The launch of my new multi-week Leadership program for teens in collaboration with Stephanie Weiss-Quentell has prompted me to write more on the topic of Leadership Development and horses. 

Growing up, I learnt my biggest leadership lessons from horses. Many horses are skeptics, naturally fearful of potential threats and dangers, poised to take off to ensure their survival. Horses have to learn through positive experiences to differentiate between actual threats and perceived ones. As humans and guardians of domesticated horses, it is our job to help them navigate this process. But how can we convince them that we are worthy, intelligent leaders, aware and properly discerning?

Most horses will not simply take your word for it when it comes to a potential threat. It is essential that they believe in your guidance, trust in your decisions and commit to your leadership.

Because horses demand authentic, committed and empowered leadership from their human guardians in order to build a strong relationship of trust, they help us uncover our true leadership spirit. Once you have built enough leadership “street cred,” your horse will make thoughtful choices when under pressure and look to you for support rather than ditching you at a full gallop!

This type of leadership spirit cannot be faked! It’s not about suppressing fear either! Suppressing any emotion actually increases your blood pressure and incoherence; signals your horse can easily pick up on, which will add more tension and uncertainty. These signals are also contagious to humans; so mastering skills like emotional agility and coherence are key to empowered leadership.

This new program is a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating Positive Psychology (informed by scientific research around living positive and happy lives – essentially the study of what makes people happy) and Equine Facilitated Learning (experiential, nature based education with horses). This multi-faceted, experience driven approach ensures participants actually feel the skills they are trying to learn and observe others doing the same.

To learn more about this unique program please visit our website: https://tinyurl.com/2efch4bn 

You can also email me to find our more!