Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator Certification
Build meaningful work helping people through horses.
Develop the skills, confidence and practical tools to facilitate safe, structured and impactful Equine Assisted Learning programs, whether you are starting a new career or adding EAL to work you already love.
- No therapy degree required
- No farm ownership required
- Graduate Dreamwinds and Cartier Certified
Explore what the career involves, the different ways to put your certification to work and what you need to get started.
Is EAL right for you?
Your path into EAL does not have to look like anyone else’s.
Some Dreamwinds students are ready for an entirely new career. Others want to add EAL to an equine business, coaching practice, educational program or community organization. Some begin part-time. Others are planning meaningful work for retirement.
What they share is a desire to help people learn and grow through horses. Dreamwinds gives you a strong foundation, then helps you apply it to the people and community you want to serve.
Start something new
Build a full-time, part-time or retirement career centred on horses and helping people.
Expand what you offer
Add structured EAL programs to an equine facility, coaching practice or existing business.
Serve your community
Bring experiential learning to schools, nonprofits, youth, families, teams or other groups you care about.
The work
What does an EAL facilitator actually do?
An EAL facilitator guides people through purposeful, ground-based activities with horses. The goal is not riding or therapy. It is helping participants practise skills such as communication, leadership, trust, problem-solving, emotional awareness and teamwork.
The horse offers immediate, honest feedback. Your role is to create a safe learning environment, observe what is happening, ask effective questions and help participants connect the experience to their lives, relationships or work.
EAL can serve many audiences: youth, women, families, corporate and sports teams, educators, veterans, first responders and community groups.
Choose with confidence
What should you compare when choosing an EAL certification?
Programs differ considerably. Look beyond the number of training days and ask what will prepare you to facilitate safely, confidently and effectively after you graduate.
| What to look for | What Dreamwinds provides |
|---|---|
| Hands-on practice | Three full in-person days working directly with horses, experiencing the exercises and practising the skills of facilitation. |
| A program you can use | 12 objective-based exercises with instructions, learning objectives, participant handouts, journals and implementation tools. |
| A sound foundation | The original Cartier Farms Building Block™ curriculum, developed through research and designed to produce measurable learning outcomes. |
| Preparation beyond theory | Training in facilitation, safety, group management, equine behaviour, horse selection, program design and business development. |
| Support after graduation | Personal coaching, business development support, live group calls and a lifetime alumni community. |
| Long-term cost | Certification for life, with no annual renewal or certification fees. |
Still exploring EAL as a career? Get the free EAL Career Guide
More than a course
Certification is only the beginning.
Knowing about EAL and being ready to facilitate it are two different things. Dreamwinds combines a strong program framework with extensive hands-on practice, practical tools and support as you put your training into action.
Learn the foundations live online
Three interactive morning sessions introduce EAL principles, program objectives, equine behaviour, facilitation, safety and the Building Block™ framework.
Practise in person
Spend three full days working with horses, experiencing the exercises, facilitating peers and learning how to observe, question, adapt and manage group dynamics.
Put your certification to work
Use the curriculum, participant materials, research summaries and business tools to begin developing programs for the clients you want to serve.
Keep learning with support
Continue with the EAL Accelerator, personal coaching, live group calls and lifetime access to the Dreamwinds and Cartier alumni community.
The foundation of your certification
Train with Dreamwinds. Join the Cartier community.
Dreamwinds partners with Cartier Farms, the founders and creators of the Building Block™ Equine Assisted Learning Curriculum. This curriculum is the foundation of the Dreamwinds EAL Facilitator Certification and provides graduates with a structured, objective-based framework they can put into practice.
When you successfully complete the program, you graduate as both a Dreamwinds Certified EAL Facilitator and a Cartier Certified EAL Facilitator.
Your connection does not end at graduation. You join the Dreamwinds and Cartier graduate community, with ongoing support and access to the creators of the Building Block™ Curriculum as the program, research and field continue to develop.
- The original Building Block™ Curriculum as the foundation of your training
- Dreamwinds and Cartier Facilitator Certification
- Connection with graduates using the curriculum in different communities and settings
- Ongoing access to Dreamwinds and the Cartier curriculum creators
What you leave with
Training, tools and people to turn to.
You should not leave certification wondering what to do next. Your program includes the resources and support needed to move from training into practice.
