What we have here is a failure to communicate.

When participants observe the horses in a herd situation, they are often surprised at the level of communication that goes on between them.

As flight animals they are constantly aware of each other and their surroundings.  They use their body language and their outbreaths to communicate with each other.

They also express their emotions quickly and directly and then get back ‘to grazing’.   They don’t dwell on things and they stay grounded in the present moment.  There is clarity over what they want and need.

For many of our clients, clarity of communication is a challenge.  Some say that they feel that they have lost their voice in advocating for themselves.   ‘Everyone knows what I need better than me’  someone said the other day.

This  lack of a voice often drives people inwards and they end up focusing on their inner self talk. People around make assumptions of what they think they need.   And as we know,  assumptions make an  ‘ass of u and me’.

One particular exercise we run is to ask the participants to work in pairs with a single horse and to lead that horse over a small obstacle course.  The participant leading the horse is blindfolded and has to rely on the other for clear instructions in order to complete the course.  This is a task in both clarity and listening.

The feedback conversations that follow this exercise can be very revealing.  Simple clear instructions are not as easy as they sound.  We are all guilty of assuming that others ‘ get it’. Focusing on clear messaging about what we need and want for ourselves and what we need from others, is something we could all benefit from.

If you would like to learn more about equine assisted learning please call Annie on 0411 549562 or e mail her on annie@hamerequine.com

You may also like to check out a short video about us that ran on TV in early August.