As we move into 2026, we’re launching a more flexible Eponaquest Apprenticeship format based on nearly 30 years of research and development. As one of the earliest, in-depth facilitator trainings in the fields of equine-assisted learning and therapy, the Eponaquest instructor program supports graduates on five continents.
In the last decade, more professionals have applied with a strong interest in founder Linda Kohanov’s critically acclaimed model based on her books The Power of the Herd and The Five Roles of a Master Herder, using these unique tools and principles in their professional lives, as well as in corporate coaching. At the same time, therapists and social workers have embraced the model in helping people make sense of family dynamics, and in facing the challenges of those working in the nonprofit sphere. The Five Roles model is also useful for horse trainers and riders who want to expand their understanding of herd dynamics and how humans can more effectively collaborate with these powerful yet sensitive animals.
Over the years, Linda was approached by practitioners who have graduated from other equine-facilitated learning and therapy programs. These people wanted a streamlined way to add the Power of the Herd/Master Herder skills to their already successful practices. At the same time, educators, coaches and therapists with less horse experience wanted to bring this horse-inspired method directly into human settings. Linda has made updates accordingly. The Eponaquest Apprenticeship now offers the first 2 weeklong sessions of training with graduation as a Master Herder Instructor, with an option to complete an additional week of instruction to become a full Eponaquest Instructor.
“We have also created an Associate Instructor designation that has been quite successful,” Linda says. “This is for executive coaches, educators and therapists with little or no previous horse experience who want to teach the model in indoor contexts, (including private sessions, coaching calls, online training formats, and larger group presentations) with the understanding that they can be co-facilitators in horse activities when they pair with an experienced equestrian who has also gone through the program.”
“I almost didn’t apply to any apprenticeship program because I didn’t own a horse or a facility,” says Carole Estabrooks, PhD, who has received a large grant from the Canadian government to bring these skills to nearly 100 long term care home managers through the University of Alberta. “Becoming an Associate Instructor changed my perspective. I learned that you don’t need a round pen to teach boundaries or an arena to explore emotional agility. I can take these powerful principles directly into conference rooms, online settings or private coaching meetings, reaching health care professionals who might never visit a stable, while still having the option to co-facilitate with other Eponaquest instructors – and experience the joy of working with the horses.”
“I discovered that the ‘Way of the Horse’ is really a way of being more fully human,” Carole continues. “You don’t need 20 years of horse experience to understand or teach presence, coherence, and authentic leadership. This program empowered me to master the principles first. Whether I’m using a PowerPoint, or building on Linda’s well-researched online format, or standing next to a horse, the transformation for me and for my clients is equally profound because the tools themselves are so solid.”
Linda herself has been working with large non-profit social service agencies and for-profit corporations to bring the Eponaquest emotional/social intelligence tools and leadership skills to organizations that aren’t ready to send people to the barn. (See the apprenticeship history and overview link below.)
“Sometimes organizations don’t have the time or funds to send larger groups of employees out to do the horse-facilitated work, but they find the innovative approaches to leadership and social intelligence that we learned directly from the horses to be quite valuable in purely human settings,” Linda says. “This is the next level we need to get to if our goal is to bring horse wisdom to our highly competitive, often needlessly destructive human world. This flexible, indoor/outdoor/online approach also allows us to teach the main tools and concepts to larger groups up front so that everyone in an organization has the same vocabulary and basic tools. Then, over time, some of these organizations send smaller groups to the ranch to get into the real nuances of these skills with the master teachers: the horses themselves.
“For almost three decades, I have led workshops and private sessions with growing numbers of people who really do see the power of horse-facilitated work, and that’s exciting. But expansion can be slow going because we are still preaching to a lovely choir of people who already feel and hear the call of the horse. By developing tools and procedures for taking horse wisdom directly to human contexts where people with no previous interest in horses can benefit is the next level of expansion. The Eponaquest Apprenticeship Program allows for immense flexibility in how you design an educational and/or therapeutic practice that balances horse work with carefully prepared educational tools that meet the needs of people in purely human settings.”
(Please refer to https://eponaquest.com/overview/ for a history and overview of the Eponaquest Apprenticeship and a description of the current program.)
Upcoming Program Dates
The first class of 2026 is nearly full. Only 2 places remain to be filled. The dates of the upcoming sessions are:
- Week 1 — January 24 – 31, 2026
- Week 2 — March 14 – 21, 2026
- Week 3 (To become a full Eponaquest Instructor) May 2 – 9, 2026
The Application Process
Please send a simple resume with your contact information and your related experience: List training you have received in the fields of equine-facilitated learning or equine-facilitated therapy, your horse experience, as well as other forms of leadership training, coaching, and/or education, and your professional experience in these fields.
Sue Smades will handle official registration and payment, as well as send you lodging and transportation information. To officially apply, please email Sue your resume at info@eponaquest.com and copy Linda Kohanov at rasa@eponaquest.com.