Boy have I not been aware of a niche area online! Although I too am offering horse related courses online (equine passive streams and breeding the mare), I wasn’t aware of how popular this was! Recently reading Alyssa Knee’s debut book, Spike, I was made aware of Monty Roberts Equus Online University.

It makes sense to me that trainers would have online courses.  Especially those who have gained a following locally – and even worldwide. How wonderful to be able to pay a subscription fee and to then have access to many resources. These often include videos and articles by the trainer/s.  In fact, there’s a deal going on their site currently:

Register now with the promotional code ‘DAYPASS’ and you’ll have access to over 350 Monty Roberts quick and easy training and instructional videos and lesson notes. Learn at your own pace with Monty Roberts. See for yourself why people say that Monty is the best, and the original ‘horse whisperer’, recognized by our international Equus community for his gentle and effective horse training.

Monty Roberts Equus Online University

Monty Roberts has his own website and products, which you can find here. To have his own domain and setup for an online university also, I think is awesome. Here you can access a lot of his resources and products. For those who are familiar with his join up work and the dually halter, you may be interested to purchase the head collar for your horse work.

Here is a trainer who provides some great examples of what you can turn into income through training and reaching other people:

• videos that people subscribe to (passive income!)
• live demonstrations that people pay to attend
• horse products for better handling or welfare
• qualifications to be able to teach others the same training method

Horse training will always be big, I believe. As long as we have domestic horses, we will need guidance. Having such a place as an online university for a particular method is great. It provides you with a local area to talk with others about their progress as well as learning.

In Jenifer Morrissey’s book the Partnered Pony, there is reference to a youth development program. With a focus on incarcerated youth, Running with Mustangs has been set up. Because these youth have been recognised as involved in gang activity – or at risk of becoming so – this program has been set up to try and alleviate the problem.

Running with Mustangs

This initiative is an equine assisted cognitive behavioural therapy that is used with court ordered youth. The idea is that the program utilises problem solving activities with horses. The horses in question are mustangs. Following the EAGALA philosophy, Running with Mustangs is designed to teach at risk youth necessary skills for life. This is done through interactive activities with horses.

Perhaps you are interested in getting such a program started!  The course curriculum can be purchased from Horse Sense Business. You can also contact the team at Horse Sense Business to organise a consultation to get started. They also provide a policies and procedures manual to assist in establishing a program with:

“all the basic processes you need in place as you seek funding opportunities, as well as providing you with the systems you need for your human resources and business sense!”

I love that the Bureau of Land Management can provide mustangs to be made use of in this initiative. And it seems government funding is available.  So I am sure this will encourage suitably qualified horse people to take on the mustangs and provide such a program to at risk youth. Running with Mustangs sounds like a wonderful initiative.  It works to engage at risk youth, involve them with horses and fix a problem.

“A horse loves freedom, and the weariest old work horse will roll on the ground or break into a lumbering gallop when he is turned loose into the open.” ― Gerald Raftery