How Does Coaching With Horses Work?

I don’t know if it is the nature of people I meet or if the stories I tell about equine-facilitated coaching are so compelling that they move people regardless of who I tell them to. Stories such as when Oliver and SD worked together so she could learn how to set a boundary and ask for what she needed. There’s one about KT and Eco working together to create a safe space for her to discover and work through her anxiety regarding an important conversation that she had been neglecting. Then there is MO, who worked with Navajo and came to understand how her breath posture, self-talk, and attitude affected her ability to accomplish simple goals in her life. 

I work with Horses as my coaching partners to help people grow their self-awareness, learn self-management, and discover the power of knowing they can choose how they respond to life’s challenges. 

People ask how does it work. The horse plays a major role in the work. Horses live in the moment and are highly attuned to what’s going on in their environment. Their survival depends upon it. When we humans enter their territory, horses can quickly get a read on us. Our body tells the story of how we are thinking and what we are feeling as we approach them and before we open our mouths. They respond to the invisible. Their nervous system can pick up what is being communicated by our nervous system. People communicate a lot non-verbally and are often unaware of their language and the messages the body sends. 

The horse’s response is quite informative. Through experiential learning and coaching,  people are guided to grow their self-awareness by understanding what’s happening for them in the moment: somatically, emotionally, and physically. With increased self-awareness, people can learn to self-regulate and self-manage in new ways. They learn skills that increase their capacity to shift and change their responses to challenging situations. By partnering with horses to develop awareness and skills, people can grow their confidence and belief in themselves and change the way they show up in the world.

Reach out if you want to try it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. 902.497.8650