Equine-Assisted Learning is an innovative and effective approach to personal and professional development. Because it uses horses as partners in the learning process. It is a unique and powerful tool that can help people and groups of all ages and backgrounds learn new skills, develop self-awareness, and build stronger relationships.
Here are some of the key benefits of Equine Assisted Learning:
Improved communication skills: Horses are incredibly attuned to your non-verbal communication. This means when you are working with horses they can help anyone become more aware of their own body language. Being aware of your own body language and tone will improve your ability to communicate effectively with others.
Increased self-awareness: Horses are honest mirrors of our emotions and intentions. So when you are working with them can help you become more aware of your own emotional state and develop greater emotional intelligence. A better understanding of yourself therefore will help you understand others.
Enhanced leadership and teamwork skills: Horses are social animals that rely on strong leadership and teamwork to survive. So when you are working with a horse you need to be their leader. When you are working with them they will show you how. It then becomes easier to understand how you develop your own leadership and teamwork skills.
Reduced stress and anxiety: There is a lot of evidence about how spending time with horses has a calming effect on the human nervous system, which in turn can help you reduce stress and anxiety.
Fun and engaging: Equine Assisted Learning is a fun and engaging way to learn new skills. It is a great way to develop personal and professional insights. It’s a unique and memorable experience that can help you build confidence and self-esteem.
Experiential Learning: Equine Assisted Learning is a practical way to engage in problem-solving skills that stick with you for life.
In summary, Equine Assisted Learning is a powerful and effective approach to personal and professional development. In other words, it is a program that can help individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds learn new skills, develop self-awareness, and build stronger relationships. If you’re interested in improving your communication skills, possibly developing your leadership abilities, or even reducing stress and anxiety, Equine Assisted Learning may be the perfect solution for you.
Fear. Anxiety. Dry mouth. Reactive. Upset in the pit of your stomach. Worry. Heart racing. What if… Emotional. Exhausted. As I sit and reflect on the reactions of my mind and body during periods of personal growth they are all very uncomfortable states. I keep telling myself it’s where the magic happens. It is pushing through the discomfort. The growth is on the edges.
I have personally been in a zone of discomfort for some time now. And thinking, why do I continue to do this to myself?
Discomfort
My current story for context is I have recently packed up my entire life and moved interstate, leaving behind a well-established network, family and friends. Whilst I realise I am not the first person to do this I didn’t fully appreciate how difficult it would be.
Finding myself without a vet for my horses almost tipped me over the edge when Peggy got an abscess and was in extreme discomfort. I just wanted someone with a degree to look at my horse and tell me it was going to be ok. Instead, I sat sobbing in my paddock face buried in my hands sitting in the dirt beside my horse. After trying unsuccessfully to get three different vets out to look at my horse, I felt defeated and my head was filled with negative thoughts.
It wasn’t just that moment but lots of smaller hard moments too. There are many time-consuming tasks in finding a dentist, doctor, hairdresser, mechanic, and most importantly a good barrister. People that you need to trust to give you good advice and support. Your network and community. These take time to build and I am trying to do it all whilst taking on a new all consuming job.
These simple things are things we take for granted and don’t use our conscious thinking, they become our routine, like finding the best route to work in the morning. What I have realised that all these tasks become mentally exhausting until we build new mental pathways in our brains.
Now, as I sit facing another day with a daunting to-do list. I am reminding myself it’s in the discomfort that we experience growth. Our personal growth happens on the edges. I know this fact to be true.
It is going through and surviving some of the darkest moments in my life that I have realised what I am really capable of.
As I reflect on all those who I have helped going through extraordinary circumstances, this is the common thread. It’s about understanding that feeling of discomfort is ok. Sometimes it’s great!
Controlling our environment
I am not sure why we have been trained to believe that we think life should be easy and we should always be happy. It’s not real life. Our curated world on social media shows us the highlight reels of everyone else’s existence. The advertising and marketing messages we are served up are clear if you have “this product or service” you will be happy and all your problems will be solved. You should be comfortable. And what happens to all of us after hearing and believing these messages constantly is that we move away from any level of discomfort at any cost. We control our environment to the point that we don’t experience discomfort. We live in air conditioning, don’t get wet, don’t get dirty, and somehow everything around us need to be perfect and controlled. Why? And how did we get here?
Feeling positive emotions all the time. It’s simply not true, nor is it possible. It’s actually unhealthy.
So, my revolution and evolution came when I started changing how I thought about that anxious and fearful feeling. It matters. Because being scared and uncomfortable is where you learn and where the magic happens.
