Connected Parenting

A connected parenting experience for parents and caregivers. In partnering with equines, caregivers will lean into a better understanding and response to big, baffling behaviors.

Join us for a unique, hands-on learning experience where horses become gentle guides for understanding children’s challenging behaviors with compassion, curiosity, and connection.

Why Attend?

Big behaviors can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even impossible to understand. This experience helps parents and caregivers look beneath the behavior to discover what a child may be communicating through meltdowns, shutdowns, aggression, impulsivity, avoidance, or emotional outbursts.

·        Learn why behavior is often communication, not defiance.

·        Practice slowing down and noticing your own responses.

·        Explore how safety, trust, and connection support cooperation.

·        Gain practical tools for responding with calm and confidence.

Why Horses?

Horses are sensitive, intuitive animals that respond honestly to body language, energy, and emotional states. Their presence invites calm, awareness, respect, and connection—offering powerful lessons that transfer directly to parenting and caregiving.

What You’ll Learn

·        How to shift from “How do I stop this?” to “What is this behavior telling me?”

·        Why children respond best when they feel safe, seen, and supported.

·        How adult regulation supports child regulation.

·        How tone, posture, timing, and calm presence can change an interaction.

·        Why connection comes before correction.

Possible Activities

·        Observe horse behavior and body language.

·        Practice calm breathing and grounded presence near a horse.

·        Lead a horse through simple activities while noticing pressure, patience, and trust.

·        Reflect on similarities between horse-human and parent-child interactions.

Takeaways

·        Greater empathy for children’s challenging behaviors.

·        Increased confidence in responding instead of reacting.

·        Practical connection-based tools for difficult moments.

·        A deeper understanding of trauma-informed, relationship-centered parenting.

Event Details

This class in a combination of virtual and in-person meetings. We meet 5 times over a course of 2 months; 2 times virtually via Zoom and 3 times in person with the Brookside Ranch herd for an Equine Assisted Parenting experience.

• Meeting 1 - Zoom Call the First Sunday of the month, 7-8pm. Introductions and presentation of foundational principles of Natural Lifemanship and Robyn Gobbel's "Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors"

• Meeting 2 - In person at Brookside Ranch the first Tuesday of the month, 9:30am to 11:30am. Experiential work with the herd.

• Meeting 3 - In person at Brookside Ranch the third Tuesday of the month, 9:30am to 11:30am. Experiential work with the herd.

• Meeting 4 - Zoom Call the First Sunday of the month, 7-8pm. Q&A session.

• Meeting 5 - In person at Brookside Ranch the first Tuesday of the month, 9:30am to 11:30am. Experiential work with the herd. Final meeting.

• Make-up / rainy day or bonus session. In person at Brookside Ranch the third Tuesday of the month, 9:30am to 11:30am in the event of cancelled class due to weather. Experiential work with the herd. If there is no make-up / rainy day session needed, participants can opt for a "bonus" session with the herd for an additional fee.

Cost: $480 per person.  Up to 10 participants.  Parents only

Contact us:

Beverly Walsh, 713.540.1528, dr.bev@sbcglobal.net

Shelli LeBret, 281.750.5976, srlebret@gmail.com

DeAnna Keller, 713-909-4442, deanna.d.keller@gmail.com

When adults learn to look beyond the behavior, children feel safer, seen, and supported.