If you’re a horse person, you’re probably aware that change is afoot. From equine facilitated wellness, to positive reinforcement and liberty training, to barefoot horses, paddock paradises, track systems, and bitless bridles, to a booming herbal supplement industry, and horse lovers worldwide working with the bladder meridian and trying pillar work with their horses, there is a shift in the works.

For many, our way of seeing horses is changing, evolving, and we are opening our eyes to how we may have learned early on to harm horses, the animals we love, inadvertently and unconsciously. As a horse crazy young girl, I learned to ride horses using what I now refer to as “Get-it-done” horsemanship. Riding was not about fun, connection or relationship but rather, meeting a goal and performing perfectly.

After many conversations with horse people, I realized that I was not alone, that this way of forcing horses was and, in many cases, still is, the norm. As an adult, I found natural horsemanship, and was certain that I’d hit upon pay dirt. At a similar time, I met my mare Diva, my first horse, and she was the unlucky recipient of several years of carrot sticks, seven games, and often-harsh training arising from my learned belief in hierarchy and dominance. Thankfully, at around the same time I began my career as an Equine Sport Therapist and a different journey with horses, which progressively grew my ability to listen, to see them as complex emotional and spiritual beings, and to dismantle my dysfunctional patterns, beliefs, and conditioning about how to relate and connect with them. 

This challenging self-reflective process is why I am here, in a much healthier, more connected partnership with Diva 20 years later, despite all the ways I have failed and all the mistakes I have made, and now starting a new and unique relationships with my mares Raven and Gwynna.

I hope, this is part of why you are here too. We are at a point as horse lovers, stewards, riders, where the information we have been waiting for to make substantial change is here and available, and where the possibility for a healthier connection with our horses, for re-writing this “love” story, is a reality. 

There is an opportunity to make reparations, and to build a new way of being with horses, from a stronger foundation based on systems that work for all, that are healing and not harmful, that are trauma-informed, and help to topple some of the unhealthy structures and systems that are underpinning much of what we have come to believe about horses and training. 

I fully believe that when we know better, we can do better. And through our own work, actions, and compassion, we show other horse people a better way forward as well.

This six month program is a dedication to the horses in your world, past, present and future.

It is an invitation to unpack where you have been, what you’ve done, and what you have believed, and an opportunity to move into the future with the tools, skills and understandings to experience the loving relationship with horses you’ve always envisioned. This is a process and a practice, and annoyingly, there is no finish line. It continues well beyond our time together, and over our six months together I hope to instill a curiousity and a sense of joy in discovery, so that even after we complete our time together, the skills, resources, and understandings shared will support the growth of your equine relationship well into the future. 

There are so many of us courageously walking this edge and doing work to advocate for the well-being of horses around the world, starting with the ones in our own backyard. Many of us feel alone in this process, rebels in our individual horse communities, but the online space provides a venue for us to connect, build community and continue our learning into this hopeful and exciting future. Together, anything is possible. I look forward to the possibility of spending this 6 months with you and your horse.

We begin September 15th, 2024 (and if this year is not your year, we start on this date each year for the foreseeable future).

Read on to learn more about the details of our time together.

If you are feeling ready to sign up, you can register here.

There is also a three month payment plan available (learn more here).  

Diva, Raven and I have our fingers and hooves crossed that you can join us!

Alexa

For any horse lovers out there looking to expand their knowledge, or open doors to career opportunities in an equine field but unsure where to get started, check this out!! Alexa is an amazing teacher, equine sport therapist, horse owner and is involved with a fantastic community of professionals you’ll want to know and learn from. 

Kayla Scorah, Vancouver Island

I would highly recommend the Whole Horse Apprenticeship. Alexa has such a wealth of knowledge to share and brings in key leaders in our Equine World who are changing it from within! My world was expanded in many ways. I would definitely participate again as there is to much to learn in only 6 months!

Katey Campbell, Vancouver Island

Do you ever find yourself wondering…

  • if your horse is as healthy and vital as they could be?
  • if your horse is receiving the nutrients and supplements they need to feel their best?
  • if your saddle is fitting, hooves are balanced and your horse is comfortable and pain-free?
  • if you are as balanced, centred and strong as possible in the saddle both physically and emotionally?
  • if your horse sees you as a safe and trustworthy partner?
  • if your horse is happy in their current environment and with their current work?
  • how you and your horse can feel more safe, comfortable and relaxed?
  • why your horse is in your life and what they might have to teach you?
  • why you are being challenged by your horse and how to move through it?
  • what the more “spiritual” nature of your relationship is, and how to find out?

