EQUUS LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION TRAINING

What does it involve?

On the EQUUS program, you spend a day communicating with and leading a horse. By doing this, you reflect on your own leadership style and discover how to be more effective. You practise and refine your new skills in a safe, non judgmental environment.

You don't ride the horse. You ask him to do things on the ground, like trot away from you and come back to you, back up through poles, go over small jumps, etc. We tailor the tasks to your level of confidence so you always feel safe.

Can horses really help people to be better leaders?

To be a good leader, you have to be able to communicate with and inspire others. Research suggests that your body language and voice tonality has a significant effect on the way people respond to your communication, particularly if there is any inconsistency between your words, body language and voice tone. However, most of the vital, non-verbal part of your communication is going on at an unconscious level, making it hard to improve your abilities.

Horses don't use words, and they aren't known for their tact, so they give you direct, clear feedback on the non verbal aspects of your communication. Their feedback brings this into your conscious awareness, giving you the opportunity to modify and improve your non verbal signals. You can then test the effect of these changes on the horses, knowing they'll give you a candid response.

What areas are covered?

On the EQUUS program, we look at three main areas, all vital in leadership and communication:

Horses don't have words to get in the way, and they aren't known for their tact, so they give you really clear feedback.

• FOCUS How your focus and state of mind affects your leadership abilities
• PHASES How you can use progressive communication to be clear, effective and fair
• REINFORCEMENT Using the power of reinforcement to cause a horse or a person to WANT to do as you ask

Horses teach you to be a fair, trustworthy and effective leader. If you get this right (and you will by the end of the day), the horse will follow you round the enclosure, back away from you and come to you when you ask. He may go over jumps for you (and if he's clever he'll get you over the jumps too).

You'll have a great time and you'll discover the secrets of inspirational leadership. Don't miss it!

What do delegates say?

"This course is a MUST – it's a practical, hands–on course which demonstrates the importance of understanding and interpreting body language – how to be a more effective person in one day – WOW ! It's saved me a fortune in self help books !!" Anne Perry, The Power Service

"I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The practical hands-on exercises with the horses combined with the discussions were very stimulating. I believe the course has equipped me with skills which I can easily employ in any type of relationship (man or beast) and in a multitude of different scenarios . It was a pleasure to work with both the course leaders and the horses." Gill Fitzpatrick of Vahterus UK

"the incredible insights that came up for me during the day working with the horses have really helped move my leadership abilities forward"

"As a child I had a bad experience with a horse and because of that was rather resistant to do this leadership training course involving horses. As such I am shocked to say that by the end of the course, not only did I manage to get over my fear of horses, but the incredible insights that came up for me during the day working with the horses have really helped move my leadership abilities forward. I guess, ultimately, people and horses are actually more similar than I had imagined.Definitely one of those "Have To" courses! Highly recommended." Rudi Jansen, Chartered Accountant, Kando1-2 Ltd

"I really enjoyed working with the horses the exercises were fantastic. I discovered how to project my energy more effectively so people know I really mean what I say, and also how to do this differently with different types of people. One unexpected effect is that my kids now behave better for me!" Becky Kooner of Great Guns Marketing.

"I thought the day spent with EQUUS was great. The concept of mixing group discussion and practical work with horses was fantastic. I came away from the day really questioning how I have communicated in the past, and how in the future I could change to become a more effective communicator." Paul Button of Vahterus UK.

Booking information

We can cater for individuals or for a team of people from the same company. If you book for a team, we can tailor the day to your specific requirements. The day has a significant team building effect in addition to the other benefits.

Contact us to book onto a day as an individual or to discuss a tailor made day for your team.