APPLYING HORSE SENSE AT WORK: December 2002 University of Central Oklahoma students' responses

Comments from the University of Central Oklahoma business undergrads and MBA students

Business Student Mindy J.: If anybody had ever told me before that you could relate horses to business I would have said they were crazy. Now I can’t believe how much it is true.

MBA Student Adil K.: When I first chose this course, I did not know it would be that exciting....I thought this would be a usual "theoretical" class that requires more memorization than comprehension or common sense. First, I couldn’t see the relationship between training horses and management in general, but once I met Marvin, Ben, Rainbow, and (Minnie), I have learned very interesting things that I would never know without this class....I noticed obvious behavioral resemblances between horses and humans....the few days at the ranch were a unique experience.

MBA Student James B.: First, I would like to state that the program is very impressive. I have studied leadership and management (especially Military Leadership) for many years and have never seen or heard of a presentation such as the one you have offered.

Business Student Tanya B.: The analogy between dealing with horses and management is becoming so apparent to me. It is amazing how strong the relation is.

COMMUNICATION

Business Student Kyle O.: At first, I thought that Dr. Rosile was nuts. She wanted us to talk to a horse? ...So I decided to talk to the hell-on-wheels horse, Marvin....After talking to Marvin for a couple of minutes I felt this bond between us....I did not believe Dr. Rosile when she said that the horses would talk back to us....I quickly learned that Marvin talked back by using his body language....After working with Marvin and talking to him, I realized what I have been doing wrong, and what I have been missing out on with other co-workers. I realized that I could not read them the way I could read Marvin after getting to know him....Now, I am going to be the one to take the first step in introducing myself and welcoming others to their new jobs.

LEADERSHIP

MBA Student Loubna Z.: I knew the horse would feel my distress and fear, and I was consequently more afraid....Therefore, I chose Minnie the pony....I was hoping she would understand me and make things easier for me. At once, she was a little bit nervous because, I guess, she was feeling that I was nervous too. Then I started being more relaxed and calm. Amazingly, I felt that she was relaxed too, and she even started chewing. I was really glad. ...(E)ven if you try to hide your feelings....If a horse can feel it, a human will surely....I never realized employees were just like horses; they take their confidence from their leader, the manager.

MBA Student James B.: Marvin is a very beautiful and smart horse that knows his size will intimidate many people. I believe that he also knows that most people would have given up on him and let him do his own thing in regards to the log (which scared him). However, you did not get upset with him, you simply chose to change directions and reward him for doing a good job with the change in directions. As General Patton once said, "It takes the right mixture of common horse sense...to make a good leader" and you showed that by not giving in and...by changing directions. Outstandingly done.

Business Student Tanya B.: One of my biggest faults is being too work oriented and not enough "people oriented."...I always try to get what needs to be done first and then I will make small talk if time allows. Working with Marvin I realized, you can not just go to him and try to get something done... I guess you could do what you needed to without making friends first, but the process would be more pleasant if you just took the time. My action plan is to focus on the people before the job. Everything else will come together from there.

TRAINING

MBA Student Jerry W.: As I began the exercise I first led him (Marvin) over the boards in an attempt to allay Marvin’s demonstrated resistance to stepping over them. He performed this task with little resistance, but when I urged him to lunge over the boards without me leading him, he showed strong dislike to the task....After several unsuccessful attempts, I could see an alternate training plan was indicated....I removed one of the timbers from the circle, so he only crossed it once each revolution. He took to the reduced obstacle almost immediately....Then it was time for...the next student. The gentleman had immediate success getting Marvin to trot over the single board. Next, the second board was positioned in the circle....The building block technique worked! Having mastered the single board course, Marvin was now able to step up to the increased challenge....and he trotted the course confidently. I believe we might not have gotten him to this point if we had stayed with the original plan to lunge over two boards. It would certainly have required more work from the horse and the trainers, and quite possibly would have failed altogether....My real job is an Information Technology firm manager. I manage computer projects and develop managers to do the same for me. Marvin’s lesson could be compared to asking a computer programmer to manage a programming project....If they bite off too much at once they risk setback or failure. When I return to work tomorrow (as a certified flight instructor), I will remember the lesson Marvin gave me....so that we don’t put too many "boards" on the course at once causing us to stop and start over. Nor will I summarily dismiss candidates that at first resist a new challenge. Thanks for the tip, Marvin.

