hey hey ho ho ho ho. And a merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas to all of you. Whew! Oh, this is an exciting day. So...

December 6, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Equine Connection & Equine Guelph Part 1

Equine Connection and Equine Guelph Part 1 Kari Fulmek is the Master Instructor & Senior Facilitator/Founder of E...

November 22, 2024 • Equine Connection

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A Journey to Healing: Sam and J.R.

A few years ago, while she was still in school and after a bit of convincing, she decided to come and give an equine ass...

October 25, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Making the Wrong Thing Hard & The Right Thing Easy

An Interview with Warwick Schiller We had the distinct opportunity to sit down with Warwick Schiller. A lifelong equest...

October 11, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Interview With Farrier Jason Skoog Pt. 2

Jason: So I'm actually in a place now where training is going to become a bigger part of my life. And I'm heading down t...

September 6, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Interview With Farrier Jason Skoog

Interview with Jason Skoog - Part 1 Kari: We are so excited because we have a very special guest speaker today, Jason...

August 23, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Are You A Liability?

We are pretty excited to be talking about this post because it might be a bit on the controversial side. Areyoualiabilit...

August 9, 2024 • Equine Connection

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The Year From Hell - Kari's Story

It's been seven years since mom passed away. When 2011 hit and Buddy (my horse) died that morning. Then my mom died that...

July 26, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Carolyn's Story

I am a born and bred skeptic. I like the proof. I like the wise. All that good analytical stuff. So when the idea of wor...

July 12, 2024 • Equine Connection

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What Do Your Horses Want You to Know?

It's all about the horse today. And I have to tell you, this is my favorite topic. It's really because we could actually...

June 28, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Marketing: The Struggle Is Real

The struggle is real when it comes to marketing and how to get your business rolling at first. But do not worry any long...

June 14, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will

Today we're looking into something that affects the whole wide world. It is something we generally all have…dreams. Th...

May 31, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Disco And Cheryl

Sometimes the best stories don't come from our perspective, but from the perspective of the clients who felt the change ...

May 17, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Equine Assisted Learning Vs. Equine Therapy

Understanding the differences... What is the difference between Equine Assisted Learning and Equine Assisted Therapy? Th...

May 3, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Unlocking Equine Wellness: 7 Key Strategies

We recently had the privilege of reconnecting with Doug Walsh, a seasoned Natural Horsemanship Trainer, on our Equine We...

April 5, 2024 • Equine Connection

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Does Good Health = Good Welfare

Exploring Horse Welfare at Equine Connection Horse health versus horse welfare is a topic that ignites a passionate flam...

February 29, 2024 • Equine Connection

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What is it like to be an Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator?

We want people to know what a day in the life of a facilitator could really look like. Because this is a job that you ma...

February 19, 2024 • Equine Connection

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What Is Equine Assisted Learning? PART THREE

continued from part two... Even in the first program, it really excites me. I think there's something for any of you. Ne...

February 5, 2024 • Equine Connection

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What is Equine Assisted Learning? PART TWO

Continued from part 1... Remember, there is no right or wrong here. We're not going to point out mistakes. We're going i...

January 22, 2024 • Equine Connection

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What Is Equine Assisted Learning? PART ONE

What is EAL? PART ONE Welcome! Today we're going back to basics a little bit. We will be talking about: WhatisEquineAss...

January 8, 2024 • Equine Connection

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No Arena, No Problem!

Welcome to the vibrant world of Equine Assisted Learning, where the majestic beauty of horses blends seamlessly with hel...

December 8, 2023 • Equine Connection

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We are breaking our promise.

We made a promise. To never forget. To be grateful for their sacrifice. To appreciate all of our freedoms and our rights...

November 11, 2023 • Equine Connection

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The Problem With Waiting For The Right Time? It May Never Come

We have heard all of the sayings; "it was the right time", "such serendipity", "the stars aligned". But let's be hones...

November 2, 2023 • Equine Connection

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Word of the Year…What’s Yours?

"Word of the Year…What’s Yours?"by Jane Hemingway Mohr | Feb 6, 2023 | Leadership, Teamwork, Women in Leaders...

March 24, 2023 • Equine Connection

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Part 1: Driving to Williams Lake - The LONG way

The journey started before we even left. Knowing that Canada has two seasons, winter and construction, we checked all ...

May 8, 2022 • Equine Connection

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If you are not throwing kindness around like confetti, you are doing it wrong.