Personal growth happens on the edges, it often happens when we step outside of our comfort zones and face situations that make us uncomfortable. When we are uncomfortable, we are often forced to confront our fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs, which are the catalyst for personal growth.
Find ways to challenge yourself:
I have found when I step into the space to do things that I am not comfortable with, I find new experiences and learning opportunities. You learn new things about yourself.
Overcoming obstacles:
This is the best way to build resilience. No book or course is going to give you better skills than when you face obstacles and challenges that make you uncomfortable. Learning problem-solving skills and patience is developed through practice. So the best the best possible way to develop your problem-solving skills is through overcoming obstacles.
Learning from mistakes:
When you make mistakes or fail, it can be uncomfortable. Let’s be honest no one likes making mistakes but it can also provide invaluable learning experiences that help us grow and improve. The quickest way to learn and improve is through mistakes, embrace them.
Developing new perspectives:
Understanding others happens when you step out of your comfort zones. Have you ever gone to another country and experienced a different culture or a different lifestyle? It is where you can gain new perspectives and insights, compassion and understanding come through a new perspective. This helps us to grow and develop as individuals.
When we face our fears and overcome challenges, we can develop confidence in ourselves and our abilities, which can help us grow and achieve our goals.
It’s important to remember that personal growth can be uncomfortable at times, but it’s also a necessary part of life. By embracing discomfort and facing our fears, anything is possible.
This was a question I was recently asked to me. My enthusiastic response was “it can work for anyone if you are willing”. Now I know that sounds like it is a throwaway line, but as I started to reflect on the life-changing outcomes that I have seen first-hand I genuinely believe this statement.
Having worked with people of different ages and stages of life, and very different walks of life. I believe it is true. Working with very senior executive leaders to young vulnerable teens, I have seen it work every time.
What is Equine Assisted Learning?
We make change happen by creating unique workshops based on spending time with our horses. Our horses can help you shift your perspective in a very short period of time. It works because it is so out of the box and experiential. The horse experience helps individuals think differently, feel differently, and act differently. . Equine Assisted Learning is a growing trend and one that is spreading like wildfire across the globe. There are many people who have been using this form of learning for years, but it has only recently received recognition in the mainstream media. I wanted to share some amazing outcomes that explain why I continue to learn and offer my time in doing this.
How the Journey Started For Me
I was so lucky I got to spend some time with an incredible horseman Greg Powell. He opened my eyes to what was possible. He had started a charity called Kalandan Foundation and was working with very vulnerable teenagers and made a documentary about it called Wild Horses Wild Kids. At the time I was working for a charity called Sir David Martin Foundation and as part of what we funded was the brumby program with Greg Powell. What I witnessed during this time changed me forever. I was awestruck, excited and so curious as to how traumatised teenagers were changing before my eyes. I really had no idea what was going on. It felt at the time like I was watching a magic show. I could see changes happening I just couldn’t figure out how or what was happening.
I was asking so many questions and watching with a newly found curiosity trying to figure out what was going on right in front of me. Well, with my curiosity sparked I went down a rabbit hole that has changed my whole world. I am a very different person now, from the one that started this journey.
So many things have been put in my path from that moment until now and too many serendipitous moments for me to ignore. I have met some of the most incredible horse people and leaders from whom I have taken so much of my learnings. I also have had horses that have challenged and pushed me to find better ways. I have also pursued the dream by getting qualified as an equine-assisted learning facilitator.
The Leadership Session That Changed Everything
I am engaged in a leadership group and we were sharing stories and issues. One of the people in the group asked “if I could run horse whispering sessions for leaders” no hesitation I said “Sure thing”. And moved on with the conversation and didn’t give it a second thought. Not thinking anything more about that conversation, a few weeks later I was asked when I would be available for 8 senior leaders to come out to my place to run that session we talked about. I could feel that nagging inner voice telling me that I can’t possibly do this, and then, the panicset in. What on earth had I said yes to? I couldn’t run a session for other senior leaders. What would they say? How could I show my face if it didn’t work?
Or could I?
Then I realised I wouldn’t know if I didn’t at least try. So I did and the rest is history.
There were so many incredible things that happened that day for me and for everyone there. It was a moment that made me believe I really can do this.
Outcomes
Having worked with now a number of vulnerable young people, women with anxiety and senior leaders I realise that this can work for anyone. Here are a few of my favourite life-altering moments.
A young man with anger management issues, Aspergers and a raft of other complex issues came to do a 4-week session. He learned from my horses that “people listen to me when I am being nice and not angry. I can get what I want from being nicer people” This was a major turning point for this young man who at the time was unable to live at home partly due to his anger management issues.
A young girl who was struggling with her mental health and significant relationships with her family had almost completely broken down. She learned from horses how to make friends and be open to the possibility of letting others into her life.