Facilitator skills
Hands-on experience observing, questioning, managing groups and facilitating toward clear learning objectives.
Proven curriculum
12 Building Block™ exercises with instructions, objectives and participant materials.
Business support
Marketing and program-development tools, two hours of personal coaching and the EAL Accelerator.
Lifetime community
Ongoing access to live alumni calls, peer connection and support from Dreamwinds and Cartier.
Why Dreamwinds?
Learn from people who have built and delivered the work.
Dreamwinds is the only Certified Satellite Facility for the original Cartier Farms EAL Certification and Building Block™ curriculum.
Your Master Instructor, Tracey Evans, combines years of hands-on EAL facilitation with the business experience of building Dreamwinds in both Canada and the United States. Before following her own path into EAL, Tracey was a corporate vice president with an MBA and a career in leadership and marketing.
That combination matters. You are learning both how to facilitate high-quality programs and how to build work that is practical, credible and sustainable.
Meet Tracey and the Dreamwinds teamGraduate stories
There is no single definition of success in EAL.
Dreamwinds graduates have launched businesses, expanded existing careers and brought EAL to the communities they care about.
“Thanks to my Dreamwinds certification, I successfully launched my own business, Unbridled Leadership EAL. The training, ongoing support and alumni network were instrumental in helping me get started.”Frances Fraser
Unbridled Leadership EAL
“I left with all the tools I needed and the hands-on practice that gave me confidence. Tracey continued to support me from planning through my grand opening.”Lynne Cree
Taking Strides
REPLACE WITH SHORT TESTIMONIAL FROM A GRADUATE WHO ADDED EAL TO AN EXISTING PROFESSION, FACILITY OR COMMUNITY PROGRAM.Graduate name
Role or business
Upcoming certification
Choose the location and timing that work for you.
Certification combines three live online mornings with three full days of in-person training. Courses are offered at Dreamwinds in Tryon, North Carolina, in Southern Ontario and at selected travel-school locations.
NEXT COURSE PLACEHOLDER
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Common questions
What prospective facilitators want to know
Do I need to be a therapist or mental health professional?
No. Dreamwinds teaches objective-based Equine Assisted Learning, an educational and experiential approach rather than therapy. Graduates come from equine, education, coaching, corporate, community, wellness and many other backgrounds.
Do I need to own horses or a farm?
No. Some facilitators operate their own farms, while others partner with an equine facility, work for an established EAL centre or begin by delivering programs through a host location.
How much horse experience do I need?
You do not need to be a professional trainer, but facilitators must be able to work safely around horses. The course includes equine behaviour, body language, safety and selecting suitable EAL horses. Contact Dreamwinds if you are unsure whether your current experience is sufficient.
Is there riding involved?
No. Dreamwinds EAL programs are ground-based. Participants do not need riding or previous horse experience.
Can I add EAL to my current business or career?
Yes. Many graduates add EAL to existing equine, coaching, education, mental health, nonprofit, leadership or community work. The objective-based curriculum can be adapted for different audiences while maintaining a consistent program framework.
What can I do after I certify?
You can develop and facilitate EAL programs for the audiences you are qualified and prepared to serve. The curriculum, business coaching and ongoing alumni support help you move from certification into practical program development.
Are there annual renewal or licensing fees?
No. Your Dreamwinds and Cartier EAL Facilitator Certification is for life. There are no annual certification renewal fees.
What does “research-backed” mean?
The Building Block™ curriculum was developed through the Cartier Farms partnership and studied through university research. Add a link here to a plain-language research summary so visitors can review the evidence directly.
The EAL Career Guide
How to Turn Your Passion for Horses and Helping People into Meaningful Work
Your next step
Could Equine Assisted Learning be right for you?
Download the free EAL Career Guide and explore the opportunity before deciding whether any certification is the right fit.
- What EAL facilitators actually do
- Different ways to build EAL into a career or existing business
- What qualifications, horses and facilities you do, and do not, need
- Questions to help you consider whether an EAL career fits your goals
- The training, tools and support included with Dreamwinds
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Still deciding?
That is exactly what the Career Guide is for. Learn what to look for, consider how EAL could fit your goals and choose the certification path that prepares you for the work you want to do.
Have a specific question? Contact Tracey