Evolu Equine
Increase your communication and leadership horsepower with research-backed skill development and team building like no other!
Take your team out of their comfort zone and into the herd.
Boost your team's engagement and skills
Our unique development program, backed by research, takes your team out of the office and into the farm for a memorable and confidence-boosting hands-on experience with trained horses and certified facilitators.
Your team will improve communication, trust, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, teamwork, and overall well-being through engaging activities.
What People Are Saying
This session was not only fun but incredibly informative! I learned so much about being a better leader and would gladly recommend this to anyone interested in learning a better approach to leadership.
"This was a great experience! It helped me to allow others to be leaders and me to be a better follower. I highly recommend this training for anyone looking to become a better and more well-rounded leader."
This was a wonderful program. It's an amazing opportunity to step into an unfamiliar but safe environment and take time to analyze our leadership styles. It presents us with the chance to consider our perspectives compared to those on our team while learning to flex our approach to teamwork to fit the needs of everyone around us.
“Despite having ridden horses many times, I felt nervous and intimidated when I met my horse Jotspun. It became clear that Jotspun could sense my nervousness, and what surprised me was how much he wanted to help me succeed. By the end of the session, with support from my trusted team, I could even lead him through a maze while blindfolded.
This exercise made me reflect on how often we have to lead without a clear vision and how crucial it is to rely on our teams for support. I walked away from this experience feeling empowered, fearless, and proud of the leadership skills I honed.
I highly recommend Marietta Stalcup from Evolu Equine. Her leadership allowed for the best learning experience for me and the other participants. ”
Upcoming Equine-Assisted Leadership Events
IgniteHer: Leadership Excellence Women's Retreat
May 6-8 // September 9-11
The IgniteHER Leadership Retreat is for accomplished women executives ready to embrace a new level of growth in their leadership journey. This transformative experience offers an opportunity to deeply explore your own leadership behaviors, habits, and dynamics, unlocking fresh insights to elevate your impact and achieve greater success. Through our unique coaching and equine-guided format, in 2.5 days you will refine your leadership skills, build meaningful connections with like-minded leaders, and ignite your potential to lead with purpose and confidence.
Join us for 2.5 extraordinary days at a breathtaking equestrian retreat in Tryon, North Carolina, where you’ll engage in powerful leadership development exercises, equine-guided experiences, and deep, reflective work—all guided by a team of three master executive coaches.
Click the Learn More button below to receive a PDF with all of the details!
Sip N Ride Equine Learning Event
April 19, 2025 // 4:30 - 6:30 PM
$75 for Riders and EAL participants
Join us for our next "Sip and Ride" learning event for guests 21 and over. A unique pairing of equestrian excellence, wine tasting, horseback riding fun, and a chance to explore Equine-Assisted Leadership Development!
The event begins at 4:30 p.m. and lasts around two hours. It is packed with equestrian activities, delicious food, and a mini horseback riding lesson for those who choose to ride. Also included is a sampling of activities that showcase how horses can help us grow and develop as leaders.
To register, click the link below to take you to the Revelation Farm registration page where more details are available and your payment will be collected.
A Taste of Equine Learning
You’re invited to come and check out this experiential learning model for yourself!
Equine-assisted leadership development is a unique, eye-opening, and highly experiential approach to learning and leadership development that leverages human/horse interaction in a safe environment.
Research shows that this innovative way to build authentic and influential leadership is effective and a great return on investment, as personal breakthroughs can be achieved in only a few hours.
There are many benefits to including this as a stand-alone team-building event or incorporating it into a complete leadership development curriculum.
If you want to explore how this type of event can support your team's growth and development, click the Contact Us button below and complete the form.
Why Horses?
- Horses are expert readers of humans
As prey animals, horses have honed their ability to sense and respond to subtle human cues, making them invaluable tools for leadership development. - Nonverbal communication is key
Horses focus solely on nonverbal communication, mirroring the 93% of human interaction that often goes unnoticed. - Real-time feedback
Interacting with horses provides immediate and honest feedback on leadership style, communication effectiveness, and team dynamics. - Accelerated leadership growth
Equine Assisted Learning offers a unique, experiential approach to leadership development, surpassing traditional classroom training. - Practical application
Skills learned in the arena directly translate to improved leadership in the workplace.
Program Outcomes
We will collaborate with you to design customized workshops and/or retreats tailored to your specific leadership development goals.
All of our work will be completed in a barn and arena, which may or may not be covered, without air conditioning or heating. A typical workshop involves ground activities and challenges with horses in a team environment. We always begin with safety demonstrations and getting to know your colleagues - both equine and human.
Our trained horses and certified facilitators will help you draw parallels between your interactions with the horses and leadership situations. These metaphors deepen understanding and reinforce leadership concepts.
L/D staff can integrate into your existing leadership frameworks for a cohesive learning journey and ensure the new program complements your other training initiatives.
Our retreats always include wellness programming designed to de-stress and restore balance, healthy meals and snacks from local caterers and all materials.
Potential Learning Outcomes
- Align Team Culture to Your Vision, Values and Goals
- Adapt Ability to Interpret and Respond to Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
- Demonstrate Improved Presence, Authenticity and Emotional Intelligence
- Transform Conflict Into Highly Productive Collaboration
- Discover How to Leverage Strengths to Build a High-Impact Team
- Grow Self-Leadership and Accountability
- Increase Engagement, Morale, and Trust
- Become More Resilient and Confident
Our locations
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need to know about horses?
No, all work is completed on the ground - there is no riding in this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Your feet will never leave the ground - unless you jump for joy after successfully completing a challenge.
The focus is on human skills rather than horse and riding skills. This program is not about horsemanship and it is not therapeutic riding.
It is about growing the key leadership skills needed to drive your business results and having a unique, holistic, and fun experience outside the traditional office training setting.
It has been our experience that those with no horse experience or who are even afraid of horses leave having demonstrated the greatest growth and transformation.
Who should do an Equine Assisted Leadership Programs?
- Half to Two Day Customized Corporate Experiences and Retreats
- Emerging Leaders Programs
- Women in Leadership Programs
- Executive/Professional MBA Programs
- Hospitals and Physician Practices
- Executive Teams and Board of Directors
- Small Business & Networking Groups
- New Leaders/New Teams
- Teams Needing to Reset
- Families, Couples, and Friends looking for a two to four-hour unique experience
How should I dress?
As you will be outdoors in an arena and a barn, with no heating or air conditioning, dress in clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and that will keep you as warm or cool as possible.
Closed-toe shoes are mandatory, and you will not be allowed to participate if you wear sandals or open-toed shoes. There are no exceptions, and this is for your safety.
What about inclement weather?
For events that are three hours or less, we can complete most of the activities in the barn area. Therefore, the event will continue to take place.
We will work with our local partners to find an indoor covered arena for half-day and full-day events. If we are not able to move to a covered arena, then we will need to reschedule.
All events, regardless of length, will be rescheduled if there is thunder, lightning, or threat of tornados.
Is there a minimum number of participants?
For pre-scheduled monthly events, we do require at least 5 participants.
For weekend executive retreats, the minimum number of participants will be based on the length of the event and communicated on the event-specific page.
We will create a custom scope of work based on the number of participants for custom programs.
What is your refund policy?
We do not offer refunds.
You can apply your funds to future Equine-Assisted Leadership events or to other services provided by Evolu, Revelation Farm, or Dreamwinds Farm.