Business Student Jeremy C.: I was pleasantly surprised with how much I learned from this course;... I really learned some basic lessons while dealing with the horses....I would like to comment about when Rainbow wouldn’t lunge; many different students tried to get Rainbow to lunge, but all she wanted to do was walk toward the person....I viewed the horse as not really being reluctant, but instead I viewed it as a lack of training; Rainbow didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t been worked with before, and she was just thrown in the mix and expected to do the same things that the other horses were doing. This is common in the workplace as well.

(Note: This was an astute and accurate observation, because Rainbow had only recently come to this barn. Apparently she had no prior training at all, and was difficult to catch and halter. Dr. Gray had taken her in as a kindness, when this miniature horse’s owner died. For her to walk with and towards people was actually a great accomplishment for her.)

MOTIVATION AND REWARDS

MBA Student Don W.: ...(Marvin) broke into a slow trot, lunging confidently over the posts. As I was thrilled at the time, I considered attempting to get Marvin to canter over the posts. However, I felt that Marvin had done quite well and needed positive reinforcement before we went any further. While I praised him and rubbed his neck he exhaled deeply in relief that we were finished and I was glad that I had not pushed him any further at that time. I also felt the stage had been set to do more with him at a future workout. I can see that I did not force Marvin to complete the exercise. We collaborated to overcome each of our fears, his fear of the posts and my fear that we would fail....In the end, he seemed as proud of our work as I was.

MBA Student Benny M.: By watching Dr. Rosile with Rainbow, I realized the importance of continued positive reinforcement in not only getting a task accomplished but also in building a good relationship with another....Often times when we do a job well, getting the next task shoved on our desk is the reward....Instead of taking time out to say good job or well done, I often try to motivate others to do better even when they have just gotten over a huge milestone for them. This class has showed me that in order to get the outcome wanted, as a manager or in everyday life, I need to use more rewards....While watching Dr. Rosile work with Rainbow I realized that Dr. Rosile was not only trying to get Rainbow to do a task, she was also attempting to build a good relationship....I think that many times managers get so focused on the task at hand and getting it done they do not consider the damage they are doing to the manager/employee relationship.

MBA student Taiwei C.: I remembered one example that Dr. Grace Ann Rosile did for us was very interesting. When she led the horse walking over the pole on the ground, the horse was scared and walked slowly. After she taught him....The horse overcame the fear....and she built up the confidence for the horse....I think a good manager should do like this. A good manager should encourage instead of scolding.

DELEGATION

MBA Student Marie J:

I had the chance to lead the horse, Ben....And because I was standing too close to him, he had complications walking because he was afraid that he was going to step on my feet...I realized then, that I used more energy when we did the circle going clockwise. I had to make bigger and faster steps than Ben did. Doing counter-clockwise circles was more relaxing to me but more work for Ben....Standing inside the circle, showed me that... my subordinates...could be more productive if I just give them instructions and guides and give them the space to complete their tasks...I realize now that they are more efficient this way rather than me showing up in front of their faces all the time.

Horse Sense At Work: Student Responses from U of Central Oklahoma, December 2001

(LONGER EXCERPTS FROM WRITTEN RESPONSES)

