TERI Launches New Equine Experience for Team and Leadership Development
Hands-on Experience Gives Companies Unique Way to Build Communications, Trust, Collaboration, and Leadership Skills
SAN MARCOS, Calif. (October 21, 2026) — The TERI Equine Experience, a new team and leadership development experience, is now available at TERI Campus of Life in North County San Diego. Open to companies, organizations, teams, and groups as an opportunity to step outside traditional skill-building workshops, the experience is designed to help strengthen communication, trust, collaboration, and leadership through guided activities with horses.
Revenue generated through the TERI Equine Experience helps support horse care, equestrian resources, and TERI’s therapeutic riding program for the special needs community that the nonprofit has served since 1980.
The TERI Equine Experience offers a unique setting for teams looking to improve relationships, work on group dynamics, or approach team development from a fresh perspective. It’s entirely ground-based, with no riding or previous horse experience required.
Certified equine facilitators guide participants through activities selected from a playbook of more than 30 exercises, tailoring each experience to the goals of the group. Half-day or full-day experiences are available, with activities focusing on key themes like connection, adaptability, and mindfulness.
“Working with horses gives people an opportunity to step away from their usual routines and explore how they communicate, lead and work together in a new environment,” said Natalie Birchfield, Director of Equestrian at TERI. “Our horses provide authentic, immediate feedback helping teams gain new individual or group insights they can apply back at the office or in life.”
During a session, participants work in partnership with horses to lead, navigate obstacles, and complete tasks together, while also practicing mindfulness and observation. “Horses respond to our energy and emotions in the moment. This helps participants recognize how their feelings and behaviors can affect others,” adds Birchfield.
The TERI Equine Experience is part of TERI’s growing portfolio of social enterprises, which include TERI Common Grounds Café, The Bornemann Theatre, TERI Venue Rentals, TERI Inspired Resale, and TERI Microgreens for restaurants. Through TERI Venue Rentals, 10 private event spaces around its Campus of Life in Twins Oaks Valley are available for company retreats, meetings, or strategic offsites. Organizations can easily integrate the Equine Experience into a productive day at campus.
To learn more or book a TERI Equine Experience, visit TERI Equine Experience | TERI Campus of Life | San Marcos, CA
About TERI
Founded in 1980, TERI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way the world sees, helps and empowers individuals with special needs. Through its lifespan of programs and services – alongside its social enterprises – TERI creates opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the broader community to learn, work, connect, and thrive together.
Caption: HUB International participates in the TERI Equine Experience at TERI Campus of Life, a nonprofit changing the way the world sees, helps and empowers individuals with special needs and their families.
