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OUR APPROACH
Learning with Horses - A Path to Presence, Coherence, and Transformation
At La Ferme de la Colline, we guide individuals and teams through an approach deeply rooted in nature, in the animal world, and particularly in a respectful relationship with the horse.
Through their sensitivity, inner coherence, and absence of judgment, horses become unique partners on the path of personal and professional growth.
Our approach integrates the Eponaquest® method (developed by Linda Kohanov) and Connection Focused Therapy®, along with elements of equine ethology, systemic psychology, and mindfulness.
It is designed for anyone seeking inner alignment — in personal life as well as within organizations.
An experiential approach
Our work is grounded in direct, hands-on experience.
The sessions take place on foot, in direct interaction with the horses, respecting their pace and freedom.
Sessions alternate between moments of observation, experiential exercises, and guided reflection - anchoring learning in everyday reality.
These experiences reveal how we position ourselves, communicate, and manage our energy - both individually and in relation to others.
They allow us to better understand our strengths, our areas of tension and our needs for transformation.
No riding experience is required - it’s an encounter between two sentient beings, expressed entirely through non-verbal language.
Our support process
1. Listening and clarity
Create a safe space to express, name, and understand what is happening. Identify recurring patterns, inner blocks, or tensions.
2. Putting into perspective
Connect the dots - context, values, emotions, and objectives. Bring meaning, open new perspectives, and restore coherence.
3. Experience and integration
Let right action emerge from what has been understood and felt. Integrate learning through experience and interaction with the horse, anchoring transformation in a lasting way.
Why the horse?
The horse lives in constant attention to its environment.
A social and non-predatory animal, the horse lives deeply anchored in the present moment, sensitive to even the slightest changes in energy, posture, or intention around it.
In interaction with humans, the horse responds not to words but to what it feels - our inner state, our clarity, and our authenticity. It becomes a fair and benevolent mirror of our inner world.
Through this subtle interaction, the horse helps us observe our ways of functioning, recognize our emotions, and adjust our communication. It teaches us the balance between assertiveness, listening, and cooperation.
Each session becomes a living laboratory — a direct experience of coherence, alignment, and full presence.
What working with horses transforms in us
The benefits cannot be fully explained. They are lived, integrated, and continue to work long after the encounter. Here is what people who come to La Ferme de la Colline most often report:
A renewed presence
The horse operates only in the present. By interacting with him, we return to our body, away from ruminations about the past and anticipations of the future.
This quality of presence is the foundation of every sound decision, every authentic relationship.
A more peaceful relationship with emotions
Horses move through their emotions fully, then let them go. They do not ruminate. They do not dramatise.
By their side, we learn to welcome an emotion as information rather than a threat.
This is one of the most lasting transformations.
Clarity about our patterns
The horse responds to our inner state, not our intention. He amplifies what we carry — the tension we ignore, the need we silence, the strength we do not yet allow ourselves.
This revealer, both gentle and precise, allows us to see our relational habits with a clarity that is difficult to reach any other way.
A more grounded leadership
Horses do not follow those who shout the loudest. They follow those who are true, clear, consistent between their inner and outer selves.
Working with them means experiencing an authority that does not need to impose itself, because it is simply there, to be developed.
Strength and gentleness reconciled
Many people who arrive here carry a persistent belief: "you have to choose between being strong or being gentle." Horses contradict this at every session.
They show us that a serene, grounded power is possible — and far more effective than sheer force.
Unique in Belgium: The Eponaquest® approach
Created in 1997 by Linda Kohanov - author of The Tao of Equus, Riding Between the Worlds, and The Power of the Herd - the Eponaquest® approach explores the human-horse relationship as a path to emotional, relational, and spiritual growth.
Her research and experience have led to concrete tools for developing what Linda calls “advanced human skills”:
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emotional awareness,
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non-predatory leadership,
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energy and boundary management,
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genuine cooperation,
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creativity and resilience.
The Eponaquest® approach rests on four pillars:
Embodied presence — fully inhabiting one’s body and breath.
Emotional intelligence — recognizing, welcoming and regulating one's emotions.
Conscious leadership — inspiring and guiding without dominating.
Authentic communication — creating relationships based on trust and mutual respect.
Horses teach us these principles not through theory, but through direct experience.
Their immediate and honest feedback helps us feel the impact of our behaviors, emotions, and intentions - and experiment with new ways of being that are more authentic and aligned.
This is the very approach we offer - exclusively at Ferme de la Colline.
Discover our different workshop formats.
To learn more: www.eponaquest.com
To find out about the Eponaquest instructor community in French-speaking Europe: www.eponaquestfrance.com
Connection Focused Therapy® (CFT)
Developed by Linda Kohanov and Rebecca Bailey, PhD, CFT complements the Eponaquest® approach by adding a therapeutic dimension focused on inner safety and conscious connection.
It helps us understand our emotional reactions, our defense mechanisms and our needs for connection.
This approach fosters self-compassion and a stable, grounded presence — even in challenging or stressful situations.
It promotes calm, grounded and cooperative leadership, a key skill in both personal and professional life.
Applications
A space of our own, for us women
The workshops foster self-confidence, emotional regulation, inner clarity and coherence between body, heart and mind.
They allow us to take back the reins of our lives with authenticity and discernment.
Learn more.
For businesses
Horses provide a unique learning environment for collaborative leadership and assertive communication.
Their feedback reveals group dynamics, power relationships, communication styles, and team cohesion.
Debriefing sessions help translate these insights into professional practice.
Horses thus become catalysts for collective transformation, revealing the power of cooperation grounded in trust and presence.
Learn more.