Horses as facilitors
As some of you may already know, horses are extremely sensitive beings and will always show up with open and clear responses about how they are interpreting our behavior and style of communication. This is true whether we are in the saddle, doing groundwork, or in a round pen while an Equus coach is asking thought-provoking and sometimes challenging questions about where we are at in the moment. Horses provide immediate feedback to whatever energy or emotional baggage we show up with, and have an uncanny ability to call us out on our inconsistencies or the dysfunctional patterns we use when communicating. In short they are fantastic “bull-shit” detectors!
If you have boundary issues, well that horse is going to push your limits. You have an aggressive or more often, a passive-aggressive communication style, they will respond accordingly. You bring in an emotional wall, they’ll try to break that thing down. And for me the most magical moments are when a person has an “ah hah” moment during a session, a brief moment where their authentic selves showed up, and the horse immediately recognized it, even if the person does not.
Horses teach us that our deep-rooted patterns of behavior often negatively affect our intended outcomes without even knowing it. With guidance from an Equus Coach, the horses can help you recognize those repetitive behaviors and find alternative solutions to achieve your goals.
Sometimes we get lost in our minds, in the stories we tell ourselves, in our routines or patterns. It is during these times that we often need a mirror to help us reflect back on who we really are and what we really want from our work, our relationships, or our lives, in order to find peace, joy, or whatever feels missing to us in the moment.
Horses can do that for us.
Horses are healing. I have known that since I was 6 years old when I first caught the horse bug. Horses were always my go-to place to feel safe, to feel peace, to feel loved. But it wasn’t until I became certified as an Equus Coach, that I began to truly understood the powerful affect horses can have on our mental health.
Equus Coaching is a unique style of personal coaching that incorporates horses by capitalizing on their ability to respond to the immediate thoughts, emotions and behaviors a client brings into the session. Through thoughtful questions, coupled with the client’s direct communication and interaction with the horse, the goal is to become more aware and accepting of who we are, as parents, as partners, or just as individual people. The theory of this style of coaching stems from the observation that horses have a remarkable ability to encourage us to connect with our authentic selves, and to trust our natural instincts.
Why Horses?
“No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.”
Herman Melville
What Does it Look Like?
Every session is different. But whatever you bring into the session, your horse will have something to say about it…
While we all seem to agree that horses feel and react to our energy, I don't think I've ever seen it quite so clearly before. Balou's reaction to my feelings and emotions were undeniable. I've thought back to the session for weeks being able to draw new conclusions and affirmations from this wonderful experience.
— Vicki Krin