* ...when Dr. Rosile mentioned we have to work with real horses and apply the things that we learn ...to management, I was so shocked and scared. I never had any experiences with horses before (not even touched them)....I worried what if the horse...will harm me since I was feeling scared and uneasy....I was slightly relieved when Dr. Rosile explained to us in detail the assignment....Besides, one person who had some experiences with horses before...would stand near by the horse for safety measures.
    So when my turn came, I talked to Mini (the small pony). It was not going very well because I was still kind of uncomfortable, and Mini also was uncomfortable as a return.  Although I started to get more relax and she did too, she was not showing me enough reactions to the things I did. It looked like she made a boundary between us. Therefore, I could not really get to know her. However, my partner and I did find the bad spot on her body since she kind of snapped at us when we brushed the front side of her head. After the class, Dr. Rosile asked us to talk to a person (that we do not know) for the first time, observe his/her reactions, and compare them with the horse reactions when we talked to it for the first time, as part of our homework.
    In the evening that day, I ...started to say hi and introduce myself to her (the girl next door). I also mentioned a little background about myself to her....The conversation was very formal, she only mentioned a little information about herself....It seemed that there was this big line between us and she would not let me to cross it. As I finished my homework and compared Mini’s reactions to my neighbor’s reactions, I suddenly realized that the girl next door was acting very formal with me because I was acting very formal to her, and she did not let me break the formality ice between us because I was not willing to do the same thing for her.
    On the second day...we were given more exercises to work with Marvin and Ben....Ben is the oldest, friendliest, and easiest horse to work with compared to the rest of the horses in that barn (the ponies Mini and Rainbow, and the big flighty trakhaner Marvin). 
    ....I was the last person in my group to lead Ben....This was the first time I talked to Ben and touched him because I did not get the chance to do that on the first day. I was in much more relaxed and friendly state this time since I did not scare and worry much anymore. Besides, I learned from my mistakes the day before when I talked to Mini. We (Ben and I) complete the task without any problems because not only was I the last person in my group who had to do this exercise and got to observe my classmates and learned from their mistakes but also Ben was willing and easy to work with. Above and beyond, Dr. Rosile had already given us many directions and advice, and pointed out the important approaches and ideas to correct the mistakes before I could do the exercise.
    After the first task was completed, we had to do the second one, which was lunging Ben. This exercise scared me a great deal, for I had to trust Ben completely to do the job. But when Dr. Rosile showed us what to do by demonstrating the lunge with Marvin, I thought "Oh that wasn’t so hard." She made it look very easy. Again I did the exercise after many people in my group did since I wanted to observe and get some more ideas how to do this exercise with little mistakes as possible. After I observed most of my classmates do the exercise, I was not so sure anymore that lunging a horse is a simple work....Both Ben and I finished the exercise just with a little problem....I wanted Ben to stop but I did not give a signal clear enough or loud enough for Ben....Finally, Dr. Gray came to the rescue us. And after we finished the exercise, Dr. Gray praised us both. Then, I thanked Ben and gave him a pat on his back for helping me to complete the task well. I was proud and very happy, for I did this very difficult task with little amount of mistake, considering I never had any experiences with horses before. Ben was happy and proud too because he knew that I appreciated the things he did to complete the task well. He knew that by helping me, we accomplished our work satisfactorily.
    Later on in the evening of that second day, I talked to my neighbor again—the girl who lives next door in my apartment building. This time our conversation was much more pleasant and longer than the first one because I was willing to open up further and being friendlier to her....After talking to her for quite some time, I found out, we have many things in common, such as clothing, fragrances, etc. Thanks to Mini and Ben, now I have a new friend.
    Furthermore, from the second day exercises, which were leading and lunging Ben, I learned how (to) trust, communicate, direct, and give rewards much better than any experiences I had before....In the past, almost every time if I had to work with a group in a class to present a case or a project, I always ended up with doing more work than the rest of my teammates....Most of the time, it was because I felt that they could not do their part correctly and they could not do the things that I wanted. And when the result was not as good as I expected (it) to be, I would blame them for the failure. I would complain to my friends that I got a group from hell again.
    Hence, when Dr. Rosile explained the things about (how) we (are) supposed to let other people do their job and trust them by giving them more room to work on and make sure that we are not standing in their way so they can do their work, and giving them a signal clear and loud enough so that they can do what things to be done the way we want them to be done, suddenly I could see the light bulb. Aha! These things are making sense. When I walked Ben around a circle by turning to the left and then turning to the right, I could feel and see the difference. And when I was lunging Ben around a circle, the difference was far more significant. I learned that if I want the project accomplished successfully, instead of getting angry to the people that I work with or not to trust them to do their job, and blame them if the project will not (be) as successful as I expected as I did in the past, I will give them rewards and point out their achievements, I will convey my message clearly and loudly so they can do the things need to be done correctly, and I will stop and look at myself objectively whether or not I am standing in their way to finish their work and then give them more trust and room to work.
    I also learned something about myself from those exercises I did with Ben. I like to learn and find out more how to do my task before I will do the job. It is because I do not want to encounter any problems in the middle of my work. I want to make mistake as little as possible. Therefore, I never volunteered to be the first person to take the job. And I realized that this is not necessarily good. I need to be able to take and handle the risks. I need to learn to accept that to make mistakes is not something I have to be afraid of because mistakes are part of learning.
    I made a goal to myself, next semester...I need to learn to volunteer as the first person...and not to be afraid to make mistakes. After all, I learned and remembered more about the work by making mistakes. Dwi P.

