Why Aren't We Riding the Horses?

“Why aren’t we riding the horses?”

At almost every equine assisted leadership and team development session I facilitate, at least one person in the group asks this question.? The answer is multi-faceted and probably somewhat philosophical in nature, but here’s what I want people to know about why we don’t ride the horses in equine assisted leadership and team development experiences.

• Our experiences are meant to shift people from a traditional “command and control” belief about leadership to one that is people-centered and relationship based.? Horses are prey animals. Humans are predators (by nature).? When we get on the horse’s back, their brain has to determine how to respond to this threat.? They don’t necessarily separate us from a mountain lion being on their back.? For a horse to allow us to sit on their back – often not in physical balance - is an immense act of trust on their part.? If we haven’t taken time to build a relational connection with the horse and act in a way that communicates we have their best interest at heart, what are we communicating to them when we fling ourselves onto their back and expect them to comply with our every command?? Where else is this showing up in your leadership?
• Our experiences provide leaders and teams with the opportunity to practice empathetic leadership.? When people want to “just get on and ride” they are essentially communicating that the needs of the horse are secondary to their own. Bypassing the effort it takes to connect with a horse to let them know we have their best interest at heart is predatory behavior.? Predators see something they want and they go after it, regardless of how it impacts others.? In the herd, that kind of behavior would not be tolerated because it’s not good for the herd as a whole.? Where else is this showing up in your leadership?? (Read more on this in our Forbes article “Unleashing the Power of Horses for Leadership”)
• Our experiences are an opportunity for leaders to learn how to “slow down to go fast.”? When I ask people why they want to ride the horses, their answer inevitably involves some aspect of wanting to “go fast.”? Horses generally don’t run unless they feel they are in danger.? They prefer to “mosey” so they can graze and just be present.? That’s how they are able to be attuned to their environment and identify threats long before they are actually in danger.? If they are always running, regardless of whether it’s necessary, they expend resources that won’t be available if there is a real threat because they are too tired to respond and that won’t end well.? Where else is this showing up in your leadership?

In order to move a horse while on the ground and with nothing attached to control them, people have to slow down, understand how they are interacting, and build a connection with the horse.? This lets the horse know that you have their best interest at heart and builds trust, which most often leads to the horse gladly engaging in moving alongside people.

Burnout is the result of feeling a need to go fast all the time - whether it’s due to rapid growth in the organization or panic about growth not happening.? We are socially conditioned to think that burnout is a badge of honor and that the people we are leading should be going fast all the time as well.? If they aren’t, we label them as lazy.? What if going fast all the time isn’t effective?? What if it’s, well, just going fast?

I’m not opposed to going fast when it’s the right response to the current reality.? And I’m not opposed to riding horses – I have ridden horses for most of my life.? The difference now is that I have done the reflective work on myself to think about WHY I want to ride a horse.? It used to be for my own personal gain; now if I choose to ride, it’s because I want to show the horse that they can trust me to be a leader who has their best interest at heart.?

What kind of leader do you want to be for your people and why?