How Horses Coach Humans To Be Better Leaders
I love sharing stories of how Annie, our lead coach at Red Chair Ranch, helps people feel safe to explore what is going on inside of them. How she is masterful at showing people when they do not have clear boundaries. How she tends to ‘ignore’ them if they are thinking too much.
You might be thinking, really?
Yes. I have seen it repeatedly.
As someone who has experienced and witnessed what equine-assisted coaching can do for us two leggeds, there is no denying the impact of the work.
Why Horses Make Powerful Equine Coaches
Horses are sentient beings. Their energetic “bubbles” are permeable, which means they constantly sense the energy around them. They live in their bodies 24/7 and trust what their body is telling them.
How does this translate to how they coach humans?
Our emotions are energy. When we are with a horse, they sense what we feel and respond without judgment. This makes them powerful equine coaches.
What Horses Teach Us About Leadership, Boundaries and Energy
In our culture, we have done a good job of closing our bubbles. As a result, we miss out on valuable information that can help us live a full, meaningful life; that can help us lead with clarity and intention. We are a thinking culture of energetic, emotional beings, yet too often we do not access the wisdom of both our minds and our hearts.
What would happen if we did?
How would our relationships, leadership, and well being be different?
Incongruence, Trust and Emotional Self-Awareness
Horses have a lot to teach us about understanding ourselves. They are not concerned if we are angry, sad, frustrated, happy, or at peace. They get concerned when we are incongruent—when our face, tone, and body language do not match what we are feeling inside. It makes them wonder if we can be trusted.
How often do the humans around us pick up on our incongruence? And what impact does that have?
Being Present: The Heart of Leadership Coaching with Horses
Horses are always present and in the present. They expect us to be present with them. When we are, they can teach us in ways that are hard to explain.
This, coming from someone who lived in her head, wrote and delivered strategy at an executive level, led teams, and began to shift corporate culture. Nothing I was able to do in my corporate role compares to the clarity I see emerging for people when they work with our herd.
Explore a Leadership Coaching Session with Horses
If this strikes a chord or makes you curious, I invite you to reach out and explore how equine-assisted leadership coaching can help you or your team move forward with greater awareness, intentionality, and respect.
