Start Your Journey

Natural Lifemanship® Trainings

Grow Your Impact

You have a deep desire to empower others and make an impact in your community.

Training

Our desire is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to succeed.

Decades of experience working with clients and other professionals in Equine Assisted Services have granted us the insight to determine which practices are most ethical, impactful, and sustainable.

This insight is what drives and informs every one of our trainings.

Explore the various NL paths with our interactive guide

Choose from four of our popular paths and discover the sequential
trainings needed to complete each one.

There are various ways to train with Natural Lifemanship depending on the unique needs of you, your clients, and your horses. Click any of the options below to see where to start based on where you are—and where you expect to go.

Choose a path that meets your personal or professional needs, or choose a path based on prerequisites.

 

Most Popular Path | Path to Personal Growth | Horsemanship Path | Tim and Bettina’s Favorite Path | No Pre-Requisites | Pre-requisite: Fundamentals of NL (Any Option) | Pre-requisite: Fundamentals of NL (Level 1 trained) | Pre-requisite: NL Intensive (Level 2 trained)

Most Popular Path

If you desire to pursue basic or advanced certification.

Fundamentals Path

Fundamentals

Build your foundation using the principles of NL.

Intensive Path

Intensive

Embody the foundational principles you developed in Fundamentals.

Certification

Certification

Complete consultations and additional assignments to earn NL Certification.

Rhythmic Riding

Rhythmic Riding

Experience the powerful mounted component of NL.

Relationship Logic

Relationship Logic

Engage in relational work with an untrained or wild horse.

Deepen Your Learning

Deepen Your Learning

Choose an additional training to enhance your learning.

Did you know? By taking the Most Popular Path and deepening your learning with an additional training, you become eligible for Advanced Certification.

To deepen your learning, we recommend:

Personal Immersion, NL for Spiritual Connection, EC-EMDR, or Connected Horsemanship.

Explore Advanced Certification

Path to Personal Growth

If you are interested in personal growth but do not plan to practice EAS.

Fundamentals Path

Fundamentals

Build your foundation using the principles of NL.

Resilience Path

Building Your Resilience Offerings

An online series for profound self-care through mindfulness, meditation, art, journaling, self-reflection, and more.

Personal Immersion

Tend to the emotional and psychological needs you have as a helping professional to better meet the needs of your clients.

and/or

Spiritual Path

NL for Spiritual Connection

Explore, experience, practice, and transform connection patterns in the depths of your being.

Horsemanship Path

If you want a better relationship with your horse,
but do not plan to practice EAS.

Fundamentals Path

Fundamentals

Build your foundation using the principles of NL. (Foundations or core)

Connected Horsemanship

Connected Horsemanship

Develop your horsemanship skills through the building of deep, intimate connections free of power, domination, and control.

Repeat Connected Horsemanship

This training can be repeated as many times as you would like and will provide different results as you grow in your practice.

Tim and Bettina’s Favorite Path

If you want to be all in! Many students choose this path.

Fundamentals Path

Jumpstart Fundamentals + Fundamentals Practicum

Build your foundation using the principles of NL.

Resilience Path

Building Your Resilience Offerings

An online series for profound self-care through mindfulness, meditation, art, journaling, self-reflection, and more.

Intensive Path

Core Intensive + Intensive Practicum

Embody the foundational principles you developed in Fundamentals.

Personal Immersion

Tend to the emotional and psychological needs you have as a helping professional to better meet the needs of your clients.

Spiritual Path

NL for Spiritual Connection

Explore, experience, practice, and transform connection patterns in the depths of your being.

Connected Horsemanship

Connected Horsemanship

Develop your horsemanship skills through the building of deep, intimate connections free of power, domination, and control.

Relationship Logic

Relationship Logic

Engage in relational work with an untrained or wild horse.

Rhythmic Riding

Rhythmic Riding

Experience the powerful mounted component of NL.

EC-EMDR

EC-EMDR if you are EMDR trained

Engage your horse as a relationship partner and support their ability to provide dual attention stimuli, rhythm, and bilateral movement for clients during EMDR therapy.

Attend the Annual NL Conference – this is the best!

No Pre-Requisites

Dive right in.

Fundamentals Path

Fundamentals of NL

Build your foundation using the principles of NL.

Connected Horsemanship

Connected Horsemanship

Develop your horsemanship skills through the building of deep, intimate connections free of power, domination, and control.

Business Building Path

Business Building Master Class/Ground Work for Business Building

Learn the foundations for running a successful and sustainable EAS business.

Resilience Path

Building Your Resilience

An online series for profound self-care through mindfulness, meditation, art, journaling, self-reflection, and more.

Conferences and Events Path

Conferences and Events

The space where we can connect with one another and learn from our shared experiences.

