Level 1 · Trauma-Informed Training for Therapists, Coaches & Healing Professionals
Equine-Assisted Learning Facilitator Training
Rediscover your most authentic self through horses, movement, and the wisdom of nature
Learn to partner with horses to guide therapy sessions immersed in nature, where profound healing happens.
Join us in person at Shakti Ranch in Malibu, CA, or online, on September 12, 2026. This course delivers real, implementable tools that are research-grounded and science-backed, yet presented in an accessible, practical way.
Level 1 EAL is the prerequisite for Rose Mary’s full Equine-Assisted Learning Certification at Shakti Ranch. If you need continuing education for license renewal, you can earn 8 NBCC continuing education hours.
This course is led by Angela Schellenberg, LPC, LMHC, LPCC, and co-facilitated by Rose Mary Riggs, Equine-Assisted Therapist and owner of Shakti Ranch.
Enroll Now See the Curriculum
Approved for 8 NBCC contact hours through Dragonfly LLC (ACEP No. 8039). Counselors should confirm their state board accepts NBCC. Social workers and psychologists, please verify acceptance with your own licensing board.
Step onto the land
Where the nervous system remembers how to settle
Program Overview
How horses become co-regulators in healing
This Level 1 training introduces professionals to equine-assisted learning through a trauma-informed, somatic, and relational lens. Designed for therapists, coaches, and healing practitioners, the program explores how horses serve as co-regulators, mirrors, and partners in emotional and nervous-system healing.
It blends nervous-system science, nature-based healing, and trauma-informed equine facilitation, weaving theory together with embodied practice. The course is ideal for those who want to ethically and intuitively integrate equine-assisted learning into their personal or professional path.
Who This Is For
Built for practitioners who want to hold this work well
Therapists and counselors bringing relational practice into the room
Coaches and grief workers who want a grounded, ethical foundation for equine work
Healing practitioners drawn to nature-based and embodied approaches
Anyone integrating equine-assisted learning into a personal or professional path
What You'll Learn
Three modules, twelve lessons
An arc that moves from foundation and ethics, into the natural world, and home to the body.
Module 1
EAL Fundamentals & Ethos
- History of Horse-Human Partnership
- What is Equine-Assisted Learning?
- Authenticity & Ethics in Facilitation
- Horses as Mirrors of Human Emotion
Module 2
Integration with Nature
- Why Nature Matters in Therapy
- Nature as a Co-Facilitator in Healing
- Nature-Based Storytelling in EAL
- Experiential Learning: The Nature Grid
Module 3
Embodied Movement
- Understanding Body-Based Healing
- Facilitating Grounded Presence
- How Horses Respond to Human Body Language
- Connecting with the Animal Body
The Core Concepts
What you'll walk away knowing
The difference between EAL, equine-assisted therapy, and therapeutic riding, and where this work belongs.
The facilitator's role as a co-regulator, not an instructor or clinician.
The ethos of power with, not power over, in the horse-human relationship.
How horses read body language, breath, and nervous-system cues rather than words.
Nature as co-facilitator: the Nature Grid and storytelling with natural objects.
A Day In The Training
What a training day looks like
A full eight-hour day, paced with breaks and built around experiential practice.
Learning Objectives
By the end, you will be able to
Define the evolution of the horse-human partnership
Identify the ethical responsibilities of an EAL facilitator
Apply five-senses grounding and the Nature Grid
Demonstrate facilitator neutrality and embodied presence
Built For Clinicians
Aligned with five NBCC content areas
This Level 1 training maps to the following NBCC-approved content areas, as outlined in Policy Section G.
Counseling Theory, Practice & the Counseling Relationship. Foundational counseling theory applied to experiential work.
Human Growth & Development. Emotional regulation, body-based awareness, and nervous-system literacy.
Social & Cultural Foundations. Diverse cultural narratives around horses and healing, and culturally sensitive facilitation.
Group Dynamics & Counseling. Group process and trauma-informed experiential group work in equine settings.
Counselor Professional Identity & Practice. Professional scope, ethics, and trauma-informed care in alternative modalities.
A Glimpse
Moments from the work
Your Facilitators
Taught by two women who live this work
Angela Schellenberg
Lead Facilitator · LPC, LMHC, LPCC
Angela is a trauma therapist and EMDR-trained practitioner whose work is rooted in grief, attachment, and nervous-system repair.
She leads this training with a somatic, attachment-informed lens, holding the nervous-system and trauma-care heart of the work.
Rose Mary Riggs
Co-Facilitator · Owner, Shakti Ranch
Rose Mary is an Equine-Assisted Therapist and the owner of Shakti Ranch. A lifelong horsewoman, she brings a deep understanding of trauma-informed group work.
She co-facilitates alongside Angela, and her full Equine-Assisted Learning Certification at Shakti Ranch builds directly on this Level 1 training. (The NBCC continuing education credit for Level 1 is provided separately by Dragonfly LLC, Angela’s practice.)
NBCC Approved Continuing
Education Provider
Dragonfly LLC
ACEP No. 8039
What You Earn
Level 1 is a foundation, not a certification
This is the part people get wrong, so here it is plainly. You do receive a certificate. It shows your 8 NBCC continuing education hours and that you completed Level 1 training. What it is not is an equine-assisted learning certification. That is a different credential, and it comes from finishing Rose Mary’s full EAL training program, including all the required observations.
Your certificate of completion
A certificate showing your 8 NBCC continuing education hours and that you completed Level 1 training. Your CE hours count toward license renewal, and Level 1 counts as the prerequisite for going further.
