We know that communication, relationship and leadership skills are critical for successful and productive businesses. It is the same when working with horses. Horses respond best to good connection, clear communication and consistent, calm leadership.
They require us to be present and aware, a good listener, and to show up authentically so that he/she can trust you and your intentions.
These are all qualities of an effective and conscious leader.
Equine Experiential Learning (EEL) offers a ‘learn through experience’ workshop environment where participants engage with horses, all at ground level (ie: no riding involved).
It can support personal and professional development in the following ways:
Environment: Spending the day outside in nature, away from office distractions helps participants to ground, relax, be focused and therefore more open to learning.
Education (Horse Wisdom): Horses are sentient beings with innate emotional intelligence and leadership skills that have supported them to live effectively in social groups (herds) for millions of years. Horses also live entirely in the present moment and use their whole of body/senses and we can learn energetic presence and awareness skills. And, when happy and healthy, horses have a very effective ability to self-regulate (deal effectively with stress) – something most of us need support with.
Receive Feedback: Horses are highly sensitive beings. They pick up intention and emotions through reading body sensations and energy. They will react truthfully and do not judge. Horse can help bring clarity to the question “How does my state of being influence those around me.”
Experimenting/Change: The horses offer a safe way to experiment with changes in behaviour such as setting clearer boundaries, practicing deep listening skills or noticing the impact of shifting our emotional state.
Contact Jackie Smith to discuss the design of an in-house leadership or team workshop for your business.
Jackie Smith is an Associate at Evolutionary Intelligence with over 25 years experience in organisational cultural change and leadership development and is an accredited Equine Assisted Learning practitioner.