Archive for Equine Experiential Learning
Woody Speaks About Spirit and Power
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It was the sixth and last day of the Level Two Apprenticeship week. During the previous five days I had watched as each woman unraveled conclusions and preconceived notions of power so that she could step into a heart-based leadership that felt authentic and real. I repeatedly found myself saying to each apprentice, “You know. What is your truth?” Throughout the week the concept of “I know” flowed through the sessions and conversations. Sharon, my co-facilitator, and I coached each apprentice to trust their intuition, inner knowing and to follow their gut and guidance as they practiced coaching active round pen sessions. The last day, each session with horse and human flowed with ease and harmony. Each apprentice had gained greater clarity, congruence and inner strength.
We had started the closing ceremony at the last hour of the week. The ritual invites the spirit of horse to interact with each Read More→
What is an Equine Facilitated Learning Experience?
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I had the privilege of working with a wonderful Percheron by the name of Kairos during an Equine Faciliated Learning workshop in Tucson this last February. Karios is the largest horse I have ever seen. He is well over 17 and the weight of his physical body is grounding and calming. His gentle nature makes time stand still. His slow moving, solid black muscular mass calls you to him and pulls you back in time.
Kairos offered the participants at this workshop an equine learning experience that was based on ‘being’ verses ‘doing.’ By simply being near Kairos several people reported a deep sense of communion and connection to something that was beyond words. Kairos complete focus and slow gentle gestures moved people to the depths of their consciousness. While facilitating one woman in a reflective round pen session, I shared the same experience. Read More→
What Horses Teach Humans About Heart Based Communications
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Horses teach humans a lot about the pace of life. Life seems to be moving at the speed of light. I try to bring a grounded presence into every aspect of my daily life. However a fast paced world can often pull me out of my authentic self. Our culture is based on high-speed everything. Speed is becoming a value. The faster something can work or go the more desirable it is. The element of speed brings many good things, and it may also be taking away just as much. Read More→
Exploring Boundaries With Horses
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Boundary setting is an area of growth that I focus on in my Equine Experiential Learning and Coaching sessions. Boundary setting teaches us about our power and how we define our personal space.
Horses provide perfect opportunities to strengthen boundary-setting skills. It is a natural tendency for most horses to test boundaries. A horse feels secure when she knows where she stands in the pecking order of the herd. She achieves this understanding by testing boundaries and outsmarting other herd members. When a new horse arrives into the herd she establishes herself in the pecking order by her ability to hold her boundaries and stand up to others. When we engage with horses we enter into the herd. Naturally the horse wants to know who will be in charge of the herd of two. Read More→