Kindness is such a simple word - and it is simple to be as well, as long as we make it a priority. The world is in a w...

December 21, 2021 • Equine Connection

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Does horse health = horse welfare?

Does horse health = horse welfare? Cause you don’t know, what you don’t know, until you do know. Horse welfare is...

September 20, 2021 • Equine Connection

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It's Time To Release!

Releasing is an important part of life for us to move forward and let go of those things we carry heavily around. It is ...

August 20, 2021 • Equine Connection

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“I'm reliving the same day over and over.”

A few months, then things will get back to normal. No? Ok… a few more. Nope. Still not. Mandatory what? WHAT DO YO...

January 1, 2021 • Equine Connection

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Chatting with Emily Bertrand

Keeping a business alive during this COVID craziness has been nothing but challenging to say the least.For many companie...

November 4, 2020 • Equine Connection

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What is an EAL facilitator anyway?

Let's be honest, 2020 is oodles of crazy. I don't know if you guys have all heard it - but there seems to be a big th...

October 27, 2020 • Equine Connection

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Charlie's Story

Here at Equine connection, we are giving the opportunity to work with so many amazingly beautiful humans. We have had so...

September 5, 2020 • Equine Connection

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Reflecting on 2020 - "Well, that escalated quickly."

These seemed no better quote to describe our first, and as we were to discover later, last trip to the USA of 2020. It ...

May 5, 2020 • Equine Connection

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Out of The Mouths of Babes!

With all the negativity and craziness that we have had to deal with this year, we thought we could take a moment to spre...

February 5, 2020 • Equine Connection

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The Horse Welfare Series

Equine Connection is a unique collaboration of industry professionals who are committed to the welfare of the horse. We ...

December 1, 2019 • Equine Connection

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We're Supposed to Start Having Fun in 15 minutes!

Scheduling… its a bit of a toughie. Especially if you have more than one person dealing with it. Whenever I think of t...

September 18, 2019 • Equine Connection

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FOR THE HORSE - Featuring EAL Facilitator Tami Mahoney!

Tami Mahoney became certified with the Equine Connection to be able to use programs that would help people move forward ...

August 26, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Why people hate team building

Ok, this blog is taking a detour from my usual blogs. It isn't based on a movie - instead, I came across this YouTube ad...

July 15, 2019 • Equine Connection

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"That's all you got, lady. Two wrong feet in f*$!ing ugly shoes.”

"That's all you got, lady. Two wrong feet in f*$!ing ugly shoes.”- Erin Brockovich - Never underestimate the power of ...

June 1, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Our Journey Around the World - Amsterdam & Denmark

Wowzers. What a trip. This was Equine Connection’s first time heading to Europe and boy oh boy, was it a trip to remem...

May 24, 2019 • Equine Connection

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"Naaaaaaaaants ingonyama bagithi Baba!!" - The Lion King

You’re probably thinking with the Lion King I’m going to go with the predictable quote of the wise Rafiki, “Oh yes...

May 8, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Equine Welfare with Gayle Ecker @ Equine Guelph @ University of Guelph

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Gandhi We we...

April 3, 2019 • Equine Connection

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How to Maintain Equine Welfare on a Small Acreage w/ Jane Hemingway-Mohr @ Leading Edge Life Skills

How to Maintain Equine Welfare on a Small Acreage Looking after our equines physical well being when they don't have th...

March 27, 2019 • Equine Connection

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How to Build a Relationship Through Space With Our Horses w/ Mary Anderson @ Huckleberry Hollows

How to Build a Relationship Through Space With Our Horses We had an incredible interview with Mary Anderson, from Huckl...

March 20, 2019 • Equine Connection

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“Hey, I’ve been turned into a cow… can I go home?” “You’re excused.”

“Hey, I’ve been turned into a cow… can I go home?”, “You’re excused.” It’s a pretty simple rule, one th...

March 20, 2019 • Equine Connection

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6 Ways to Be There for Your Equine w/ Doug Walsh @ Dark Horse Stables

6 Ways to Be There for Your Equine We had the pleasure of chatting with Doug Walsh again on our Equine Welfare Series, ...

March 13, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Working "With" Your Horse VS "Using" w/ Schelli Whitehouse @ The Equine Inspired Life

“If you don't know where you’re going you're sure to get there.” - Yogi Berra Schelli Whitehouse stumbled into he...

March 6, 2019 • Equine Connection

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"And don't call me Shirley"

AIRPLANE: ”Surely you can't be serious." "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." Communication is a funny thing. W...

