Experiential Learning & Horsemanship Coaching for Nervous System Well-being 

Hello!  My name is Sheri Scurr.  I am a certified equine-assisted experiential learning professional and connection-based horsemanship coach. (My experiential learning certification is through the Equine Experiential Education Association - E3A.) 

 

Horses have been my ever-present guides along my life's journey.  And, while I can summarize all of my professional credentials, the key ingredient in who I am professionally, personally and spiritually is my relationship with horses. My greatest desire is to share the power of horses with others -- with YOU - so that you, too, can experience their transformational gifts that teach you about yourself in ways no other being can do. 

​

For personal growth. Fundamental to my approach in crafting experiential learning sessions for personal growth is my understanding that there is a paradox behind self-improvement and professional development. The paradox is that it is only when we accept ourselves as we are and compassionately accept the gifts of our imperfections that we feel our inherent worthiness.  In other words, it is only when we let go of trying to "fix" ourselves in an effort to belong and be accepted -- that we experience growth and transformation. As one of my favorite authors and speakers, Eckhart Tolle wrote, “To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love, and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.”   

​

For professional development. My experiential learning approach for professional development is strength-based. In other words, the goal is to help participants notice their strengths as individuals and groups, recognize the core beliefs that drive their perceptions and assumptions, identify how to change faulty or limiting beliefs and leverage their own strengths and those of others, and then integrate this awareness for professional growth - individually and as an organization.

​

For horsemanship coaching. Horses have been my teachers and guides since childhood. I have owned and trained for my own use many different types of horses for pleasure and competition -- each with special gifts and challenges. My horsemanship journey has included many styles and disciplines. With all of the different approaches out there, I have learned from experience and observation that the fundamental ingredient is true connection between horse and human.

 

Therefore, my approach in horsemanship coaching is to help you create a trusting and heart-centered relationship where your horse chooses to be with you as a willing partner, which is not the same as a horse choosing "join-up" to avoid pressure or to receive a treat. I have personally studied with some amazing people, such as Federic Pignon and Magali Delgado (Cavalia), Karen Rohlf (Dressage Naturally) Linda Kohanov (Eponaquest), and Caroline Beste (The Tao of Horsemanship). I also study and closely follow Carolyn Resnik, Warwick Schiller, Linda Tellington Jones, Mark Rashid and Dr. Stephen Peters (neuroscientist and horseman). The core of all of this learning for me is connection.  To be authentic and connected with a horse, we need to show up authentically and congruently inside.

 

When you work with me, you experience the dance of listening and asking, of noticing and being intentional, of leading and following. It is this attunement in relationship that creates trust and responsiveness. As Mark Rashid says: “Horsemanship is the art of mastering our own movements, thoughts, emotions and behavior. Not the horses.” 

​​

Past professional experience.  Regarding my qualifications to facilitate professional development, I have more than 30 years of experience as a nonpartisan research analyst and bill drafter for the Montana Legislative Services Division. My responsibilities included developing agendas for and facilitating numerous committee meetings, task forces and working groups. These duties encompassed framing decision-making sessions and negotiations between legislators and various stakeholder groups. I also served 13 years as a commissioned military intelligence officer in the Army Reserve and National Guard, including special active-duty tours outside of the United States. I provided command-level briefings and facilitated strategic and tactical decision-making discussions related to a variety of military operations.

 

Personal experience. The most important and rewarding experience in my life has been as the mother of two beautiful daughters who now have families of their own. On a personal level, I have navigated family adventures as well as traumas. I am divorced, have survived different types of abuse and betrayal, and navigated my own healing journey.  I am a proud and devoted grandmother, too!

​

Wherever you are on your journey, personally or professionally, my horses and I are here for you.  You are in the right place and with seasoned and loving hands and hearts.

​