In order for a horse to turn loose, and view you as his trusted leader, you must become a single leader that practices roles or characteristics that horses in the wild exhibit. These roles include the Dominant, Leader, Guard, Buddy/Nurturer, and the Predator. When these roles are practiced in a balanced fashion, it is horse sensible to the horse, and is the yellow brick road, so to speak, in achieving full trust and unity with your horse.

The challenge arises when we try to balance the roles, since most of us humans are heavily weighted in two or three of these roles.

So here is where the parallel comes in. Balancing these roles and applying them to human relationships works equally as well in gaining trust and being viewed as a leader by your peers. Now the challenge becomes two fold.

1. Determining what roles you are strong and weak in, and be willing to balance these roles in your everyday life.
2. Learning to apply these balanced roles in all aspects of leadership.

Since a horse is a true reflection of our true self, working one on one with our horses will give you unbiased feedback on your role characteristics. Then, as you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and attempt to balance them, your progress will be reflected by your improvement in the exercises you do, again working one on one with our horses. This process is enhanced by the differing roles exhibited by our Equine Instructors listed in Meet Our Team.

Back in the 70’s when I changed my horse training methods from a “Boss” approach to a “Leader” , I like to think I had a more positive impact on their life, and still do today. Likewise, as I apply these leadership skills to my interactions with humans, I think the same applies. The top ten benefits of a Good Leader as I have listed below could really apply to both humans and horses. There is really not a lot of difference.

1. Leaders provide vision

   They give us direction and tell us where we are going.

2. Leaders bring clarity

   We understand where they are going and are honored to join the journey.

3. Leaders believe in us

   They give us confidence

4. Leaders stretch our thinking

   They make us smarter

5. Leaders improve our skills

   They make us better

6. Leaders support us

   They provide what we need to be successful

7. Leaders make hard decisions

   They pay the price so we don’t have to

8. Leaders take the bullets

   They protect us

9. Leaders expand our world view

   They create experiences that help us see things in a new and different light

10. Leaders make us feel better about ourselves

    They raise our self image

The world is a better place for horses and humans when there is quality leadership!

Our leadership clinics are offered at our mini ranch located in Gilbert Arizona. The clinic starts with an orientation dinner Friday evening. First thing Saturday morning we start with a short safety course with our Equine instructors followed by one on one interaction with the horses to start determining role strengths and weaknesses. The remainder of Saturday and Sunday morning is spent balancing the roles and applying them on one on one exercises with the horses. We finish up Sunday afternoon with suggested practices to continue improving your leadership skills.

We limit group size, but we can be flexible given your situation. We can do family and friends, small business management groups, corporate managers, or whatever. Just give us a call and we can tailor the clinic to fit your needs. And even if you want to attend as an individual to improve your leadership skills, we can do that to.

Contact Dave Now!