* At first, I thought that Dr. Rosile was nuts. She wanted us to talk to a horse? Why, and how does this relate to management, were my first thoughts. So I decided to talk to the hell-on-wheels horse, Marvin. At first, I introduced myself to Marvin....I could tell that Marvin was just as nervous about this situation as I was....After talking to Marvin for a couple of minutes I felt this bond between us....I did not believe Dr. Rosile when she said that the horses would talk back to us....I quickly learned that Marvin talked back by using his body language. Letting out a deep breath, chewing with his mouth, and moving his ears straight ahead were all ways that Marvin communicated with me to let me know how he liked it....In the workplace...I never bonded with other co-workers since I did not talk much. By communicating with others you get to know them better, and the result is better performance....After working with Marvin and talking to him, I realized what I have been doing wrong, and what I have been missing out on with other co-workers. I realized that I could not read them the way I could read Marvin after getting to know him....Now, I am going to be the one to take the first step in introducing myself and welcoming others to their new jobs. I realized that communication is the key to success in every relationship, even in horses. Kyle O.

* I was a little hesitant because when I was in 4^th grade I was riding a stallion in the pasture and he smelled some mares in the next field. He started running towards them and I lost control....I...fell off....I hit my head on a rock and ended up in the hospital for a couple of days with a concussion. Ever since then I have been apprehensive around horses and don’t interact with them very much. My dad and husband both train and ride but I just stand back and watch.... I never realized before that horses actually most of the time try and do good. They have different personalities and want to do good for you. I kind of had this idea that you just told them what to do and if they didn’t then you forced them to do it. Now I know how to communicate better with them.
    If anybody had ever told me before that you could relate horses to business I would have said they were crazy. Now I can’t believe how much it is true. The first thing I related was meeting people. If you don’t know your employee and you just go up and ask them to do something they probably won’t be very responsive....Another thing I learned was about punishment and reward. If there is no reward then why do it?...If all you do is constantly tell them they are doing it wrong that will discourage them and their performance will just get worse. Another thing is leading. If people are scared or reluctant to go in one direction slowly lead them through it a couple of times first to let them get the feel for it. The last and biggest thing I learned was about communication....The manager has to read the signals of their employees and find a way to relate to each person differently.... Employees strive to do the right thing just like horses and most of the time problems are caused when there is no communication. Mindy J.

* (MBA student) Before taking this class, I had no idea that we would have to actually work with horses....The first day of class, I realized that I would have to touch horses and to make them do things....I learned that even though they were big animals, they relied on you and took their confidence from you....That’s what made things more difficult for me. I knew the horse would feel my distress and fear, and I was consequently more afraid....Therefore, I chose Minnie the pony....I was hoping she would understand me and make things easier for me. At once, she was a little bit nervous because, I guess, she was feeling that I was nervous too. Then I started being more relaxed and calm. Amazingly, I felt that she was relaxed too, and she even started chewing. I was really glad....even if you try to hide your feelings....If a horse can feel it, a human will surely....I never realized employees were just like horses; they take their confidence from their leader, the manager.
    The next exercise was to try and lead the horse in a circle....While I was watching my classmates doing it, the task seemed to me like a piece of cake. When I actually had to do it, I realized it was not that easy....Then with everyone’s help (suggestions), I could eventually do it....What seems easy when you watch people do it might not be easy if you try to do it by yourself.
    I never knew I would be able to ride a horse....The first day, I was really scared of even touching a horse. The second, I worked with Ben and I even led Marvin to his stable. The third day, I rode Ben. What I learned from this is that one should never assume that he couldn’t do a particular task. When we are new in a company, we might be afraid of many things. We might ask ourselves if we will be able to perform the task everybody is expecting us to do, or will we be able to get along with people. Sometimes we assume that we will never make it and this makes us weaker. What I know now is that I should not be afraid of anything....day after day, we will learn and be more comfortable in our jobs. Consequently, managers should never be impatient with their employees....My action plan...is to apply all I learned from dealing with horses these few days in my business life and even in my private life. I never knew that we could learn so much from an animal. I wish this class were a full semester class. Loubna Z.

