EHS Professional Training Program

EHS is the only method of training, bodywork or neuromuscular education that uses the natural reflex of Pandiculation to systematically cause the horse to reset their own resting level of muscle tonicity (aka tension levels).

We do not work ON horses, but invite them to participate WITH us during EHS. In this way, we are working directly with the horses Motor Cortex, effectively interacting with the horses Central Nervous System far ‘upstream’ of any other modality or method we have yet found.

This is the ONLY training program that offers a certification in EHS, and the only training program authorized by Eleanor Criswell, the creator of EHS, to certify practitioners in Equine Somatics.

After you complete all 3 modules of the EHS Professional Training Program, you will become eligible for certification. The modules are offered once per year during the last week of May, and you may only complete one module each year. This gives you time between modules to practice your protocols, study your anatomy and neuro-physiology, and get experience working with many different horses. Once you have completed the three training modules, there will be an additional certification exam/requirement that involves demonstrating your knowledge and practice of EHS.

For each module, there are some pre-recorded materials that will be made available for you to download or watch starting on May 1st. Some of these materials are best consumed before the live course begins (like the EHS Session 1 instructional video, our welcome video series, and printing and reviewing the Program Manual), and some are meant to be used as a supplement to the live zoom classes, to deepen your understanding of key topics. These materials are currently under development, but we expect they will take 3-4 hours at the most to work through.

The live Zoom sessions will be Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm, and 2pm-5pm. The mornings will be dedicated to lecture, demonstration, simulations and Somatics for horse handlers and EHS practitioners. The afternoon sessions will be hands-on classes with your horse.

You will need a good internet connection and quiet workspace with safe and level footing at your barn or the location where you plan to join with your horse, and we recommend inviting an assistant to help you by holding your horse - although it is permissible to tie your horse if necessary. During these sessions, you will be practicing the level-specific protocols taught in your module, with real-time feedback and coaching from Eleanor & Alissa, and peer-peer coaching in breakout groups by level.

Because you are joining from home over Zoom, we know it can be tempting to try to do ALL the things - horse chores, family/child care, and continue working around the course schedule. For you to get the maximum value from the training program, we do NOT recommend you do this!

Our most successful students have found it best to pretend that they are actually in California with us for the week of the training, and adjust their schedules accordingly - as if they were out of town. We usually break for lunch from 12-2pm PST, but the exact time can vary depending on the days material.

You must take the modules in order, and may only register for one each year. You will have different materials and protocols to learn and study for each of the three Modules - but the live classes are held concurrently. This means we have students from all 3 levels in the Zoom classroom together.

With each module you will continue to deepen your understanding of the key topics and EHS principles, experience peer-peer learning and sharing, and get direct coaching and instruction from Eleanor and Alissa. We encourage our level 2-3 students to participate in coaching the lower levels and they will also be presenting cases from their between-modules practical studies. 

You need a computer, tablet or smartphone capable of joining a Zoom call with both video and audio, and access to an internet browser so you can log-in to our website to access your pre-recorded and downloadable training materials. 

For the afternoon sessions, you will be hands-on with your horse, and yes you will need a good internet/wifi connection at the barn to participate. It is worthwhile to haul your horse to another facility if you don't have a strong signal, or to work with a different horse if that makes it easier to get a good internet connection. You will miss a significant portion of the training if you miss these live sessions, and there will NOT be a replay available of these sessions.

The total tuition due for each module is $1000 USD. Each year, you must submit your application and a $200 deposit in advance to reserve your space if/when you are accepted into the program. All students must pay this initial deposit - but don’t worry, it goes toward your total tuition if you are accepted, and is fully refundable if you are not accepted into the program or if the program is booked full! Returning Level 2-3 students are automatically accepted once they pay their deposits. 

If you choose to join our professional association (the AEHSE), as one of your membership benefits you will be invited to become an affiliate for our EHS Session 1 video, and earn a commission for each sale that you refer - which is one way you can start to earn back your tuition and dues! 

In addition, we understand that it has been a financially challenging few years for most of us, and so we are pleased to offer a sliding scale on the tuition of $750-$1000, based on financial need. 

The minimum requirement is that you already have enough horse experience to be safe working around and close to horses. This program is designed for equine professionals, vets, osteopaths or other alternative practitioners, equine science students and equine bodyworkers.

We also welcome riders, trainers and horse owners who are wanting to begin a new career as an Equine Hanna Somatics Educator or simply learn how to be your own ‘equine bodyworker’ for your personal horses - although EHS isn’t really ‘bodywork’ - it’s actually a voluntary education process that we invite the horse to participate WITH, not a ‘treatment’ or a ‘therapy’ that we do TO the horse.

You will complete a 3-page application at the time you pay your $200 deposit.

We will be in touch via email regarding the status of your application, and to schedule a telephone interview with Eleanor.

Upon acceptance, you will be emailed instructions and a link to pay the remaining balance of your tuition. (Your deposit will be refunded if you are not accepted or if the course is full).

Once your tuition is paid in full for that module, you will get access to the online course materials, and a Zoom invite to our live Classes during the scheduled training week.

In our basic instructional video, we teach a simplified version of the first EHS Protocol developed by Eleanor Criswell, the creator of EHS.

In this EHS Professional Training Program, you will learn the complete Ideal Protocol that the intro video is based on, PLUS the additional 7 Complete EHS Protocols used by professional EHS Educators: Red Light Reflex Protocol, Green Light Reflex Protocol, Trauma/Asymmetry Protocol, Head & Neck Protocol, Thoracic Limb Protocol, Hind Limb Protocol, and Barrel Protocol.