About Mindfulness with Horses
Mindfulness with Horses is a trauma informed equine assisted learning program that serves individuals, families, and school communities. Founded in 2021 by Jennifer Harper, we use mindfulness based practices to guide participants in building mutually beneficial relationships with horses, that they can use as a foundation for building healthier human relationships.
Our mission is to create spaces that support healing, while helping people of all ages connect with a sense of aliveness and vitality as they build more authentic and compassionate relationships with themselves and others.
Our programming is driven by the belief that all people, regardless of identity or circumstance, have an inherent inner wisdom that they deserve to access, express and celebrate. We also believe that partnering with horses is a sacred responsibility. Choice and consent are cornerstones of our work, for horses and humans. We are honored to work with partners that uphold these principles, including 13 Hands Equine Rescue in New York and Bitterroot Ranch in Wyoming.
About our Founder
Jennifer Harper is a trauma focused equine assisted learning provider, mindfulness and yoga educator, author, public speaker, mother, and lifelong student of horses.
The driving force of her work is sharing practices that help people strengthen their awareness, personal power, and ability to connect authentically both internally and externally.
As the founder of Mindfulness with Horses, Jennifer offers transformative equine assisted learning programs for adults, children, and families. Rooted in her decades of experience studying and teaching embodied mindfulness, her masters degree in experiential education, and her EAL training with Natural Lifemanship, her offerings are designed to support healing, often at transition points in participants’ lives.
Jennifer has extensive experience working with people facing a wide variety of challenges and at various stages of trauma recovery. Her background includes founding Little Flower Yoga in 2006, which brings trauma-informed movement, mindfulness and social emotional learning programming to schools nationwide. In addition to serving students, this program provides teacher training (over 6800 certified to date), professional development, and consultation for school based mental health providers.
For over 10 years Jennifer was a speaker for PESI, providing continuing education to mental health professionals interested in incorporating embodiment practices into their work.
She is also the former board president of the Omega Institute based Yoga Service Council, where she helped spearhead the introduction of a trauma informed framework of teaching into the larger field, as well as contributing to the creation of collaborative publications for supporting sexual trauma survivors, working with veterans, navigating addiction recovery, and more.
Since 2018 Jennifer has been a part of supporting the herd at 13 Hands Equine Rescue. Rooted in the same principals of attunement, consent and compassionate space holding that mark her work with people, Jennifer has helped dozens of horses settle into a new (and healthier) way of being with humans after abuse or neglect.
Since founding Mindfulness with Horses Jennifer has facilitated customized equine assisted learning for hundreds of people, including those navigating depression, anxiety, grief, and traumatic experiences. She’s created specialized programs for veterans, school groups, families, and individuals.
Jennifer’s work has been featured in notable publications such as Psychotherapy Networker, The International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Publishers Weekly and The New York Times, and endorsed by thought leaders including Daniel Siegel, Mona Delahooke, Sharon Salzberg, Meena Srinivasan, and Rick Hanson. She is a frequent presenter at mindfulness, equine assisted services, education and mental health conferences, and teaches regularly at renowned retreat and educational centers.
Jennifer has a deeply rooted dedication to education and empowerment, and believes all people regardless of identity or circumstances have an inherent inner wisdom that they deserve to access, express and celebrate.
Her current path is documented on her Substack, Practicing Connection, where she shares field notes from her work at 13 Hands and explores the soul and science of how we find our way back to ourselves and each other.
Join the community at https://jennifercohenharper.substack.com
