Horses Can Help Your Heart and Your Leadership

Lately, I’ve been out working and playing with the horses more.?Indeed, the horses are a big part of my transition back out into the world (post quarantine) of working and relating beyond a Zoom screen.

There’s no doubt that being out at the ranch, and out in the pasture with the horses, is calming.?Here’s a little of the science regarding horses from HeartMath that I believe is very compelling:

“Recent studies conducted by the Institute of HeartMath provide a clue to explain the bidirectional “healing” that happens when we are near horses. According to researchers, the heart has a larger electromagnetic field and higher level of intelligence than the brain: A magnetometer can measure the heart’s energy field radiating up to 8 to 10 feet around the human body. While this is certainly significant it is perhaps more impressive that the electromagnetic field projected by the horse’s heart is five times larger than the human one (imagine a sphere-shaped field that completely surrounds you). The horse’s electromagnetic field is also stronger than ours and can actually directly influence our own heart rhythm!

A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adjust to stressful situations very efficiently. Often times, we only need to be in a horse’s presence to feel a sense of wellness and peace. In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased levels of beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters that serve as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, improved social functioning; and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience and self-efficacy.”

So that’s pretty good reason to consider being around horses.?

There’s more.

Leadership Benefits

To be an effective leader one of the most crucial skills is your ability to build relationships.?Most people focus that effort on building relationships with others. Of course, that’s important, but what might be even more critical is your relationship with yourself.

Whatever you are saying, thinking, or feeling about yourself is the filter through which you see, interpret, and interact with others.?Too often though, you think because those thoughts and feelings are in your head, invisible, no one else knows what’s going on. Think again.?

There are days when you may walk into a situation thinking:

? “OMG, I sure hope no one knows I don’t really know what I am doing.”?

? “I am totally pissed, but no one can know that. It’s not appropriate for me to be mad.”

? “I don’t want to make a fool of myself today.”

Often these types of thoughts are such a common thread you may not even know they are running.?Yet, these internal messages are impacting how you experience your world, how you relate, and make decisions. It also impacts how others experience you.?

Bring in the Horses

Horses are big biofeedback machines. They’re constantly sensing our breath rate, our heart rate, and cortisol levels.?They notice any changes. They may not know what stress you are under or what your inner dialogue is, but they have a keen sense when your inner critic comes online.?

No doubt as leaders, parents, and role models you’ve learned to pretend that everything is just fine.?You’ve come by it naturally because you are taught to show confidence, control, be professional – that’s leadership – right???

It’s Incongruent

The problem with incongruency is there’s a real cost to you. It isn’t healthy for you, nor the most influential way to lead.

Can you remember hearing, “Never let them see you sweat,” or cry, or get upset? It’s just not professional.?So of course, you’ve learned how to cover what you really feel up.

But here’s the deal, horses pick up that incongruence immediately because when you are incongruent it creates stress in your system. Anytime you are pretending to be or feel something you’re not, your body has to work to repress it. That equals stress inside of you.

Horses know when you are incongruent or masking what is really going on for you.?The horse experiences it, and you, as uncomfortable, awkward, and not safe.??They don’t trust the incongruence and move away.?

Often clients are fascinated by how the horse just seems to know. The truth is people notice it too.?I’m sure you have had those moments with someone:??

• “Wow, something is up with them, I’m just going to stay away.”
• “No way! I don’t trust him – something’s off.”

Nice and Polite

Rather than be as clear as a horse, you opt to play the social game. You pretend everything is good.?You’ve done this so much that you just think that is the way you have to act. It’s suppose to be this way.?

Not true. You’ve been trained to hold yourself back, to get along, to please others rather than stepping into your own power. That is like trying to smile while you’re working really hard to keep a beach ball under water.?

You don’t have to keep playing the leading game stuffing a part of you in the closet.?

When you come out and work with me and CrisMarie with the horses, you have a safe space to discover what is going on inside of you. It takes some time because you’ve been so good at faking it, getting along.?

You get to notice the impact immediately when you make shifts and show up as you, congruent. There is such health, relationship, and success benefits when you learn how to be your whole self. The horses give you that immediate feedback.?

BTW, developing a better relationship with yourself is not about getting rid of that inner critic. It’s about not believing it and being controlled by it.?

Instead, it’s about you developing a leadership presence that is larger than the neurotic voice in your head. It’s about connecting to, and trusting, your body, your somatic sense of self because it knows more than your brain. (Reread the quote at the start.)

When you develop this larger leadership presence you influence others just by showing up.?

Why? Because people, like horses, trust and want to follow someone who knows themselves and is congruent.

Stop Looking Outside for Your Answers

Most people keep seeking the answers outside themselves: reading, studying, observing others – but until you get a strong somatic awareness of yourself, all that knowledge won’t be helpful.??

So you see horses have a great deal to offer you.?Just being around a horse helps our hearts and they are great at providing compassionate, straight feedback for effective communication and leadership.

Come to Find Your Mojo in Montana to become the leader you’ve always longed to be.?

Many clients have their companies sponsor them coming to Find Your Mojo in Montana Leadership Development Program. Come visit the country of big sky, horses and some transformational coaching.??

Wondering if it is a fit for you? I am happy to chat with you.