What it is not
What it is not is an equine-assisted learning certification. To be a certified EAL facilitator you complete Rose Mary Riggs’ full EAL training program, including all the required observations. Level 1 is where that path starts, not where it finishes.
Dragonfly LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 8039. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Dragonfly LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
The course lives on the Members platform
Your Level 1 training is already built and waiting inside Angela Schellenberg Members. The welcome orientation, every lesson, and your progress all live in one calm, private space.
- ✓Self-paced lessons alongside the live sessions
- ✓Track your progress, lesson by lesson
- ✓A certificate showing your 8 NBCC hours and Level 1 completion
8 NBCC Hours
Equine-Assisted Learning: Level 1 Foundations
0 of 17 lessons complete
Welcome to the Course
EAL Fundamentals & Ethos
Integration with Nature
← Continuing education
Start Here
Welcome to Equine-Assisted Learning Facilitator, Level 1
We’re so honored to have you here. Your presence signals a real commitment to this work, to the horses, and to the clinicians and clients you’ll one day hold space for.
Tuition & Enrollment
Choose your cohort & format
Equine-Assisted Learning Facilitator, Level 1
Rediscover your most authentic self
Cohort 1 · Saturday, September 12, 2026
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, with a one-hour lunch · Enrolling now
Cohort 2 · Saturday, January 23, 2027
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, with a one-hour lunch · Waitlist only
Choose the format that fits you, in person at the ranch or online. The curriculum and continuing education credit are the same; only the experience and the price differ. Your tuition includes everything you need to step into the work with confidence:
- Live experiential learning, demonstrations, and guided discussion (at the ranch in person, or on Zoom online)
- Self-paced lessons: video lectures, reflection prompts, and reading assignments
- Continuing education credit, with your attendance documented by a recording of the training
- The Shakti Ranch EAL Manual (digital copy)
- Guided journal reflections and a post-course assessment
- Ethical foundations for working with horses and clients
- Lifetime access to the course platform and updates
Earn 8 NBCC Hours
Your 8 NBCC continuing education hours are provided by Dragonfly LLC (Angela Schellenberg), an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 8039. The NBCC hours are earned by attending the live training (in person or live on Zoom), and are optional, choose the path that fits you:
- With NBCC hours, earn all 8 hours by attending the full live day (camera on if online) and completing the short assessment. You receive a certificate showing your 8 NBCC hours and your completion of Level 1 training. That is a continuing education record, not an equine-assisted learning certification.
- Without NBCC hours, take the full training and receive a certificate of completion for Level 1. No CE credit, and no EAL certification.
Cohort 1, September 12, 2026
Pick the option that fits you. One tap goes straight to secure checkout.
Not sure? Choose With 8 NBCC hours if you need continuing education for license renewal. Choose Training only if you just want the training.
Before you enroll: Both formats are video recorded to verify attendance and document your continuing education credit, and by enrolling you agree to be recorded. Please read the Training, Recording & CE Credit Policy before you pay.
Cohort 2, January 23, 2027
This cohort isn’t open for enrollment yet. Add your name to the waiting list and we’ll let you know the moment spots open.
Level 1 EAL opens the next door. Level 1 EAL is the prerequisite for Rose Mary Riggs’ full Equine-Assisted Learning Certification at Shakti Ranch. Your 8 NBCC hours are provided by Dragonfly LLC (Angela Schellenberg), ACEP No. 8039.
Good To Know
Common questions
Will I receive CE hours?
Yes, if you add NBCC credit. The live training is approved for eight NBCC continuing education hours (in person or live on Zoom), provided by Dragonfly LLC (Angela Schellenberg, ACEP No. 8039), and earned by attending the full live training and completing the short assessment. Self-paced and recorded lessons are not eligible for NBCC credit. You receive a certificate showing your CE hours and Level 1 completion. That is not an equine-assisted learning certification, which requires Rose Mary’s full EAL training program and all the required observations.
Who provides the NBCC hours?
Your continuing education credit is provided by Dragonfly LLC, the practice of Angela Schellenberg, which is the NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 8039) for this training. Rose Mary Riggs and Shakti Ranch are the equine partner for the hands-on work.
Who is this training for?
Therapists, counselors, coaches, and healing practitioners who want a trauma-informed foundation for integrating equine-assisted learning into their work.
Do I need horse experience?
No. You don’t need to own a horse or have any riding experience. The work is relational and on the ground.
How is the training delivered?
This is a live Level 1 course hosted on the Angela Schellenberg Members platform. You join the live sessions and revisit every recorded replay anytime through your member login.
What does completion require?
Full attendance, active participation with your camera on for the live virtual format, and completion of the short assessment.
What if I miss part of the training?
Full participation is required for CE credit, and there are no make-up sessions. If you miss part of the course, you can re-enroll in a future cohort to complete the training.
How much is the training?
Tuition depends on the format you choose and whether you want CE credit. In person at the ranch is $750 (training only) or $850 with 8 NBCC hours. Online is $397 (training only) or $497 with 8 NBCC hours. The training itself is identical either way, the NBCC hours are an optional $100 add-on for those who need board-reportable continuing education. The online tuition includes lifetime access to the course and all updates on the Members platform.
Does Level 1 certify me as an EAL facilitator?
No. You receive a certificate showing your 8 NBCC continuing education hours and that you completed Level 1 training, and those hours count toward license renewal. That is not the same as an equine-assisted learning certification. To be a certified EAL facilitator you complete Rose Mary Riggs’ full EAL training program, including all the required observations. Level 1 is the prerequisite and the starting point.
What are your refund and access policies?
Full refund if you cancel 14 or more days before the start date, 50% within 14 days, and none once the training has begun. Need an accommodation? Let us know at least 14 days ahead.
