Horse assisted training courses

In the company of horses thoughts, emotions and inspiration are born. All of these are essential and requisite tools of an effective leader.

The EQ-Skill Equine Assisted Leadership Trainings create an experiential learning environment in which each participant’s natural talents and competencies are revealed and can be improved effectively by preserving already existing effective skills and implementing new ones got acquainted through self experience exercises with horses.

"Horses allow us to see leadership principles in a new light. The horse becomes a metaphor for how you are leading your life and work. Just like people, horses respond to your leadership style, providing you with honest and clear feedback about your current strengths of leadership and areas for improvement. They easily close the gap between where we say we are going and what we are actually doing to get there. They gently encourage us into new insights and new ways of interacting with others and ourselves." Ariana Strozzi

We are proud of our successful tailor-made approach to develop leadership skills – and grateful to our co-trainers, the horses who offer us an incredibly rich and flexible methodology.

In order to fulfill the diverse needs of our partners, an effective EQ-Skill Equine Assisted Leadership Development Training can cover, connect and overlap the following topics: 

• Change management
• Decision making in groups
• Dilemma of cooperation and competition in a corporation
• Distance and nearness: the relational aspects of leadership
• Interpersonal effectiveness – proactivity and assertivity
• Intuitions and intentions: aims and decisions in leadership
• Leadership and self reflectivity
• Leadership as a lifestyle
• Leadership as a process, a role and relation: the self reflective and authentic leader
• Leading and being led – leadership as a mental position
• Mind mapping: personal components of personal attitudes toward leadership
• Motivations of leaderships – motivating employees
• Pacing – rapport – leading in leadership communication
• Personal leadership development – coaching
• Personal Leadership Development: plans and coaching
• Personal leadership style
• Profiles on sources and types of leadership: power, authority, strength, domination, mastery – or something else?
• Stress management and burn-out prevention
• Teambuilding
• Trust and control – as leadership skills
• Trust and respect – as leadership characteristics

Why horses? Because they….

• are honest, accurate and distortion-proof mirrors.
• naturally train humans in the timeless principles of authenticity, intention, courage, intuition and focus. Developing these leadership virtues requires patience, external guidance, and supportive learning.
• are ancient archetypal symbols representing dignity, honour, beauty, strength, power and endurance. Because of the horses' social hierarchal nature, they engage immediately in the leadership conversation. They quickly reveal that leadership is earned by the presence we bring forward and share with others. Working with horses deconstructs the 'one leader on top' theory and enters us into a new world where leadership is a changing and fluid process in which the leader and the ones they lead may comprise a team environment that Equine Mediated Leadership Trainings by EQ-Skill pride itself on.
• insist on knowing who is leading each step of the way. This makes them natural candidates for training leadership competencies. Much like people, horses don't care about a person's title of authority or their IQ. They are inspired by a person's clarity of purpose and ability to stand tall and take action. They can be willing performers or resentful employees. Their generosity of spirit and deep patience allows us to refine our leadership style and develop new skills.

No former riding experience is required for the trainings as horses in our Programs are not taking part according to their traditional role, but as mediators of experiences, partners in communication and extremely effective tools of  learning.

Optional group size: from 6 to 12 participants.

Detailed description of some of our programs:

• Leadership Communication Skills Program
• Stress Management and Recreation Leadership Program
• Coperation vs Competition Program

Optional services:

• Indoor and outdoor leadership trainings
• Airport transfer
• Accommodation and meals
• Guided tour and sightseeing in the western area of Lake Balaton 

Demo training video 2011
Demo training 2011
Demo trainig 2010
EQ-Skill Film  2008

EQ-Skill is the licensed partner of HorseDream and member of EAHAE.