A Structured, Collaborative Approach to Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
The Eagala Model is an internationally recognized standard for equine-assisted psychotherapy. Rooted in ethics, structure, and collaboration, the model brings together a licensed mental health professional, an equine specialist, and a horse—working as a co-facilitating team in a ground-based setting.
Unlike other approaches, the Eagala Model does not involve riding or mounted work. Instead, horses are allowed to express themselves freely, offering real-time, honest feedback to clients in emotionally safe environments such as arenas or pastures. Clients engage with the horse, the setting, and the co-facilitating team to explore patterns, build awareness, and move toward healing—without interpretation or judgment.
Fundamentals Participant
I enjoyed the open environment. We were free to ask questions and explore answers all together. Ray and Debra are a great team. They found the opportunity to teach and help us grow in so many moments and without realizing it, facilitated healing for many of us attending the week. They allowed us to work together and talk things out. The team at the ranch was so accomodating and kind. I loved all the meals as well.
What Happens in an Eagala Session?
Eagala sessions are client-centered, ground-based, and experiential. Rather than directing or interpreting, the co-facilitating team holds a space where clients interact with horses and make meaning from those interactions in their own time and way.
The mental health professional focuses on the client’s emotional process, watching for therapeutic opportunities and ensuring psychological safety. The equine specialist observes the horse’s behavior and manages physical safety, ensuring that the horse remains free to respond naturally. The horse acts as a responsive partner—mirroring client energy, setting boundaries, or initiating interaction based on what’s happening in the moment.
Clients might be invited into the arena with a task or goal, or simply asked to engage with the horse however they choose. There is no riding, no lead ropes, and no pressure. Everything that occurs—whether a client avoids, approaches, struggles, or succeeds—becomes part of the therapeutic process.
This work is especially powerful for clients who are hesitant to engage in traditional talk therapy modalities. It allows healing to emerge experientially, often revealing insights that may take longer to surface in office-based sessions. Clients frequently discover new patterns, build confidence, and explore emotional regulation and relational dynamics—just by being present, honest, and willing to interact with the horse and the team.
Fundamentals Participant
I was promoted to the role of Equine Specialist and the training is a requirement. I love the EAGALA Model and everything it represents. A model that allows freedom for horses to be themselves, clients to be themselves, and ES, MH, and horses to team together to create a safe space for people to find resolution in their healing process.
Certification for Professionals, Not Practitioners-in-Training
The boots-on-the-ground model is not just beneficial for clients—it’s also better for the horses involved in the therapy. Horses are incredibly intuitive creatures, able to pick up on the emotional states of the humans around them. When they aren’t being ridden, led around, or kept in a stall, they are free to move naturally.
This freedom allows the horses to interact with clients in a way that’s much more genuine and aligned with their instincts. By removing the physical demands of riding, the horses are less stressed and more comfortable, making the therapeutic process more effective. The horses can roam the space, approach clients on their own terms, and react authentically to the client’s presence and emotions.
This creates a natuEagala does not certify individuals to become therapists or mental health professionals. Instead, it provides certification to already-licensed mental health providers and experienced equine specialists who want to work together using a proven model of equine-assisted psychotherapy.
Mental health professionals do not need horse experience, and equine specialists do not need therapeutic credentials. Each discipline brings its own expertise into the session while maintaining ethical and professional boundaries.
Through the Eagala Model, these two professionals learn to collaborate effectively—creating a safe, structured space where clients can engage in experiential work with a four-legged partner.
Fundamentals Participant
It was illuminating as a returning participant. I experienced new insights and rediscovered my appreciation for the model.
How Horses Help the Process
In the Eagala Model, horses are not tools or teaching props—they are active, responsive partners. Their natural reactions to a client’s presence, energy, and body language reveal insights that may remain hidden in traditional therapy modalities.
Horses offer honest, immediate feedback. They mirror emotional states, respond to body language, and often bring to the surface relational dynamics that clients are working through. Because sessions are unmounted and untethered, horses are free to interact authentically, and clients are able to engage from a grounded, mindful place.
This dynamic creates rich therapeutic opportunities—where change is not instructed, but discovered.
Fundamentals Participant
It is truly amazing to see how the horses work with people to support their journey. Even with multiple sessions going on in the arena, everyone was getting something from the group of horses.
Support Beyond Certification
After certification, Eagala continues to support its members with access to mentoring, education, and community.
For the first two years post-certification, new members can join regular support calls hosted by experienced Eagala Mentors. These calls are designed to help practitioners navigate their next steps, refine their facilitation skills, and gain confidence in applying the model. Individualized mentoring is also available for those seeking additional guidance.
Members also have access to resources such as business development materials, marketing templates, Eagala-specific webinars, and practice-building tools. Whether you’re creating your first program or refining an established practice, these resources are designed to help you succeed with professionalism and clarity.
Fundamentals Participant
The board of directors and the Eagala trainers take this model very seriously and you can see the difference from the first training I attended. More detailed, broken down to have a better understanding of each skillset, left each day wanting to learn more and become a better facilitator of the model when I go back to work.
Training and Certification Overview
Eagala’s certification process begins with Fundamentals Training. This immersive experience introduces both mental health professionals and equine specialists to the principles, ethics, and structure of the Eagala Model. Training may be attended virtually or in person, and upon successful completion and approval of prerequisites, certification is granted for two years.
To maintain certification, members must complete 20 Eagala-specific continuing education units (CEUs) within each renewal cycle and attend an in-person training every four years. This ensures that practitioners stay connected to the model, its evolution, and its professional standards.
Fundamentals Participant
I liked how each part was broken down so it could be understood. I liked the examples given and the opportunities to practice the new skills. Given this was my first Eagala training it opened my eyes to looking at therapy with clients in a way I did not think about before, which is fantastic. I took away so many positives from this experience. This was a safe space in which we could make mistakes without judgement, received encouragement, and were able to be vulnerable.
Staying Connected as a Certified Member
Eagala Certified Practitioners are part of a growing global community of professionals who value integrity, collaboration, and experiential healing. Through online forums, regional networking opportunities, and bi-monthly Global Member Meetings, members can stay engaged with nearly 2,000 peers worldwide.
These meetings and networking events offer professional development, peer mentorship, and a chance to share ideas with other teams using the Eagala Model. They’re also a great place to find a co-facilitator if you’re seeking a new partner in your area.
Once your Eagala-based program is up and running, you can list it on Eagala’s public Find a Program directory—making it discoverable to potential clients worldwide.
Specialized Certification Options
For those looking to deepen their expertise, Eagala also offers pathways for Advanced Certification and Specialty Designations. These options reflect a practitioner’s expanded experience, skillset, and commitment to professional development within the Eagala Model.
FAQs About What is the Eagala Model
Learn More or Take the First Step
If you’re a licensed mental health professional or an experienced equine specialist looking for a collaborative, experiential model rooted in structure, ethics, and authenticity, Eagala Certification may be the right fit.
Explore upcoming training opportunities, connect with an Eagala representative, or log in to access member resources and get started.
Eagala Certification empowers you to practice with integrity, grow your impact, and help clients experience meaningful change—with horses as partners in the process.