Pre-requisite: Fundamentals of NL (Any Option)

Take any level of Fundamentals and move forward with the following:

Personal Immersion

Tend to the emotional and psychological needs you have as a helping professional to better meet the needs of your clients.

Spiritual Path

NL for Spiritual Connection

Explore, experience, practice, and transform connection patterns in the depths of your being.

Pre-requisite: Fundamentals of NL (Level 1 trained)

Completing Foundations + Fundamentals Practicum, Core, or Jumpstart qualifies you to take the following:

Intensive Path

NL Intensive

Embody the foundational principles you developed in Fundamentals.

Pre-requisite: NL Intensive (Level 2 trained)

Completing Foundations Intensive + Intensive Practicum or Core qualifies you to take the following:

Rhythmic Riding

Rhythmic Riding Immersion

Experience the powerful mounted component of NL.

Relationship Logic

Relationship Logic Immersion (Wild Horse Sanctuary Training)

Engage in relational work with an untrained or wild horse.

EC-EMDR

EC-EMDR if you are EMDR trained

Engage your horse as a relationship partner and support their ability to provide dual attention stimuli, rhythm, and bilateral movement for clients during EMDR therapy.

“Anything that brings me tears of joy AND grounds me to my core AND reminds me that my breath is divine, all at the same time, is always going to be a hard YES for me!”

~ Carol Joy Hollis-White

“I am so thankful for NL, for the vision, the teaching, the underlying values, priorities, and practices! The ongoing trainings, workshops, and support are so aligned with the need of practitioners and truly are the piece of connection that is missing from other programs. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this community.”

~ Charlotte Easley

“Natural Lifemanship is amazing and continues to strive for inclusion and setting the bar high in the equine assisted therapy world. Recommend over and over!”

~ Karina Kellen-Vlasic

“When you start out in another model and find yourself thinking there is more to the story – then you find Natural Lifemanship – you realize that is all she wrote! NL has made me a better therapist and improved my relationships with horses and humans. It’s well worth the investment in yourself and in your community.”

~ Sara Torontow

“Natural Lifemanship connects humans and horses more than any other model I have encountered…it holds the horse in the heartspace.”

~ Cheri Trousil

“Even though I have been practicing NL for quite some time, this training helped to improve my hands-on use of the model through the experience and practice of engaging with different horses who had unique temperaments, histories, and personalities. The in-the-moment guidance from the instructors was priceless!”

– Tabitha Salyer, LCMHC/LPC – Asheville Academy for Girls and Maple Hall Academy

“The Fundamentals Practicum was profound! This was one of the most valuable trainings I have attended as a clinician! I am excited to share with clients the principles/techniques I learned to further their growth! As an educator/clinician/AAT-I, I highly recommend Natural Lifemanship!”

– Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D, LCMHCS, LCAS-A, AAT-I,THTC, CYT-200 CEO/Owner Animal Assisted Therapy of the Triangle, PC

“Nurturing – over and above – phenomenal, amazing intuition and care. This experience has been invaluable!”

– Jennifer Hegg

“I have been SO surprised at how often I am pulling these [tools] out of my back pocket with my patients…and I am deeply grateful.”

– Tammy Raiswell

“What I continue to learn as I pursue Natural Lifemanship is that the richness of relationship is beyond any activity you do.”

– Bree Bryant, EP, CEO/CVO at Still Waters Equine Consulting

“I was actually really skeptical about doing [the training] online…I took the leap…and actually really, really appreciated it.”

– Cheri Trousil, PT, Executive Director/ Founder of Humble Ranch Education and Therapy Center

“A horse’s nonverbal reaction to me has opened up a whole new way of me relating to people, relating to my family, even in session.”

– Rhonda Fousek

Why train with us?

Natural Lifemanship is an approach to Equine Assisted Services based on the science of relationships––designed for practitioners where connection is the path to healing, health, and wellness.

Our distinct trainings provide you with a unique skill set for helping clients form better relationships while overcoming trauma and toxic stress.

Gain Knowledge

Gain Knowledge
Learn a cutting edge approach based on the sciences of neurodevelopment, trauma, and relationships. Understand the value of the brain-body connection, empowering you to support clients in deep, lasting transformation.

Apply Knowledge

Apply Your New Knowledge and Experience
Training with Natural Lifemanship is a full mind-body experience!

The most powerful way to learn this work is to be part of it yourself–participate in hands-on practices, lean into your own personal development, and gain valuable insights that can only come through lived experience.

Whether or not you partner with horses in your work, the experiential components of NL trainings will serve both you and your clients in finding powerful change, from the inside out.

Get Connected

Get Connected
Connection is always the goal!

We strive to model what we teach–gathering passionate people who are eager to serve and support others.

In small group settings, get to know your teachers and colleagues–build a community of therapists, equine professionals, life coaches, and others in the healing professions, to walk with you on your journey.