EAGALA Model Equine Therapy Utilizes Experiential

Learning with Horses

Located in Hurricane, Utah, Diamond Ranch Academy is a residential treatment center for teens
that offers five programs licensed by the Utah Department of Human Services. Separated by
age and gender, the programs are for boys and girls, ages 12 to 16, who have struggled to
succeed in a conventional school environment. In addition to academic instruction, students
receive a range of therapeutic services. In addition to individual, group, and family therapy
sessions conducted by Diamond Ranch Academys staff of licensed medical health
professionals, students have the opportunity to engage in equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP)
with a resident EAP specialist certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association
(EAGALA).

A nonprofit international association of equine therapy professionals based in Santaquin, Utah,
EAGALA was established in 1999 and currently connects more than 4,000 members in 49
countries around the world. Furthermore, there are over 600 equine therapy programs operated
worldwide by EAGALA-certified specialists. Trained in equine-assisted psychotherapy and/or
equine-assisted learning, these specialists work in collaboration with licensed mental health
practitioners to help individuals mend family relationships, recover from depression and anxiety,
overcome addictive impulses, and cope with other social/psychological ailments.

With the EAGALA Model, the association has developed a guiding framework for the practice of
equine therapy by its member specialists. The primary principle of EAGALA Model equine
therapy is that it should be a collaborative exercise between the client and a team composed of
an equine specialist, a mental health professional, and a horse. The EAGALA Model does not
involve horseback riding; instead, the horse is present to facilitate ground-based experiential
learning exercises that help patients develop techniques and sensitivities such as nonverbal
communication, creative thinking, and teamwork.

During a session, the equine specialist utilizes an EAGALA observational method called SPUDS
(Shifts, Patterns, Uniqueness, Discrepancies, My Stuff) to document particular aspects of client
and horse interaction. These findings are shared with the mental health professional, who
reviews the SPUDS observations and utilizes them to help the client extrapolate metaphoric
associations of therapeutic value from the interaction with the horse.