Equine Assisted Coaching – can horses really assist?
Throughout my coaching career I have been interested in discovering, and applying, creative ways to enable my clients to create the sustainable changes needed to get to the heart of what is authentic to them. In this blog I am going to describe how I came to learn about Equine Assisted Coaching, my own experience of it, and why I believe this is a really valuable approach to leadership coaching and behavioural change.
When I met Nina Thomson, Founder of Track Clinic, I was working as a professional coach, focused on enabling people to change deep rooted behaviours, to achieve their goals and dreams. It was clear that we shared common business values, however, I was really intrigued by the work she was doing, and how the principles may apply to my practice.
At the time Nina had already trained in EAGALA –a facilitation model clinically proven to elicit emotional and behavioural change, and established Track Clinic. She was working with a team of therapists, and therapy horses, supporting clients to uncover ways of being that are in harmony with their emotional energy and deep intention. She was working with foster children with detachment disorders, adults with PTSD, teenagers with OCD and eating disorders as well as professionals who had lost direction and needed a reboot.
I have worked as a leader in several big corporates, and as a leadership development consultant and coach in my own practice for the last 15 years. In that time, I have seen a lot of different models and tools for learning, personal development and leadership development. I knew from my own experiences that coaching worked - the 1:1 coaching conversation uncovers learning and leads to action. It is a thought provoking and creative process, enabling people to transform their thinking, make powerful choices and unlock their potential for fulfilment. Individuals who undertake coaching see big improvements in productivity, achieving their goals, and their satisfaction with life and work.
– So, what is different when you add therapy horses and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) specialists into the coaching mix? What do you gain, that you can’t achieve in an hour of conventional coaching? –
In 2019 I went along as a client, to find out for myself if the reality matched the rhetoric, and what the difference actually was - I was blown away by my experience!
I arrived at the venue and met with Nina and the therapist. They talked me through what to expect and my goal for the session. Initially I was conscious of being observed, but I quickly forgot and focused on the horses. The horses were initially disinterested in me, they totally ignored me, and I tried really hard to engage with them. The less interest they showed, the harder I tried!
I was disappointed, and kept trying to think of ways I could get them to respond to me. Once Nina brought their behaviour to my attention and asked me what I thought was happening I started to see a pattern. I walked away from them, it felt a really tough thing to do, so unnatural for me. Almost at once they turned and started to follow me, I was confused as I had stopped trying! I sat down and they all came and gently engaged with me. The less I tried the more they relaxed and stayed close. This was a massive light bulb moment for me, I spend most of my life trying really, really hard - to please, to engage and to ensure other people are happy and fulfilled, it’s exhausting!
I have had this feedback in various forms over the years, but whilst I understood on an intellectual level, I had never really got it.
– The horse’s reaction made what I was doing, and the impact it was having on me, so obvious. The experience was visceral. I can recall it vividly, and I relate back to it regularly, giving myself the permission they gave me to relax and step back –
When I find myself trying really hard, putting myself under pressure to do my very best, I am reminded of the feeling in the session. I can physically feel the sensations I experienced that day, and can quickly act on this and change my behaviour. By behaving differently, I am able to get better results, quicker.
Reflecting on the session, and why it had the impact it did, I realised that for once I had allowed my analytical mind to rest. Being totally immersed in the experience enabled me to access deeper insights, without my mind blocking these with old stories and expectations. It was quite a shock to be faced with the reality that my usual behaviours and coping mechanisms didn’t actually get me the results I wanted! Even more so to realise that by actually thinking less and being more in tune with how I felt, produced great results! The horses had provided a clear mirror to what was happening and how new outcomes could be achieved.
As Nina explains, “Research into Experiential Learning Theory shows that new neural pathways in the brain are created when a new behaviour is actioned. Equine Assisted Coaching allows for immediate behavioural change, which become embedded both on a conscious and unconscious level. Real change can be revealed in a single session, as opposed to several months of traditional coaching.”
If clients are looking for deep insights and sustainable behaviour change, Equine Assisted Coaching provides a powerful addition to traditional coaching models. Each client comes to coaching with their own goals for change, their experience will be different to my own as this approach meets them exactly where they are, and enables them to move quickly towards their own goals.
Of the Equine Assisted Learning and Coaching practitioners in the market, Track Clinic stands apart for me. It is fairly unique to find experienced therapists and coaches, working alongside an equine facilitation specialist. Often one person is playing both roles. At Track Clinic you have the power of two specialist practitioners, able to deliver sustainable behavioural change, very quickly.
– Having started my journey as a client, intrigued to see how it worked, I am excited to start working alongside Nina Thomson, facilitating Track Clinic Coaching Programs. This is an exciting addition to the portfolio of a coaching approaches I am able to offer clients –
If you are interested in discovering more about Equine Assisted Coaching, please choose a link below to contact me directly, or to read more at the Track Clinic website.