Equine Assisted Training: Your Journey, Your Way

Rise above with us through Equine Assisted Learning, where we focus on personal development and youth empowerment, while also offering essential First Aid Training.

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ActionABLE

Youth Empowerment

Embark on a journey of personal growth, self-advocacy, and employment readiness through Equine Assisted Learning. Guided by the horse, participants develop confidence, communication, leadership, accountability, and problem-solving skills while building the resilience and independence needed for success in the workplace and beyond.

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Youth Empowerment

Our Youth Empowerment programs use Equine Assisted Learning to inspire confidence, leadership, resilience, and personal growth. Through hands-on experiences and supportive mentorship, participants develop the skills, accountability, and self-belief needed to overcome challenges and reach their full potential.

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Authentic You

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Embrace your story, reconnect with your strengths, and step confidently into your future through Equine Assisted Learning. The Authentic You program supports adults in developing self-awareness, confidence, trust, communication, and emotional resilience while fostering personal growth, authentic connection, and intentional living. Guided

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First Aid

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Our Mobile First Aid Training program provides customized, professional instruction for individuals, workplaces, schools, and community organizations. Through interactive and practical learning experiences, participants develop the skills, confidence, and preparedness needed to respond effectively in emergencies, contribute to safer environments, and support the well-being of those around them.

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Team phoenix

My Story

Hi, I'm Tamara (TJ) Nadeau, founder and lead facilitator of Phoenix Equine Assisted Training (PEAT).

The journey that led to PEAT has been shaped by resilience, growth, and a deep belief in the potential that exists within every individual. Like many people, I have experienced life's challenges, including personal loss, adversity, and learning to navigate life with a permanent impairment. These experiences have given me firsthand insight into the barriers that can impact confidence, independence, self-advocacy, and personal growth. More importantly, they have taught me that our challenges do not define us—our response to them does.

Throughout my journey, I have been fortunate to learn from remarkable mentors, supportive communities, and individuals who demonstrated courage, determination, and the power of believing in themselves. Those experiences inspired a lifelong passion for helping others discover their strengths, overcome obstacles, and create meaningful futures for themselves.

Professionally, I am a certified Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Facilitator through Equine Connection – The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning and The EAL Network, a Community Rehabilitation and Addictions Worker, and a Registered Red Cross First Aid Instructor. My commitment to supporting individuals extends through ongoing education and professional development in mental health, crisis intervention, and person-centred support practices, including certifications in Mental Health First Aid, Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI), Trauma-Informed Care, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

These experiences have shaped the philosophy behind PEAT: that every individual possesses unique strengths, abilities, and potential. Sometimes people simply need the opportunity, encouragement, and support to recognize those strengths and build upon them.

Today, PEAT provides a safe, supportive, and empowering environment where individuals can develop confidence, communication skills, self-awareness, emotional resilience, self-advocacy, and employment readiness. Through experiential learning, individualized support, and meaningful connections, participants are encouraged to explore their potential, set goals, and take purposeful steps toward greater independence and community participation.

The horse plays a unique role in this process. Horses provide honest, immediate feedback that helps individuals develop self-awareness, strengthen communication, build trust, and gain confidence in their abilities. Their lessons often extend far beyond the arena, helping participants develop skills that support success in relationships, education, employment, and everyday life.

At PEAT, our mission is simple: to empower individuals to rise above barriers, embrace their strengths, and create meaningful futures through personal growth, skill development, community connection, and employment success.

I look forward to walking alongside you on your journey.

Meet the Teachers

Meet Buck

Meet Rooster

Buck hails from a pasture in Diamond Valley and serves as the lead horse in our herd and one of the founding teachers of our Equine Assisted Learning programs. Living with PSSM1 and Kissing Spines, Buck's journey has been one of resilience, adaptation, and purpose. Once a mountain trail horse, his physical limitations required a new path, and today he thrives on a carefully managed low-sugar diet and a lifestyle that supports his long-term well-being.

When Buck's previous owner recognized that he deserved a different future, he was entrusted to our care. Since then, Buck has become an exceptional teacher and mentor, helping participants develop one of life's most valuable skills: living with intention.

Buck has little patience for uncertainty or empty promises. Through his interactions with clients, he demonstrates the importance of creating a plan, committing to it, and following through with purposeful action. Participants quickly learn that success is not achieved through wishful thinking alone—it requires clarity, consistency, accountability, and perseverance. Buck challenges individuals to move beyond their comfort zones, make decisions with confidence, and remain committed to their goals even when obstacles arise.

His lessons extend far beyond the arena. Whether participants are working toward personal growth, educational goals, employment readiness, or increased independence, Buck teaches that meaningful progress begins with intention and is achieved through action.

Buck's story is a powerful reminder that challenges do not define our potential. Through his own journey of adaptation and resilience, he continues to inspire others to embrace change, trust the process, and discover the strength that comes from moving forward with purpose.

Meet Rooster

Rooster was the second horse to join the PEAT herd and remains one of our most respected teachers. At 23 years young, this retired ranch rodeo horse brings a lifetime of experience, wisdom, and quiet confidence to every interaction. When his previous owners made the difficult decision to retire him from competition, they knew he still had much to offer—and they were right.

Rooster quickly found his place within our Equine Assisted Learning programs, where he excels at teaching one of the most important life skills: effective communication. While many people think communication is simply about talking, Rooster demonstrates that true communication is built on clarity, intention, consistency, and connection.

With his patient nature and honest feedback, Rooster encourages participants to become aware of the messages they are sending through their body language, energy, and actions. He challenges individuals to communicate with purpose, establish healthy boundaries, and build trust through consistency and authenticity. When communication is unclear or intentions are uncertain, Rooster is quick to reflect this back, creating powerful learning opportunities that help participants strengthen their self-awareness and interpersonal skills.

Whether working with youth, adults, families, or teams, Rooster helps participants discover that meaningful relationships are built on understanding, respect, and genuine connection. His lessons foster confidence, self-expression, active listening, and emotional awareness—skills that extend far beyond the arena and into everyday life.

Rooster reminds us that communication is not about being the loudest voice in the room; it is about creating connection, building trust, and ensuring that our actions align with our intentions. Through his wisdom and steady presence, he continues to help participants develop stronger relationships with themselves and others.

Phoenix Equine Assisted Training

Equine Assisted Training: Your Journey, Your Way

explore now

ActionABLE

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

First Aid

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Team phoenix

My Story

Meet the Teachers

Meet Buck

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we will ever do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Equine Assisted Training: Your Journey, Your Way

explore now

ActionABLE

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

First Aid

Youth Empowerment

Authentic You

Team phoenix

My Story

Meet the Teachers

Meet Buck

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster

Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we will ever do.

Frequently Asked Questions

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