A senior leader who was authoritarian in his approach to those around him learned from my horses how using fear and intimidation as a motivational technique felt to those around him. This changed the way he started dealing with his family. He began to have a healthy relationship with his teenage daughter.
A senior leader who was too apologetic and trying to be friends with everyone learned how to be calm and assertive in his approach. Amazingly his large team of staff started listening to him and he began to get results from a team who were disengaged prior.
A young anxious woman who was struggling, with everyday life and finding everything difficult. After going through family counselling, psychologists, medication when I met her she had given up. Nothing had really worked. Well, I can say my horses performed again after a couple of sessions we had a different person showing up she is smiling and engaged and positive about her life. My horses helped her understand her boundaries and see she needed some persistence to get through.
An anxiety-filled woman who really struggled to overcome imposter syndrome, now leading a team of macho men in a male-dominated workshop. Horses gave her the confidence to be her authentic self and find power in that space.
Equine Assisted Learning Can Help You
These experiences and so many more have changed my life. I continue to see what is possible. The incredible healing that my horses can provide from deep-seated trauma is something I don’t fully understand how. I just know it does. I can see my horse go into a calm lowered energy space and how she starts to transform those around her. It is something that is really special to see and feel. The change in the people in her presence. They explain it as “I just feel better”. If you don’t know it is happening you would miss it. I have begun to recognise the look on her face it is a different space for her to hold.
There is no noise, there is no movement but I know when she is providing healing she is moving mountains deep within people.
So yes I do believe that regardless of what is happening for you in your life Equine Assisted Learning can help you.
The beliefs that we hold are just patterns that we’ve learned and developed over the years. There are a number of things throughout our lives that play a role in shaping our beliefs. Some of these might be supporting and nurturing, while others might be roadblocks on our paths to achieving happiness. Positive affirmations are a great way to change the barriers into supportive and encouraging truths. You can use positive affirmations to keep you moving forward. Here are four useful tips for writing positive affirmations that work.
Write Down Your Ideas
You need to take the time to determine what areas of your life you want to improve. Write down your ideas on how you would like your life to look and areas that you want to improve. After you’ve written down your thoughts, take a look at each of them and write down a few positive statements that reflect your vision for your future life.
Use the Present Tense
When you write down your affirmations, you want to be sure to write them in the present tense. Write them down as though you are experiencing everything you desire right now. You want to avoid using words like, within the next two months. . . because every time you use this affirmation you are saying to yourself and the universe that you are still two months away from achieving your goal. After you use this affirmation for one month, you will still be saying, within two months, which tells the universe and your mind that you haven’t gotten any closer to achieving your goals.
Focus on What You Want
You need to write your affirmations in a way that forces them to focus on what you want in life, rather than what you are trying to eliminate or avoid in your life. For example, rather than writing I’m not addicted to alcohol, a better option would be to write something like, I am completely free from alcohol. If you aren’t sure about how to write an affirmation in the positive, then you can imagine that you’ve already accomplished whatever it is that you want to achieve and describe yourself in that positive light.
Writing positive affirmations is both an empowering and exciting experience. Learn how to enjoy the process and try not to get caught up in the details of what you’re writing. Have fun with the process and try to relax.
Dani Lombard, is an amazing leader. This Leadership Whisperer Podcast episode was fun and a little embarrassing for me, Dani has put the challenge out of her interviewing me. So stay tuned for the next episode.
Dani is full of insights and very different from some of our previous guests. If you are interested in understanding what it takes to be an entrepreneur and still smile at the end of the day this is one episode you are not going to want to miss. She is an international PR veteran with over 20 years of experience in running campaigns and making brands shine.
Dani is an incredible entrepreneur, starting her own PR agency Dani Lombard Public Relations when she was just 28. Since then, her company merged with a Melbourne agency, taking on the same name – Soda Communications.
Running her own agency, she has learned a lot about running a business and motivating teams.
What is Dani’s insight into what is leadership?
Good leaders care.
Leadership is hard to describe but you know when see it and you feel it when you are around a good leader. Behaving and acting in way that inspires the people around you to be better. In addition it is some one who is good at creating a strong community.
You will want to listen to this episode to find out more about what Dani thinks about leadership. Shares her personal stories about meeting Richard Branson. She shares her vulnerability in talking about managing people and the reality of how hard it actually is, and it is an ongoing challenge.
What it is like to be a woman in leadership and the trap of falling into feeling like you need to appear powerful adopting those masculine traits.
In this interview, she also talks about not taking yourself too seriously.
Dani’s recommended reading list
Culture Fix , How to create a great place to work, by Colin D Ellis
