Reflections on equine-facilitated development
02/23/10 10:53
Are you considering involvement with equine-facilitated learning (EFL)? If so, you may be viewing EFL with uncertainty or even skepticism. This is understandable, especially if, like myself, you have not had much exposure to horses and the people who have devoted their lives to working with them.
I am writing this to offer the perspective of someone who, until about eighteen months ago, had never heard about the work being done through EFL. I have 30 years of experience in leadership and organizational development. I am a clinical psychologist by training and I worked as a clinician and as a staff development specialist in a residential mental health setting for six years before moving on to create a career in consulting. When I was first asked to do some collaborate with Linda Kohanov, one of the leaders in EFL, my initial reaction was probably typical of those unfamiliar with this discipline. Yet my experience has convinced me that EFL offers a unique setting for human development that has a wide range of applications, from leadership and team development, mental health services, to workshops designed to enable people to grow and enhance the quality of their lives.
I would like to share some observations with you about EFL. They involve aspects of EFL that I have come to appreciate in my exposure to it so far:
The unique sensitivity of horses.
Evolving over the millennia as prey animal in the wild, the horse’s very survival depended on developing an exquisite sensitivity to danger and to the intentions of other animals near the herd. This has resulted in the development of a fascinating relationship with human beings that creates the opportunity for human development. Horses work only out of a relationship with human beings. You cannot order a horse around. You must first establish a collaborative relationship with it. They are highly sensitive to incongruent states of feelings and behaviors. You cannot work with a horse effectively if you are sitting on unexpressed and suppressed feelings. It makes horses very uncertain to see this in people working with them. In addition, you cannot work with a horse without very clearly communicating what you want the horse to do.
This unique sensitivity in “reading” human beings makes them valuable collaborators in human development. Given their sensitivity to incongruity and mixed messages, our feelings and behaviors must be in alignment. In addition, we need to relate to the horse when asking her to do something for us. The need for us to relate to them in clear, congruent ways provides immediate feedback that can be used by the therapist or human development specialist in working with clients. The horse provides feedback regarding clarity of intent and emotional congruity that is not available as quickly or as obviously working in any other way. If we don’t provide what the horse needs, the horse will not cooperate.
Highly trained horses.
Not every horse is suited to ELF. I know of one leader in the field who buys horses under the provisional condition that the horse will choose to work with us in the setting. If a horse doesn’t seem to choose this kind of work, she returns them to the seller. Some horses, she said, prefer to relate to one person. Others may not have the temperament for this kind of work.
Once chosen, horses get a great deal of training before they are allowed into an arena to work with us. Many people who interact with these horses will not have much experience in riding or working with them. Careful selection and training assures you that the horses you work with know what they are doing and that safety factors will not be an issue, provided you follow all instructions from your ELF facilitator.
Highly trained facilitators.
As important as the horse is in the work, we cannot leave out the ELF facilitator. Most of those I’ve met have been dealing with horses most of their lives, learning how to care for them, refine their horsemanship, and learning how to develop the relationship that the horse asks of us in exchange for cooperation. In addition to mastering horsemanship, ELF facilitators spend years and a good deal of money getting the training they need to be certified in this field. Moreover, as a group, these facilitators are more dedicated to continually improving their skills and are constantly talking about the next workshop they are about to attend. I can only wish that many of the leaders I work with in other settings had the same dedication to continuous improvement.
When you work with an ELF facilitator, you are getting a deeply experience horseman. But you need to remember that they have also invested years acquiring and constantly honing the skills required to do ELF. They don’t get to do it unless they are fully committed to investing their time, energy, and resources in earning the right to hold claim to this profession. They are not simply owners of horses who decided to do some workshops to buy extra feed. They are highly polished professionals and will be happy to share their credentials and review their professional training with you.
The setting.
Most people are attracted to horses yet the barn, the equipment, the smells…in short, everything associated with working with horses is new to the average participant. There is no previous learning to fall back on. Nothing is familiar. And you will be working with a very large animal that expects you to work with him in specific ways to earn our cooperation.
I’ve come to think that this throws people off in interesting ways and provides information regarding how they deal with stress, change, and uncertainty in the rest of their lives. Human beings are, by and large, consistent across different settings. How we behave in the arena provides insight into how we behave in other settings, providing therapists and human development specialists with a platform for conversation as well as the opportunity to design exercises intended to provide information and lessons to the participants involved.
Applications of EFL.
EFL can be brought to bear to address a variety of developmental topics, ranging from leadership and team development, human development, psychotherapy, coping with psychological and physical challenges, and others. If you are considering involvement with EFL, spend some time with the facilitator. Ask about their professional training and the theoretical approaches they bring to their work. Feel free to address any issues or questions that might come up for you, especially those related to doubt or skepticism about this kind of work. Your facilitator will be happy to provide you with information that will help you understand their work and answer any questions that will help you make an informed decision.
