Are you a Holistic Equestrian?

Are you a Holistic Equestrian?

The second pillar of a Holistic Equestrian’s groundwork skillset is Compassionate Leadership - and one extremely important element of Compassionate Leadership is psychological safety. 

As an equestrian, we're often taught that we can't let our horse say “no” because it will make them unsafe and dangerous. This is what often leaves us feeling conflicted, because sometimes there is a good reason for that “no”, and pushing your horse through it and forcing submission is not the answer. 

Even in the case that a horse is getting frustrated, simply escalating pressure is not the answer. Giving the horse tools for emotional agility, rather than just pushing them until they blow their lid, is part of training a confident, emotionally mature horse that knows how to look after its rider - and a big part 

This is why we spend so long in our relaxation work. My team of school horses know that it is safe to stop and relax if they feel their rider is unbalanced, unclear, getting frustrated or anxious, don't know how to answer, not getting enough direction etc etc. - which is way better than them spiraling into an emotional meltdown, especially because I need horses that can confidently look after riders. And this gives me the cue that the horse needs more support from their rider and for me to investigate what the rider needs for the horse to continue.

This can become frustrating for our riders because it means they need to put effort into refining their body awareness, coordination and communication. However, the horse has a lot of responsibility to carry us safely, so I'm happy to hear from my team that they need to feel their rider putting the effort into balancing themselves and not pulling their horse off balance. 

Compassionate leadership and psychological safety start on the ground so that it can continue into the saddle. 

The foundation of our ridden work is rhythm and relaxation. We can't achieve physical relaxation without mental relaxation. 

The horse's mental relaxation comes from feeling safe in relationship to us and taking direction from us.

If you are ready to step up as a compassionate leader, register for the free masterclass.