March 1, 2019 • Equine Connection

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WOW! Florida!

Jupiter Florida We have one word for this trip and it is WOW! A simple word used to describe the good and the bad. So...

February 22, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Horses Have the Right to Think For Themselves. w/ Doug Walsh - Natural Horsemanship Trainer

Horses Have the Right to Think For Themselves. It’s not our job to determine how a horse should be. How they should t...

February 20, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Making the Wrong Thing Hard and the Right Thing Easy w/ Warwick Schiller @ Warwick Schiller Performance Horsemanship

Making the Wrong Thing Hard and the Right Thing Easy. Understanding “making the wrong thing hard and the right thing ...

February 13, 2019 • Equine Connection

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How Does Mindset & Connection Play a Role In Horse Welfare? w/ Jane Pike @ Confident Rider

How Does Mindset & Connection Play a Role In Horse Welfare? We had the great honour of chatting with Jane Pike, from Co...

February 6, 2019 • Equine Connection

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Equine Welfare - Why Is It So Important?

Equine Welfare - Why Is It SO Important? Horses and equines are the superstars of our livelihoods, whether they be our ...

January 30, 2019 • Equine Connection

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“In 18 years I’ve never heard my daughter.”⁣⁣

⁣⁣✨We were in Texas, and a mother daughter team came in to experience one of our programs, Push Me Pull You, worki...

December 18, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Simple can sometimes be the most profound

The first course that people take when coming to the Equine Connection is the Orientation. It is a way for clients to fa...

December 18, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Carolyn’s Story

If you would have told me ten years ago that one day I would be working with horses facilitating life skills, I would ha...

December 16, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Susan’s Story

Every once in awhile we have a person who comes in who is simply petrified of horses! Susan was one of those few. We wat...

December 16, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Aaron

Equine Assisted Learning: How Horses Can Transform Lives Equine Assisted Learning, also known as partnering with horses ...

December 14, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Tanya & Todd

Why do we do what we do? Whether you believe it or not, horses talk to you all the time. More than you could ever imagi...

December 14, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Ricki & Jonah

Ricki and Jonah and realizing we have choice! Two young boys came to our program with no desire to participate or even ...

December 13, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Gloria's Story

An example of true change. 💖 🐴A little girl from one of our 8-week anti-bullying curriculums had come with 7 othe...

December 12, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Charlie's Story

Charlie's Story Our horses are the true superstars of this program. It’s important to always listen to what the horse...

December 12, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Sam's Story

“Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When “I” is replaced by “we,” illness becomes wellness.” -S...

December 12, 2018 • Equine Connection

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"Hold on to your butts..."

Hold onto your butts.” First of all, it should be said that Jurassic Park is my favourite movie, of all time, bar no...

December 1, 2018 • Equine Connection

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It's ok to look after yourself

"To live an empowered life so you can empower others, you must simultaneously find or make the time to take care of your...

November 18, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Use The Force Luke!

So far this leadership blog has been based solely on Finding Nemo quotes, which in itself is awesome. But while on the...

May 1, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Our Journey Around the World - Mount Mounganui, NZ

This trip was exciting! Not only were we about to go train the largest group of facilitators yet, we were also there f...

February 20, 2018 • Equine Connection

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Western Horse Review Article

Equine Connection is empowering people to change their lives while working with the horse. Located near Calgary, Alberta...

January 23, 2018 • Equine Connection

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The Spirit of an Amazing Horse - Faye

Owner and Senior Facilitator of Spiritual Equine Connection, Kari Fulmek nearly gave up on her dream of running an Equin...

January 1, 2018 • Equine Connection

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CBC Feature on Equine Connection

It's a different kind of horse power. The Influence of Working with Horses on Skill Building and Self-Improvement Equine...

May 22, 2017 • Equine Connection

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Our Journey Around the World - Halifax, NS

There is something comforting about heading off to a host school where the hosts are already facilitators! We were so ...

July 1, 2016 • Equine Connection

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Our Journey Around the World - Brownsville, TX

Our Journey Around the World - Brownsville, TX, USA South Padre Island is the kind of place that makes you sit back si...

April 17, 2016 • Equine Connection

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Do not give up living today for tomorrow's dream

Every morning when you wake up, consider what you would do if this was your last day on this planet. I do that everyday,...

December 17, 2015 • Equine Connection

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Who acts in your best interests?

"Being empowered means you feel able to act to serve your best interests. It’s stronger than self-confidence and diffe...