HorsePlay was created by Cori Nichols, a lifelong horsewoman, riding instructor, and owner of Nichols Field Riding Club in Kerhonkson, NY.  Cori found she had been incorporating "emotional intelligence and social skills" into her riding instruction, and her more formalized studies of equine assisted learning took off from there. Cori became certified with EAGALA in 2013. She has also completed trainings with E3A and others.

"Equine Assisted Learning  (EAL) and  Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) are a natural extension", she says.

 

Today, HV HorsePlay provides services to a wide range of clients, including individuals and families, youth groups, leadership clubs, medical students, companies, teacher- teams and many others. HorsePlay's panel of expert-partners include social workers, psychotherapists, art therapists, CASACs, spiritual counselors, play therapists, executive coaches, special ed teachers, behavioral analysts and others.

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HorsePlay sessions are custom created to meet the goals and needs of its clients. We may incorporate specific activities to support learning and personal growth, enabling people to deal with challenges in their lives and make changes when and where necessary. For some clients, a more free-form approach may be deemed best.

 

"HorsePlay is a judgement-free zone..... We're here to help clients make sense of the feedback the horses give. There are no wrong answers" says Nichols. "It's play."

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Interactions with horses can provide benefits like:

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• Expanded self-awareness                              

• Increased confidence

• Supported social skills

• Improved communication methods

• Greater capacity for focus 

• Measured and appropriate assertiveness

• Enhanced resiliency 

• Improved understanding of boundaries: self & others' 

• Responding vs. reacting

• Greater self-regulation

• Heightened awareness of responsibility and accountability

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