Equine facilitated learning (EFL) is coaching with horses as co-facilitators, and Heidi Dawson offers it from her base in the Lincolnshire countryside at Legsby, near Market Rasen. The work is done on the ground, so there is no riding, and no experience with horses is needed. Heidi works with a small herd, and she says the horses respond to how a person turns up, which gives her something to coach from that talking alone cannot reach.
Heidi Dawson is already known on inLouth for straight-talking coaching, and for her views on why strong teams start with individuals. Her website shows another side of the work that deserves its own look. It is the part with the horses, and it is the part most people ask about first.
What Equine Facilitated Learning Is, and What It Is Not
Heidi describes EFL as a cornerstone of her work. The idea is that horses are sensitive to the people around them and react to how someone shows up, not to what they say. That reaction gives a coach and a client something to look at together, in real time.
It is not riding lessons. Heidi's own words on the subject are that it is not "pony-patting" or "messing about in the paddock", and everything happens from the ground. The session is built around presence, connection and emotional awareness, with the horse as a partner in the conversation. People are welcome to come if they are nervous around horses, as Heidi says her herd is used to working with people who are new to it.
Meet the Herd
Each horse has a character, and Heidi uses them as part of the work. Lennie is an Arab who she calls the quiet rebel, and who is associated with presence and adaptability. Billy is a Welsh Cob and the gentle leader, linked to clear communication and patience. Gertie is a Shetland pony and a small but bold presence who stands for boundaries and courage. Cloud is the curious one, associated with exploring new things and trust.
Zahra, who lived from 2008 to 2022, is remembered on Heidi's website as the legacy of trust, a horse that went from shy and unsure to confident and generous.
What Happens in a Session
Heidi's website shares one example, with the client's first name only. Ben was an early-career leader at a large charity who struggled with self-belief and with saying what he needed. When he worked with Billy, the horse kept moving away as Ben approached. Billy showed the nervous energy Ben had been trying to ignore.
Heidi then used NLP techniques and mindfulness exercises to help Ben ground himself. He approached Billy again with more confidence, and Heidi says that shift carried into how he led and how he spoke to colleagues and family. Not every session will look like that, and Heidi tailors each one, but it shows how the horse's reaction becomes the starting point for the coaching.
Who It Is For
Heidi's site asks three questions of anyone considering EFL. Do you want a deeper understanding of your emotions and patterns? Do you feel stuck, personally or professionally? Are you open to learning by doing? She works with leaders, teams and individuals, and EFL can be added to personal coaching or to business and leadership work.
If you already have a horse, you can bring it. Heidi offers sessions that include your own horse, for people who want to deepen that bond or explore their own growth alongside it. She also mentors people training or qualified in EFL, and offers exploratory sessions for those thinking about adding it to their own practice.
How to Get Started
The first step is a free Connection Call, a chat of 15 to 30 minutes about what is going on for you and whether Heidi's approach suits you. If you want to go further, the next stage is a Momentum Session. It is a paid consultation lasting 90 minutes to two hours, and it ends with a written plan for what to do next. Longer work is arranged as a bespoke Unfold Plan, which can include EFL alongside coaching, emotional intelligence work or business strategy.
Heidi also runs workshops and EFL retreats, and her website lists current workshops, so check it for dates and details. She says retreats can be paired with a short stay in Lincoln or the Wolds. You can book a call through her website, read more about equine facilitated learning and the FAQs, or find her address on her inLouth page. Her approach to one-to-one work is covered in our earlier feature.