If you answered yes to a good number of the questions above, you’re in the right place! 

I’d love to invite you to join me for the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, an opportunity to immerse yourself in an exploration of all of the aspects of the horse-human relationship with a small group of dedicated horse people just like you.

In working together, I hold three visions…

#1: a healthy, content horse who is happier in their environment, in their job, and in their connection to you, and is open to expressing their needs through healthy and clear communication.

#2: a relaxed, effective, compassionate human who has the tools, presence, awareness and understanding to work effectively with whatever comes up in the moment, and to embrace the journey (because relating to horses is a journey!), no matter what it brings.

#3: a communication-rich, loving relationship. One in which both your horse and you feel able to express, to grow and to open up into your potential in the saddle, on the ground and in the world.

The Whole Horse Apprenticeship happens (almost) entirely online!

Here’s the almost – There is an optional 3-day retreat with a equine body and energy work focus for all participants in the Apprenticeship on the west coast of Canada (not included in the price of the Apprenticeship). This allows participants to get hands on with horses.

Other than this retreat (which is optional), the entire course content is fully accessible online:

  • 4 – 1.5 month modules covering the “whole” horse – physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual (plus access to all course content for an additional 6 months) 
  • 4 live webinars with Alexa with skill-building, group sessions, and Q&A (60-75 minutes, one per module)
  • 4 live webinars + Q&A with guest instructors from around the world, handpicked by Alexa for the relevancy of their work to the growing and ever-changing field of equine partnership (60-90 minutes, one per module)
  • Over 20 content-rich pre-recorded webinars from guest instructors covering a wide range of pertinent topics related to equine and rider well-being, training, relationship and more (60-90 min). 
  • 6 months of curated weekly emails bringing you digestible portions of skill-building resources to thoughtfully reset your horse relationship and build strong and healthy foundations for growth and development. 
  • Access to 4 online courses created by Alexa, including Build a Track System on the West Coast, Redefining Equine, Kinetic Communication (Applied Kinesiology for Animal Lovers), and Building your Equine Apothecary,
  • A course workbook (PDF) outlining the four modules: physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual, with barn-worthy printable charts and tools, techniques and information to weave into your equine relationship, plus PDF copies of Death Sucks: A Straight-Up Guide to Navigating your Pet’s Final Transition. 
  • Special pricing on one-on-one sessions with Alexa during your time in the program
  • A vibrant Mighty Networks Community connecting participants from all over the world, and providing access to experienced and inspiring horse people (and possibly new friends), resources, relevant and fascinating content and more.

Ready to sign up?

Register here

The Whole Horse Apprenticeship was a fantastic 6 month journey and completely exceeded my expectations in every possible way. The well structured program had a wealth of excellent content to learn from and with so many topics covered throughout the course, it was great to be able to pick and choose areas of focus to fit with my particular equestrian interests. The guest instructors were so generous in sharing their expertise adding even more goodness to this already brilliant course. Alexa is an exceptionally talented and intuitive mentor whom I felt so privileged to have the opportunity to learn from and I look forward to continuing my learning journey through her trainings in the coming months.

Avril Oliver, UK

Joining Alexa’s Whole Horse Apprenticeship was kind of like finding the yellow brick road of equine care and stewardship. Her program has led me to meet countless people who have changed the course of my life and improved my beloved horses’ welfare beyond anything I used to know was possible. I’ve had the privilege to participate in the apprenticeship three times, and attend the live retreat, and the layers of connection that weave through this online container make a truly tangible impact in my real day to day interactions with my horses, myself and my community. I’ll forever be grateful for the transformation and support the apprenticeship has afforded me, and I feel beyond lucky to consider Alexa a valued friend and mentor on my journey with my horses. P.S. the apprenticeship is incredibly welcoming and judgement free! I knew practically nothing about holistic, ethical horsemanship when I joined. If you’re curious about any of the topics, just join! You have no idea where this magical ride will take you and your horses.—

Alexa Linton
Elsie Reford, Gatineau, QC

Photos from our optional in-person retreat in beautiful Langley, BC, Canada (May 2023) with guest instructors Elisse Miki and Sarah Griffiths, DCH

This Apprenticeship is a great fit for you if…

  • Your relationship with horses is one of the most important in your life.
  • You are fascinated by this partnership. It’s a source of deep joy and fulfillment and sometimes, frustration, grief, and confusion.
  • You often feel like an outsider in your horse community, perhaps judged or criticized for doing things differently with your horse, and you crave a community who gets it.
  • You are on a seemingly constant search for understanding about why you are drawn to horses in the first place and why you found yourself in relationship with a particular one. You’re constantly wondering about how to be a better horse person.
  • You are ready to heal your relationship with horses, dismantle old beliefs and conditioning, and learn a healthier way of relating. 
  • You get the concept of heart horse and horses as medicine and are excited to learn more.
  • You would love to experience a more relaxed and connected relationship with your horse.
  • You are drawn to all things spiritual and connecting, you love exploring your woo-woo side!

