Willowbend Farm, Inc.

Herd 2 Human - Curriculum for Certification of Instructors

Mission 

Willowbend Farm, Inc., owned by Jeff and Darlene Patterson, is the home of Herd 2 Human, an equine program designed to help individuals learn better communication and relationship skills through interspecies communication and interaction with the horse. Herd to human teaches self-value and self- discovery that will assist individuals in overcoming PTSD, broken relationships, and other life challenges.  

Our mission is to train Herd 2 Human instructors to duplicate and teach the program. The process of becoming a Herd 2 Human instructor begins with a passion to connect energetically and physically with horses and work with humans experiencing emotional challenges.  Certification as a Herd 2 Human Instructor will demonstrate accomplishment of the following objectives:

1.     Learn or refine skills of self-discovery, meditation, intuitive consciousness, (deductive observation of horse and human interaction) as well as intuitive writing.  If not already teaching these practices, the Herd 2 Human instructor will learn how to guide others in these practices.

2.     Learn Herd 2 Human philosophies and methods of interspecies communication with proficiency and the ability to teach others.

3.     Learn to recognize the interaction between horse and human and how it affects both.

4.     Learn how to organize and facilitate individual and/or group sessions.

5.     Learn an overall view of horse husbandry (general care … health, nutrition, and basic emergency treatment).

6.     Learn an overall view of appropriate barn/facility management (safety, liabilities, and general responsibilities of the instructor).

7.     Learn what the Herd 2 Human instructor’s role is when working with mental health professionals in EAP and PTSD therapy.

8.     Learn how to build and promote a Herd 2 Human practice.

Admission Requirements

Admission into the Herd 2 Human Instructor school requires:

1.     Prior experience in handling and caring for horses.

2.     Each student attend either a 3-day intensive or a 6-week Herd 2 Human workshop as part of their application for instructor training to                     assure the student will be personally comfortable that they are physically and emotionally capable of handling horses and attaining                         success.

3.     Each student to complete the Herd 2 Human instructor enrollment application.

4.     Have adequate transportation to attend training.

5.     Present a genuine desire to work with horses assisting humans in need.

Hours and Tuition      

  • 60 hours of initial training in the classroom and barn at Willowbend Farm
  • 18 hours of additional training (trainee teaching their own class) in an approved equine venue(s), supervised by a Herd 2 Human master instructor.
  • 24 hours follow up at Willowbend Farm for final review of evaluations and certification. 

Tuition: $12,000 upon acceptance and registration.

Process  

●   Attend and participate as a student in either a H2H 6-week (one class per week) or 3-day intensive program taught by a master instructor.

  • Sixty (60) hrs. instructor training at Willowbend Farm to include (but not limited to):
  • Philosophies and methodologies of H2H.
  • Program, horse, staff, and barn management (including determining the appropriateness of teaching facilities and horses for H2H).
  • Planning 6-week (once weekly) and 3-day intensive H2H programs
  • Business aspects of H2H.
  • An end of the week (or 60 hrs.) written exam with a passing grade of at least 70%.
  • An end of the week (or 60 hrs.), hands-on horsemanship exam, with a passing grade of at least 70%.
  • Within one (1) year following the first 60 hrs. of classroom and barn instruction at Willowbend Farm, student instructors will attain an additional 18 hrs. of training at their own venue with approval and supervision of a master instructor as follows:  

  1. Teach the complete program following the H2H student workbook to
  2. At least one (1) individual student either in a 3-day intensive program or a 6-week program.
  3. At least one (1) group of four to six students a 6-week program once per week for a minimum of 2 hours per week.
  4. At least one (1) group of four to six students a 3-day intensive program.
  5. At least half of your students must be individuals who are not well known to you. (Suggestion: Obtain referrals from people you know.)
  6. Teaching must be done at an H2H-appropriate and approved facility with appropriate horses.
  7. Appropriately document/record the process of organizing and teaching students. Choose your method of supervised documentation in a way that will not interfere with the relationship building process.
  8. Group sessions must be done with the assistance of another horse professional with preference given to H2H instructors, instructor trainees, or qualified students who have been through the program.  
  9. Instructors may work alone (one-on-one) with individual students.  
  10. Provide copies of all student evaluations for review by a master instructor.
  11. Write a minimum of a 500-word essay describing how H2H has changed you, your perspectives, and fulfilled the H2H objectives.

FINAL SKILL EVALUTION

A master instructor will audit instructor trainee’s work over the course of a 3-day intensive program with four to six students. The 3-day intensive program may be populated in part by students from the instructor training groups. Instructors may co-instruct as they did during training for the purpose of the final skill evaluation provided that they demonstrate instructor skills needed for certification.

Each instructor trainee will share their process and experiences with the master instructor and participating fellow instructor trainees. 

CERTIFICATION

Certification will be determined by the combined test results, evaluations of the instructor trainee’s students, and by the final auditing master instructor.

Upon successful completion of the above curriculum, instructor trainees will be certified to conduct their own practice, teaching the H2H program to students within the scope of the H2H Student Workbook and other H2H instructional material.

NOTE: Instructor Certification does not qualify instructors to teach other instructors. 

Grading and Evaluations 

Willowbend Farm, Inc. grades students based on their skills in the following areas:

1.     Self-discovery, meditation, intuitive consciousness (deductive observation of horse/human interaction), and how well they guide others in           these practices.

2.     Interaction with other humans, their students, and horses.

3.     Herd 2 Human philosophies and methods of interspecies communication and their ability to teach others.

4.     Understanding of horse behavior and the effects of human interaction.

5.     Understanding of overall horse husbandry (general care … health, nutrition, and basic emergency treatment).

6.     Appropriate barn/facility management skills.

7.     Understanding of the basic building and promotion of a Herd 2 Human practice.

8.     Ability to organize and facilitate individual and/or group sessions.

9.     Understanding of what the Herd 2 Human instructor’s role is when working with mental health professionals in EAP.

10. Commitment and attendance to the course.

Evaluations of the student’s proficiency will be a combination of written examinations, oral and written evaluations from the participants the student worked with during the course, as well as from the master instructor and assistant Herd 2 Human instructors.  

Continuing courses may be available to students who have not fully met H2H requirements by the end of the course in one or more of the required objectives and/or evaluations to complete graduation and certification.  

Standard of Conduct 

Consistent with the mission and instructor student objectives of the Herd 2 Human program taught at Willowbend Farm, Inc., it is required that all students conduct themselves accordingly. The school will not tolerate excessive foul or abusive language, use of drugs, alcohol, personal habits or other practices that are obviously offensive to others or inconsistent with the overall practices and philosophies of Herd 2 Human. Regular and unnecessary interruptions during class and instruction may result in the student being asked to leave and possibly expelled from the course. Excessive, untimely, or inappropriate photography may result in the loss of that privilege and considered a violation of the Standards of Conduct. Acceptable use of cell phones and cameras will be discussed in the first class.


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