Touched by a Horse, Inc.

What Touched by a Horse, Inc. does

Touched by a Horse, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led equine-assisted coaching education company founded in 2008 and domiciled in British Columbia, Canada, with its operational training campus on a 40+ acre property in Elizabeth, Colorado. The company is built around a proprietary methodology called the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (EGCM), which combines Gestalt therapy principles with horses as active coaching partners, founded by Melisa Pearce, a psychotherapist and Gestaltist with 30+ years of experience and 300+ advanced Gestalt training hours.

The company's core products are two certification programs: a 24-month Equine Gestaltist Certification Program (limited to under 15 students per cohort, covering Gestalt and equine knowledge, somatics, workshop facilitation, coaching skills, and business development across 72 topics) and a 9-month Equine Facilitator Program (25-150 students per cohort, licensing graduates to deliver 18 proprietary Equine Mindfulness Experiences). An optional 8-day Equine Studies 101 module is offered for non-horse-owning students, alongside a parallel pure Gestalt Coaching Method (GCM) certification, a line of authored books (e.g., What the Heck is Gestalt?, Equusology), a daily email subscription service (Daily Messages from Wisdom, 5,000+ subscribers), and an annual Summit event. As of 2026, the EGCM program has produced approximately 375 graduates operating worldwide.

The business sells primarily through direct sales: prospective students request an information packet or apply via downloadable application, then enroll via phone (303.440.7125) or online form, with two enrollment windows per year (January 2 and July 1). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based. Distribution is augmented by a public practitioner directory listing 100+ certified graduates who resell coaching services globally under their own brands, functioning as a de facto channel network. The company is not externally funded, employs 1-10 people, and holds multiple registered trademarks/service marks covering its methodology and program names.

Name

Touched by a Horse, Inc.

Legal name

Touched by a Horse, Inc.

Website

https://touchedbyahorse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Touched by a Horse, Inc. is a private, founder-led equine-assisted coaching school that certifies professional coaches (375 graduates to date) in its proprietary Equine Gestalt Coaching Method, serving aspiring coaches, existing equine business owners, and personal development clients across North America and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine-Assisted Coaching Certification

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAOAOAE

Equine Care & Stable Management

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Agriculture, Horticulture & Skilled Trades

SECONDARYAFAEAGAF

Sport/Show Horse Training & Performance Programs

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Equine (Horse) Breeding & Operations

Keywords

• Equine-assisted coaching
• Equine certification programs
• Gestalt therapy training
• Professional coaching certification
• Personal development workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Chase

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Equine Gestaltist Certification Program: A comprehensive 24-month certification program that trains students to become Equine Gestalt Coaches. The program includes live online classes, intensive CORE workshops (both in-person and virtual), foundation workshop training, individual success coaching, and community support. Upon graduation, students are prepared to establish their own coaching practices.
2. Equine Facilitator Certification Program: A 9-month accelerated program teaching 18 Equine Mindfulness Experiences that can be delivered in private sessions, group workshops, or retreats. Graduates receive facilitator licensing and a visual badge for marketing purposes.
3. Book Sales: Melisa Pearce has authored several books including 'What the Heck is Gestalt?' ($29.95), 'Equusology: Deciphering Human and Horse Typology' ($24.95), 'Eponalisa – The Fall Ride' ($15.95), and the 'Touched by a Horse: Equine Coaching Stories' series ($15.95 each).
4. Program Application and Information Packets: Revenue generated from distributing program applications and information packets to prospective students. The company sends handbooks by mail and follow-up emails with video content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Touched by a Horse, Inc. delivers multi-month equine-assisted coaching certification programs built on the proprietary Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (EGCM), in which horses act as active partners in Gestalt-based personal development work. Its primary revenue-generating offerings are the 24-month Equine Gestaltist Certification Program and the 9-month Equine Facilitator Program, supplemented by book sales, a daily email subscription, and an annual summit.

Product overview

Touched by a Horse, Inc. offers an integrated portfolio of equine-assisted coaching programs and educational resources. The core offering is the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (EGCM), a proprietary methodology combining Gestalt therapy principles with horses as active healing partners. The company provides two main certification tracks: the 24-month Equine Gestaltist Certification Program for deep-process coaching, and the 9-month Equine Facilitator Program for group workshop facilitation. An optional Equine Studies 101 module provides hands-on horse experience. The company also offers a pure Gestalt certification (GCM), publishes books and educational materials (including 'What The Heck Is Gestalt?' and 'Equusology'), provides a daily email subscription service called Daily Messages from Wisdom, and hosts an annual Summit event. The product ecosystem is delivered through a combination of online learning platforms, in-person workshops at the Colorado campus, and published resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equine Gestalt Coaching Method (EGCM): The core coaching methodology developed by Melisa Pearce combining Gestalt principles with equine-partnered coaching
• Equine Gestaltist Certification Program
• Equine Facilitator Program
• Gestalt Coaching Method (GCM)

Products and services

• Equine Gestaltist Certification Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of study respondents would participate in another EGCM session (91% Strongly Agreed + 7% Agreed)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association): Industry-standard certification body for equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning. EAGALA offers a competing certification model with a comparable target audience of equine professionals and mental health practitioners, making it the closest direct peer to Touched by a Horse's EGCM program.
• Gestalt Institute of Cleveland: Long-established Gestalt training institute where founder Melisa Pearce completed 300+ hours of advanced training. Sells Gestalt coaching and therapy certification programs using the same theoretical tradition underpinning EGCM, targeting aspiring Gestalt practitioners.
• Eponaquest (Linda Kohanov): Pioneering equine-assisted experiential learning program offering workshops, certifications, and foundational books on horse-human healing. Directly comparable to EGCM in combining personal development, leadership, and equine partnership with a structured certification offering.
• Masterson Method: Provides certification training in equine bodywork and integrated equine-assisted therapy. Sells a multi-level certification program through workshops and on-site training, sharing the same model of monetizing proprietary equine methodology through paid certifications.
• Natural Lifemanship: Provides equine-assisted services and training/certification in trauma-informed equine-assisted relationship-building. Overlaps directly with EGCM's experiential, horse-partnered coaching methodology and targets a similar trauma/recovery and personal-development clientele.

Broad incumbents

• PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship): Premier broad industry association for equine-assisted services and therapeutic horsemanship. Offers credentialing for equine professionals and operates across many modalities, including service to individuals with disabilities, making it a larger overlapping incumbent in the equine-assisted field.
• Parelli Natural Horsemanship: Large, established horse-training education brand with multi-level certification programs and a global student network. Targets horse owners seeking professional development, mirroring Touched by a Horse's certification-plus-community model but at much larger scale.
• International Coach Federation (ICF): Global professional coaching credentialing body. While not equine-specific, ICF is the dominant credentialing framework for the coaching profession in which EGCM graduates operate, making it a relevant comparable for certification-based coaching business models.

Emerging players

• Salt River Coaching / Pony Human: Niche equine-assisted coaching and personal development practice offering workshops and coaching with horses. Operates in the same emerging niche as EGCM, serving a comparable individual and small-group clientele seeking transformation through equine partnerships.
• Mark Rashid / Inner Horsemanship: Independent equine trainer and author offering clinics and workshops focused on horse-human relationship development. Shares the experiential, relationship-first philosophy of EGCM and serves a comparable horse-owner audience seeking personal/career development through horses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcQiA6FP3_h7TT6q7h82_fQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/touchedbyahorse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/touched-by-a-horse-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Touched by a Horse, Inc.