I’ve called this the Whole Horse Apprenticeship for a few important reasons.

 

After twenty fascinating and sometimes frustrating years with my mare Diva and as an equine sport therapist, I have realized that there are several, often overlooked, components of the horse-human relationship that are essential to its success.

We work in this program to understand how everything works together as a whole and how it can work even better. Throughout our time together we’ll be addressing the inter-connection between…

  • the structural system of ourselves and our horses (bones, muscles, fascia) and how to work effectively with these components to promote circulation, range of movement and comfort.
  • the unique and connected internal systems that determine the well-being of our horses and ourselves and how to easily discover and correct imbalances and maintain harmony.
  • the cycles of the elements and the meridians, and how they relate to each other, and to overall well-being.
  • the chakra systems of the body and the areas that the harmony of each individual chakra affects, including endocrine glands, organ systems, physical structures, emotional well-being, depth of connection and energy levels.  
  • your horse and you, and the many undiscovered and awe-inspiring levels of this relationship.

And the final component of wholeness is collaboration and community – and in this immersion you will have it in spades. Including more than 24 of my mentors, colleagues and friends as guest instructors helping to make this experience one of a kind, and fellow participants from all over the world…

Dr. Tracy Rainwaters, one of last years guest instructors.

It takes a village…

I have brought together more than twenty five of my mentors, esteemed colleagues and dear friends to share their understanding and wisdom.

They’ll be sharing online via both pre-recorded and live webinars about equine health and well-being, rider awareness, hoof care, saddle fit, body work techniques, vibrational remedies, homeopathy, 5 element theory, conscious and relational horsemanship, trauma-informed horsemanship, equine behaviour, animal communication, meditation, heart connection, grief work, and much more.

These amazing teachers will be joining us on pre-recorded or live webinars throughout our 6 months together (all will be available via replay for a full year). I will be releasing more about each of them and what they will be sharing as we come closer to our time together.

It’ll look a little like this…

  • 20 pre-recorded webinars (60min) with Guest Experts from around the world made available to you throughout the modules (I also include any archived webinars in their own area if you want to watch).
  • 5 live webinars (60min) with Guest Experts chosen by Alexa for their relevancy and the work they are sharing within the horse industry (one per module)
  • 4 live webinars (75-90min) with Alexa (introducing and mapping out each of the four modules

Webinars with:

LIVE:

  • Susan Tenney (Elemental Acupressure)
  • Brittany Ainsworth (Sacred Echos)
  • Amy Dell (author of Horse Track Systems)
  • Lucie Klaassen (Polyvagal Theory and horses)
  • Kim Hallin (UnBridled LLC)

PRE-RECORDED:

  • Celeste Lazaris, founder of Balance through Movement Method
  • Dr. Tracy Rainwaters
  • Felicity Davies of the Confident Equestrian
  • Claire Marshall of Plateau Saddlery
  • Carmen Spagnola of the Numinous Network

    Alexa is a very knowledgeable, honest, positive person, with so much knowledge everybody needs to know and understand to take proper care of their animals. It seems to be all about horses, but in reality it is all about us as well. She always goes the extra mile to make sure everybody is taken care of and happy. I learned so much in her course and being more independent from a vet is very important when you live a bit secluded, so being able to help your animals right away is pretty big. A course I would recommend to any animal lover and owner!

    Petra

    I absolutely loved my time in the apprenticeship. I will definitely be following along next year. The amount of resources we got we’re amazing, way more then I expected. I really enjoy all the experts that are brought forth to share. I loved that embedded in each week there were many different pieces of information and topics covered. This made it great when one of the subjects wasn’t of interest or something that I wasn’t ready to dive into, there were still other topics to learn about that week. (Hopefully that makes sense) I especially LOVED how many different herbs we focused on. The community group was a great idea and awesome to see other people’s thoughts.

