Azgard Farm’s Teaching Philosophy is that a good instructor should strive to become a great teacher. A great TEACHER possesses passion and respect, has the ability to develop insight into each one of their students, find a small piece of the student in themselves, compare the student only to themselves, to feel rather than see, to support, spark, inspire, and to create magic for them.
All of our students, regardless of age or goals, receive the same safety oriented, healthy and classic horsemanship that will be their underlying foundation as they advance and move toward a particular style or any equine activity they may desire to pursue. As instructors of horsemanship, we feel it is our obligation to our students who trust us with their bodily welfare (and importantly their emotional well-being), for us to do our very best to provide them with the knowledge needed to understand and partner with a horse. Horses are partners in learning and emotional growth. As a result of our program, students develop greater self-esteem, confidence, responsibility, ability to plan, teamwork, empathy and a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships, and their world. The joy, confidence, and infectious sense of accomplishment the student gains by sharing power and developing a partnership with a 1000 pound animal is a tremendous boost to the student’s self-esteem. These same skills have the added bonus of being "life skills" readily transferable to our students’ lives outside the barn such as home, classroom, office, and relationships. They are positive behaviors that are not only taught but experienced through learning with the horses.
We have had the great privilege and joy to have taught several thousand students. This has given us the opportunity to hone our teaching approach and an advantage over many other instructors and trainers. Over the years, many of our students have found themselves facing life or family obstacles – health, grief/loss/divorce, depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD – and have expressed to us the benefit of how their lessons have blended into their lives and how our support has given them the courage and strength to positively deal with the issues. Because of our students’ feedback and our own observations, we have developed a different philosophy from most riding programs and our teaching is not standard. It’s a blend of classic horsemanship and innovative concepts.
We look at it like this: If you knew of something that could teach love, trust, communication, patience, empathy, teamwork, creativity, honesty, resilience, appropriate boundaries, and healthy conflict resolution; that could motivate & empower a person to be their best and happiest, would you not want that for you or your child?
We have that something – Horses can do all that and more!
No one who knows horses can deny that they have a full range of feelings, attitudes, preferences and personalities. Horses display their intelligence, logic, and intuition in many ways that we as humans don’t recognize because we speak a different language.
Just like us, horses feel fear, anger, grief, relaxation, happiness and affection. They play, fight and communicate in relationships, which share many of the same dynamics of our own:
Far more than most people know, horses are social, emotional animals. They react and respond. Just like us, horses are motivated to seek relief from pain, fear and emotional pressure. They seek creative solutions to get their needs met, and like us, if they cannot find successful solutions they will express that pain outwardly.
Horses too, can experience depression, anxiety attacks, attachment disorders, behavioral issues, post traumatic stress, learned helplessness and emotional shutdown. They can also demonstrate and teach such healthy behaviors as honest communication, trust, healthy boundaries, leadership, patience, assertiveness, playfulness, affection and nurturance.
To be trusted by a horse, you must be trustworthy. To be respected by a horse, you must first give respect. As prey animals, horses are brilliant observers of nonverbal communication, and like humans react negatively to disrespect, impatience and lack of self-control. Even our most veiled emotions are easily detected by horses and responded to accordingly. Equine learning can provide an opportunity to learn self-discipline and the ability to manage our emotions and responses. Simply stated, anxiety and anger don’t work with horses and a person interacting with them will be required to manage their emotions to keep the horse from withdrawing. The lesson learned by the student is that by taking responsibility and making new choices, the horse responds differently.
Remember horses are animals. They are not automatic; you cannot turn them on and off like a machine. A relationship with a horse requires a student to develop communication, patience, boundaries, and most of all, respect. Through learning to treat a horse with respect – to be assertive without aggression, patient without giving in – the horse gives cooperation that cannot be gained through intimidation or force, impatience, or lack of control. A relationship with a horse cannot be forced or faked. The lesson learned by the student is that by taking responsibility and making new choices, the horse responds differently. As with anything, what we put into it determines what we get out of it; relationships take effort, communication, mutual respect and time to grow.
WARNING
UNDER TEXAS LAW (CHAPTER 87, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE), AN EQUINE PROFESSIONAL IS NOT LIABLE FOR AN INJURY TO OR THE DEATH OF A PARTICIPANT IN EQUINE ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE INHERENT RISKS OF EQUINE ACTIVITIES.