Summit Equine Assisted Therapy (S.E.A.T.) is an equine therapy center located in the foothills of the beautiful Hazen Valley just north of Portland, Oregon in La Center, Washington.

Our goal is to maintain an environment in which therapy, education and learning can thrive. Through our programs, we hope clients can find the right answers for themselves. All sessions are private and confidential.

S.E.A.T. Programs:

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

Equine Assisted Learning

Alternative Education Programs

Workplace Communication/Team Building

Our programs are known in the industry as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) utilizing the assistance of horses to guide clients through experiential therapy and learning. Because horses mirror the actions and reactions of human response, this therapy may provide tangible results!

Why Horses for Therapy

Many who are unresponsive to traditional therapy have found horses to be beneficial when dealing with a multitude of issues.  Horses offer several advantages:  they are clear on their boundaries,  they have no hidden agendas, and much like us, they are social creatures with distinct personalities, attitudes and moods, plus they experience a large variety of emotions.  They are also intuitive and have a defined role within their herd.  Because of these similarities horses can demonstrate and teach self-awareness, honest communication, trust, leadership, assertiveness and affection to name a few. Most importantly, horses mirror human feelings and they give us immediate feed back through non-verbal cues. The client can use these cues to better understand themselves, which may help facilitate change, learning,  forgiveness and growth!

The Equine Facility

Our facility is in a private natural setting and all of our EAP and EAL sessions are closed to the public.  This is optimal for complete privacy and confidence in our center.  We have two indoor arenas, allowing us to conduct sessions year round.  The large indoor arena (100×60) is secluded and we hold our herd sessions involving one or multiple clients.  Our smaller arena (60×60) completely closes-up allowing inclement weather to stay out.  This smaller indoor arena is primarily used for one-on-ones, one horse and one client or couple.   Both arena’s are easily accessible via vehicle or wheelchair.