    Brittany

    Here’s a recap of what’s included in the Whole Horse Apprenticeship

    • 4 – 1.5 month modules covering the “whole” horse – physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual (plus access to all course content for an additional 6 months) 
    • 4 live webinars with Alexa with skill-building, group sessions, and Q&A (60-75 minutes, one per module)
    • 5 live webinars + Q&A with guest instructors from around the world, handpicked by Alexa for the relevancy of their work to the growing and ever-changing field of equine partnership (60-90 minutes, one per module)
    • Over 20 content-rich pre-recorded webinars from guest instructors covering a wide range of pertinent topics related to equine and rider well-being, training, relationship and more (60-90 min). 
    • 6 months of curated weekly emails bringing you digestible portions of skill-building resources to thoughtfully reset your horse relationship and build strong and healthy foundations for growth and development. 
    • Access to 4 online courses created by Alexa, including Build a Track System on the West Coast, Redefining Equine, Kinetic Communication (Applied Kinesiology for Animal Lovers), and Building your Equine Apothecary,
    • A course workbook (PDF) outlining the four modules: physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual, with barn-worthy printable charts and tools, techniques and information to weave into your equine relationship, plus PDF copies of Death Sucks: A Straight-Up Guide to Navigating your Pet’s Final Transition. 
    • Special pricing on one-on-one sessions with Alexa during your time in the program
    • A vibrant Mighty Networks Community connecting participants from all over the world, and providing access to experienced and inspiring horse people (and possibly new friends), resources, relevant and fascinating content and more.

      Does this feel like a fit for you?

      I would love to spend the next six months with you and your horse, as we explore the edges of our understanding and knowledge and what it means to show up fully for the horses in your world. It is $997.50 CDN (inclusive of GST). Interac e-transfers are welcome to alexa@alexalinton.com

      Register here

      A few essential things…

      • You’ll have the opportunity to join in for a 3-day retreat on Vancouver Island (exclusive to Apprenticeship participants) facilitated by Alexa. The dates and pricing for this retreat (not included in the cost of the Apprenticeship) will be posted after we begin.
      • My intention is to make this course as accessible as possible. A creative payment strategy was exactly how I managed to pay my way through Equine Therapy School and I want to pass that kindness forward. If this program is not financially possible for you without a payment plan head to the link below for more details on the three month payment plan available. 
      • If you sign up and then realize it is not a fit, I offer a full refund up until 4 weeks before we begin. After that until the course start date, I am happy to refund everything but a $100 service charge. Once we begin, you’re committed barring unforseen circumstances.
      • Our Mighty Networks online community will be inclusive of WHA participants from previous years.
      • Participants will have email access to me (Alexa) throughout our 6 months together for questions.
      • You will have access to the course material for 12 months and can join us again for a reduced rate if you would like to retake the program with another cohort.
      3 month Payment Plan

      From anatomy to the energy body and parallels to the human, amazing guests, hands on exercises and Alexa’s smile this course offered me a map and the courage to pursue a life long passion of working with the horse.

      Cristina

      Do I need a horse to participate?

      No, happily you don’t. Any one who loves horses and wants to build their connection with them can participate, whether you’re just starting down the path or you’re a seasoned expert. Everyone will learn and grow and you’ll leave with a greater understanding of horse husbandry and ethical care, to support any horses along your path.

      Is there any in-person events?

      Yes! I will be facilitating a 3-day optional Apprenticeship retreat focusing on manual techniques and energy work for horses on the beautiful west coast in Canada with several guest instructors. Dates, pricing, and details will be made available after the program start. It usually is scheduled in April/May. 

      What about refunds? 

      When it comes to refunds, here’s how it works. If, for some reason, you need to back out between August 15th and our September 15th start date, you will receive all but $100 of your payment back. Before August 15th you’ll receive a full refund. Once the course begins on September 15th, no refunds are possible (barring emergency).

      Meet Alexa Linton

      Meet Alexa Linton

      BSc. Kin, DOMP

      Alexa is your guide on this six month adventure. Alexa’s passion is horses. From one-on-one intuitive work, to several long-standing online programs and courses, including the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, and a six-season podcast (The Whole Horse Podcast) that supports horse people around the world with collaborative and heart-centred conversations about equine well-being. She is also the author of Death Sucks: A Straight-up Guide to Navigating Your Pet’s Final Transition (find your copy here), a valued contributor to Community Horse Journals, and co-instructor of a comprehensive 3-level Equine Cranial Therapy Certification alongside Elisse Miki.

      Alexa lives with her partner Patrick, her two dogs Reilly and Solo and cat Makwa, and her two horses Raven and Diva in the Cowichan Valley, unceded territory of the Cowichan peoples, on Vancouver Island.

      She’s excited to be able to connect inside the Whole Horse Apprenticeship container and continue her learning and growth journey with her horses alongside each of the participants (horses and humans), and maybe you!