Equine Assisted Leadership Development

Horses can be amazing teachers by reflecting and mirroring our thoughts and behaviors while we explore the ideas and concepts we desire to improve. This experience is centered around interaction with horses while working with them on the ground to learn about individual and team leadership growth. The goal is to provide you and your team the opportunity to explore these concepts and experience learning through immediate feedback from the horses. Throughout the process we speak of our emotional awareness, intelligence, agility, and its effect on us as a whole person.
Who Should Attend

Leaders at any level, or individuals looking to increase their ability to influence others including organizational teams, families, board members, non-profit and GMO’s

Typical Challenges Addressed:
  • Leadership Blind spots: As leaders develop, oftentimes, we build on our inherent strengths while we overlook vulnerabilities. Our horse partners act as a mirror to our less developed areas and concepts.
  • Lack of integrated decision-making: Head, Heart, GutWhen decisions are made from only one of these areas, our decisions are less than optimal. The horses are immediate feedback resources to determine how cohesive our internal information flow is working.
  • Missing key information that informs our best actions: So many times we are caught up in the chaos of everyday challenges. Stopping to notice our surroundings slows down the chaos and allows us to synthesize essential information leading to better, more comprehensive decisions.
  • Team Ineffectiveness: Persons working in isolation generate ineffective results and compromised team relationships.
  • Fractured Community: Team members that focus only on their individual needs verses the overall mission of the community causes fracturing to occur. Team members explore their reactions and awareness of themselves and others within a structured herd community model.
Expected Outcomes
  • A clear understanding of growth areas customized to each participant.
  • Improved information flow with specific techniques to continue the learning long after the workshop is complete.
  • When and how to shift your leadership style.
  • Clear understanding of the impact of cohesive team performance.
  • A new awareness of how each participant processes and reacts to community building.
Workshop Structure

Length: Full day

Materials Provided: Horses, workbook

Methods Used: All exercises are done outdoors, on the ground, with horse and human partners. Safety handlers and coaches are present at all times. Personal reflection time and group debrief. The coaches will facilitate overall learning and if desired, will ask provocative questions to participants in a private setting.