Equine Connected Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EC-EMDR)
Learn to Enhance the Therapeutic Practice of EMDR by Incorporating Equine Partners
We developed the Equine Connected EMDR Training to engage your horse as a relationship partner and support their powerful ability to offer connection and provide dual attention stimuli, rhythm, and bilateral movement for clients during EMDR therapy.
This intense and profound training goes deep into both your personal and professional development and trauma—and revolutionizes the ways in which you implement EMDR into your practice.
This year, we are not offering a full EC-EMDR training—only the add-on option for Rhythmic Riding. Add on one extra day to integrate EC-EMDR into your practice. The two trainings complement each other beautifully, with just enough overlap to make this an easy, valuable addition.
Processing trauma while being rocked, held, and carried by a deeply connected and attuned relationship partner is life-changing and life-giving in every way. The horse literally and figuratively walks the client through the traumatic memory in a deeply connected manner, helping the client to regulate and connect, while facilitating an integration of implicit and explicit memory.
In 2026 we are not offering a full EC-EMDR training. Instead we are offering EC-EMDR as a one-day add on to our Rhythmic Riding Immersion training. The extra day will focus on integrating EC-EMDR into your practice. The two trainings complement each other beautifully, with just enough overlap to make this an easy, valuable addition.
To purchase the Rhythmic Riding Immersion + EC-EMDR add-on, simply select the appropriate option from the product dropdown for the Rhythmic Riding Immersion.
If you’ve already completed the Rhythmic Riding Immersion and want to attend the EC-EMDR portion, you’ll still need to attend the entire training, including the Rhythmic Riding portion. However, you may contact us at support@naturallifemanship.com for a $499 discount.
Details:
What: EC-EMDR add-on
When: March 8, 2026 (following the Rhythmic Riding Immersion March 4-7, which you must attend to attend the add-on)
Where: NL Headquarters, Brenham, TX
Why: Partnering with horses in your EMDR practice powerfully enhances each of the eight phases resulting in profound and expedient change, growth, and healing.
Trainers: Bettina Shultz-Jobe & Kathleen Choe
Cost: Just an additional $599 on top of the Rhythmic Riding Immersion registration. Total cost is $3098.
The Equine Connected EMDR Training is not for everyone. To qualify, you must:
- Complete the Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship, the NL Intensive, AND the Rhythmic Riding Immersion
- Fall into either of the following categories:
- An EMDRIA trained EMDR practitioner
- An Equine Professional (EP) accompanying his or her therapy partner who is an EMDRIA trained EMDR practitioner.
Therapists: During the registration process you will be asked to specify the date and place of your EMDRIA approved training, and you will need to email us a scanned or photographed copy of your certificate of completion for this training.
Not ready or unable to attend this training? Sign up to be notified about the next one.
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Curious about EC-EMDR?
Read on to learn about what is covered in our full 3-day EC-EMDR training.
The one-day add-on that we are offering on March 8th will expose you to the essentials, building on the foundations of equine supported trauma processing learned and practiced during the Rhythmic Riding Immersion portion of the training.
Upon sign up, you will be enrolled in a course with preparatory material related to trauma processing and equine-connected EMDR. You must complete the preparatory material in the course prior to attending the training.
Please note that what follows on the rest of this page is a description of the full EC-EMDR 3-day training and that the one-day add-on will address a portion of the information and learning objectives described below.
The Equine Connected EMDR training will teach you:
- How to conduct the eight phases of EMDR with the help of the client’s therapy horse.
- How to engage the horse as both a Dual Attention Stimulus and an actual relationship partner who helps your client regulate while forming new attachment patterns as they connect with the one who carries them.
- How to do the structured EMDR protocol with the flexibility needed to be responsive to the horse as a living, breathing relationship partner.
- How to utilize somatic interweaves in EC-EMDR.
- How promoting connection with the horse enhances the benefits of each EMDR phase, whether working on the ground, or mounted.
What to expect at the full 3-day EC-EMDR training:
- The extensive focus will be on phases 2-8 and especially Phase 2 (the preparation phase) through what we traditionally call Rhythmic Riding.
- You will learn and practice how to begin and potentially complete this process on the ground, however the primary focus will be on how to go through the protocol while the client is on horseback.
- This highly specialized training is limited to 12 participants.
- You will be eligible for 18 EMDRIA credits (3-day program only)
- There will be a small online component you will need to complete before the 3-day event.
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