I am writing this to offer the perspective of someone who, until about eighteen months ago, had never heard about the work being done through EFL. I have 30 years of experience in leadership and organizational development. I am a clinical psychologist by training and I worked as a clinician and as a staff development specialist in a residential mental health setting for six years before moving on to create a career in consulting. When I was first asked to do some collaborate with Linda Kohanov, one of the leaders in EFL, my initial reaction was probably typical of those unfamiliar with this discipline. Yet my experience has convinced me that EFL offers a unique setting for human development that has a wide range of applications, from leadership and team development, mental health services, to workshops designed to enable people to grow and enhance the quality of their lives.
I would like to share some observations with you about EFL. They involve aspects of EFL that I have come to appreciate in my exposure to it so far:
The unique sensitivity of horses.
Evolving over the millennia as prey animal in the wild, the horse’s very survival depended on developing an exquisite sensitivity to danger and to the intentions of other animals near the herd. This has resulted in the development of a fascinating relationship with human beings that creates the opportunity for human development. Horses work only out of a relationship with human beings. You cannot order a horse around. You must first establish a collaborative relationship with it. They are highly sensitive to incongruent states of feelings and behaviors. You cannot work with a horse effectively if you are sitting on unexpressed and suppressed feelings. It makes horses very uncertain to see this in people working with them. In addition, you cannot work with a horse without very clearly communicating what you want the horse to do.
This unique sensitivity in “reading” human beings makes them valuable collaborators in human development. Given their sensitivity to incongruity and mixed messages, our feelings and behaviors must be in alignment. In addition, we need to relate to the horse when asking her to do something for us. The need for us to relate to them in clear, congruent ways provides immediate feedback that can be used by the therapist or human development specialist in working with clients. The horse provides feedback regarding clarity of intent and emotional congruity that is not available as quickly or as obviously working in any other way. If we don’t provide what the horse needs, the horse will not cooperate.
Highly trained horses.
Not every horse is suited to ELF. I know of one leader in the field who buys horses under the provisional condition that the horse will choose to work with us in the setting. If a horse doesn’t seem to choose this kind of work, she returns them to the seller. Some horses, she said, prefer to relate to one person. Others may not have the temperament for this kind of work.
Once chosen, horses get a great deal of training before they are allowed into an arena to work with us. Many people who interact with these horses will not have much experience in riding or working with them. Careful selection and training assures you that the horses you work with know what they are doing and that safety factors will not be an issue, provided you follow all instructions from your ELF facilitator.
Highly trained facilitators.
As important as the horse is in the work, we cannot leave out the ELF facilitator. Most of those I’ve met have been dealing with horses most of their lives, learning how to care for them, refine their horsemanship, and learning how to develop the relationship that the horse asks of us in exchange for cooperation. In addition to mastering horsemanship, ELF facilitators spend years and a good deal of money getting the training they need to be certified in this field. Moreover, as a group, these facilitators are more dedicated to continually improving their skills and are constantly talking about the next workshop they are about to attend. I can only wish that many of the leaders I work with in other settings had the same dedication to continuous improvement.
When you work with an ELF facilitator, you are getting a deeply experience horseman. But you need to remember that they have also invested years acquiring and constantly honing the skills required to do ELF. They don’t get to do it unless they are fully committed to investing their time, energy, and resources in earning the right to hold claim to this profession. They are not simply owners of horses who decided to do some workshops to buy extra feed. They are highly polished professionals and will be happy to share their credentials and review their professional training with you.
The setting.
Most people are attracted to horses yet the barn, the equipment, the smells…in short, everything associated with working with horses is new to the average participant. There is no previous learning to fall back on. Nothing is familiar. And you will be working with a very large animal that expects you to work with him in specific ways to earn our cooperation.
I’ve come to think that this throws people off in interesting ways and provides information regarding how they deal with stress, change, and uncertainty in the rest of their lives. Human beings are, by and large, consistent across different settings. How we behave in the arena provides insight into how we behave in other settings, providing therapists and human development specialists with a platform for conversation as well as the opportunity to design exercises intended to provide information and lessons to the participants involved.
Applications of EFL.
EFL can be brought to bear to address a variety of developmental topics, ranging from leadership and team development, human development, psychotherapy, coping with psychological and physical challenges, and others. If you are considering involvement with EFL, spend some time with the facilitator. Ask about their professional training and the theoretical approaches they bring to their work. Feel free to address any issues or questions that might come up for you, especially those related to doubt or skepticism about this kind of work. Your facilitator will be happy to provide you with information that will help you understand their work and answer any questions that will help you make an informed decision.