Horses mirror human behaviors and give immediate and honest non-verbal feedback. They have no hidden agendas, live in the moment and humans are therefore often more open to receiving feedback from a horse than a human.
Inner Trails
Equine Assisted Growth and Learning in Clayton, CA
Inner Trails provides a transformative therapy model for incorporating horses who are highly attuned and offer a safe space for clients to discover their answers within themselves.
Video Produced by Eagala
Why Equine Therapy?
Many therapists report a much shorter length of treatment time using an equine assisted therapy approach as the horses seem to remove some barriers that often surface in a traditional office therapy session. That approach helps humans become more aware of how we need to behave and what we need to change in order to achieve improved communication, relationships and exceed our goals.
How Does it Work?
Equine assisted programs are experiential in nature. This means that participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then processing and reflecting on their feelings, behaviors, and patterns.
The focus of our programs is not riding or horsemanship. It involves setting up ground activities involving the horses to challenge their skills.
Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, work, taking responsibility, teamwork and relationships, confidence, and attitude are several examples of areas of learning.
Inner Trails offers unique experiences for personal growth and self discovery.
Prior horse experience is not needed and our professional staff will ensure a safe experience.
Video Produced by Eagala
Meet our Staff
Kathleen Sims- Eagala Certified Practitioner, Therapist, & Life Coach
Kathleen for 40 years has been helping people heal their past and navigate the stressful times of ‘the new normal’. Whether someone is feeling lost, having issues around anxiety, or relationship challenges, she uses many innovative techniques to help people make positive, permanent shifts and flourish.
Most counseling only focuses on telling your story, hearing feedback and possibly taking new actions, which might bring about superficial and temporary change. Her approach goes beyond the techniques of an average coach or cognitive therapist. Utilizing therapy animals (dog and horses) and the dynamic processes of brainspotting, hypnotherapy and guided from ‘On High’ Intuition, surprising benefits and powerful, positive changes unfold.
Kathleen is committed to helping clients heal the core underlying triggered issues so that new healthy actions become natural and effortless.
Denise Sims, Horse Whisperer
Denise has been devoted for 40 years to helping individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds to reach their full potential through her broad areas of expertise: life coaching, therapist, and trauma healing work, using the super power of brainspotting and bodyspotting. Combine all that with her expertise in body mechanics from years of imaging consulting and her extensive spiritual background enhancing high intuitive skills and natural empathy. When equine assisted growth and learning came along Denise was thrilled to add it to her repertoire, bringing in her avocation of being a lifelong horse lover and rider, trainer and rodeo star. She manages the therapy horses, intuitively reading their communications to enhance the participants unique experience and deep learning. Denise keeps a lazer focus on the horses behaviors, the metaphoric meanings and an eye on acute safety for everyone.
Kathleen and Denise, being very blessed to work on this sacred ground, and with these highly intuitive, powerful animals, have a unique collaborative partnership with each other, the therapy horses and the participants, promoting somatic core level transformation for clients.
Our Programs
”I was bitten by a horse when I was three so the idea of equine therapy was very scary for me. But I was intrigued so I stepped up to the challenge and I’m glad I did. I found that I could not persuade the horse to do what I wanted him to without touch or words and my mental telepathy skills need work. However, when I stopped focusing on the horse and embraced what I was feeling in the moment, the horse was incredibly present for me which was very calming and gave me a tremendous sense of comfort. Suddenly, I felt a rush of feelings I had been stuffing down for a very long time…and I felt them hard! There was something healing about the fresh air, beautiful views, and that giant creature attending to my pain that changed my soul.
Lori O.