“It was great being with the horses. I am shocked about the amount of body language we can use to control a horse and relate that to on the street scenarios.”

“I learned a lot about horse behavior and biological structure. While not every interaction in police work can be handled with such methodical care, teaching a different way to communicate was great. The use of the horses is a very humbling experience.”

“I liked learning about the natural reaction of horses and the non-verbal cues they project. I think I will be more observant of a person's body language and when they are uncomfortable which will help when responding to calls.”

“The best part of the course was simply working with the animals. It was surprising how applicable some aspects are with the job of a police officer.”

“This was an excellent course with good real world concepts and scenarios. I think the use of the horses is a great alternative to traditional training that helps the concepts we covered be applied in real time.”

“It was something different than any other training I have participated in during over 20 years of police experience.”

“I thought this was a terrific course that is not typical for most training courses we get to attend, I would and will strongly encourage others to attend this training.”

“I liked the nontraditional format. It promoted team building.”

“This was a great course and learned more in the 4 sessions then I have ever learned through mandated training from the state. All instructors did a great job explaining and encouraging a productive learning environment.”

“I personally thought the program was great. I think it would be good for new officers to teach them how to deal with stress but also good for the veteran officers so maybe they can learn some new options on how to handle it differently.”

“Police work can be a very toxic environment. It was a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by the positive and knowledgeable the staff.”

“Thank you for donating your time and the time of your expert team members to help us be better at helping others. The past couple years in policing has not been easy and it's nice to know there are members of our community who care about our wellness.”

“The course provided a different perspective of how to deal with people and refocused how we need to take time and build trust with people.”

“The continual interplay that occurs in any given situation and how our behavior has to adapt and change based on internal or external stimuli.”

“I think this course was a great reminder of the concept of starting interactions calm/relaxed to have best results.”

“Staying calmer in heated moments and encouraging people in difficult situations.”

“The experience reinforced in me that my calmness has an effect on people and situations around me.”

“The course was a reminder that people I deal with personally and professionally will react to my actions. It was interesting to work with the horses and learn their reactions to my actions, such as being too forceful or not forceful enough and how they react to calming voices and actions.”

“Often times less is more.”

“To maintain a calm demeanor when dealing with people in order to gain their trust and cooperation.”

“If time allows, slower is better when approaching incidents. This allows trust to be built and to learn about who you are dealing with.”

“It was a good reminder to try to remember to see things through other people's eyes and to slow thing down.”

“Course helped reinforce the need to slow things down if possible in both professional and personal life.”

“The power of using calming voice techniques.”

“It reinforced currently used ideas for de-escalation.”

“The integration of the horse into hands on training for real world concepts we can use every day on the road.”

“Hands on interaction with the horses. Lots of great ways to relate their behavior to people we potentially will have contact with on the street.”

“Ways to control my breathing and slowing down through a stressful incident. Non verbal ways to communicate to individuals through learned behavior from the horses.”

“The concept of not being able to force someone to do something they don’t want to do”

“Objectives were explained clearly. Opened new thought process regarding how we deal with the public and the importance of our body language and energy that we bring to each encounter. Also translates to personal life.”

“Just something that always doesn’t hurt to emphasize or remember. You can always increase force, but it might be hard to try to go in the other direction.”

“To be a little more patient, to be aware of what others are going through or how they view my interaction with them. That includes when I'm on the job as well as my personnel life.”

“The importance of being more clear and precise when giving direction.”

“I think the course gave me a better insight into how my reactions can affect a situation.”

“Limiting it to one experience I would say that understanding how your unspoken "energy" has an impact on others, in this case the horse. That obviously translates to how your demeanor is perceived in human encounters.”

“The way you carry yourself really has an impact on others.”

“I realized people are sometimes afraid of police, like I was initially timid around the horses.”

“Self awareness of when I am experiencing anxiety to recognize it earlier and handle it so it doesn’t effect the task at hand.”

“Sometimes we forget the difference between what we say we are and what we are. To say "I’m your guardian" is much different than actually doing it. To see the horses response to "saying versus doing" really makes you reflect back on yourself.”

“The staff and volunteers gave several relevant examples of how the training can relate to incidents that law enforcement encounters. They did their utmost to explain the horses’ behaviors and the parallels when dealing with citizens we encounter.”

“I experienced at least two incidents where I was unaware of a change in the exercise that the horse clearly sensed. This change forced me to modify my role with them and ultimately be more aware of the cues they were giving me.”

“There were times that the training sessions sparked memories of how I handled incidents in the past. The information provided showed ways that I could improve my responses in the future.”

“You have your finger on the pulse of innovative training. Law enforcement is going to make changes in the way it trains, and your out-of-the-box program, I believe, is a winner.”