* I was pleasantly surprised with how much I learned from this course; I anticipated to just waste four days and learn nothing and then move on and graduate college, but I really learned some basic lessons while dealing with the horses....I would like to comment about when Rainbow wouldn’t lunge; many different students tried to get Rainbow to lunge, but all she wanted to do was walk toward the person....I viewed the horse as not really being reluctant, but instead I viewed it as a lack of training; Rainbow didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t been worked with before, and she was just thrown in the mix and expected to do the same things that the other horses were doing. This is common in the workplace as well....I have had an experience like this; I used to wait table at a restaurant, and our restaurant hired a few new servers for the holidays. These new employees received limited training, and then they were just thrown onto the floor and expected to be flawless.... The immediate reaction from the managers was that they were bad waiters....When the rush slowed down, some of the veteran employees and myself started working with the new servers, and the results were great. They got the hang of it, and turned out to be really good waiters.
    I also observed something with (the horse) Ben; a fellow student was having Ben lunge....He was telling Ben to stop, but at the same time he was pushing him with a whip. Ben was getting mixed signals.... He wanted to do the right thing... but he didn’t understand the commands that he had been given. I think this happens all the time in the business world.
Jeremy C.

(Note: Often we reward good work by assigning more work; this can quickly become demotivating. It is important to understand the pacing of work, to be sure the person or horse has time to enjoy a reward for performance before being asked for further effort. This is true even in higher education, where it has been shown that students do better with short quizzes than with long cumulative exams. I discovered how effective this is when I was training several horses under Jean's coaching. When first introducing the horse to complex movements like the flying lead change, after days and weeks of preparatory work had been done we would allocate a full weekend just to initiate work on the actual flying change. Beginning early on a Saturday morning, if we got a proper change in the first ten minutes we would jump off and put the horse back in the stall as a reward. A few hours later, we would repeat the exercise. As soon as a proper flying change was given, even if it was in the first two minutes, again the horse was put up to rest in the stall. This could happen three times in one day.  With two consecutive days spent this way, the new skill was firmly in place, along with a context of pleasant associations in the horse’s mind. Knowing when to quit is one of the most important skills for trainers and for managers.

* Marvin stiffened and became quite anxious when he saw the posts there on the ground. He seemed to say: "Why do you put those there when you know I don’t like them?" He became somewhat more relaxed when the first student firmly led him over the posts at a slow walk. As he circled at the end of the lunge line, however, Marvin often walked around the posts or refused to lunge at all. When my turn came I was not at all confident that Marvin and I would get along as well as we did the day before. I reintroduced myself by rubbing Marvin’s neck and head and he seemed to acknowledge recognition. I tried to reassure him by talking calmly to him while leading him slowly over the posts. As I let out the lunge line and encouraged him he lunged at a quick walk, stepping over but seeming to pay little attention to the two posts. Then, as I encouraged him more, he broke into a slow trot, lunging confidently over the posts. As I was thrilled at the time, I considered attempting to get Marvin to canter over the posts. However, I felt that Marvin had done quite well and needed positive reinforcement before we went any further. While I praised him and rubbed his neck he exhaled deeply in relief that we were finished and I was glad that I had not pushed him any further at that time. I also felt the stage had been set to do more with him at a future workout.
    I can see that I did not force Marvin to complete the exercise. We collaborated to overcome each of our fears, his fear of the posts and my fear that we would fail....In the end, he seemed as proud of our work as I was.
    Marvin reminds me a great deal of the best horse I ever worked with, Blaze. I had a halter on Blaze before she was a month old and spent a lot of time with her....I knew she was going to be special....Blaze and I were partners on the ranch until 1991 when I had to put her down....Working with Marvin has reminded me of my years of working the ranch with Blaze. While I never thought of it until you said it, our work was collaboration, not the work of a boss and servant. Of course, there were times of disagreement between Blaze and I, but we worked through those times and we both learned to live with the other’s shortcomings. We were truly partners. It was hard to tell which of us enjoyed it more and she was a true friend. Don W.

* By watching Dr. Rosile with Rainbow, I realized the importance of continued positive reinforcement in not only getting a task accomplished but also in building a good relationship with another.... Often times when we do a job well, getting the next task shoved on our desk is the reward....Instead of taking time out to say good job or well done, I often try to motivate others to do better even when they have just gotten over a huge milestone for them. This class has showed me that in order to get the outcome wanted, as a manager or in everyday life, I need to use more rewards....While watching Dr. Rosile work with Rainbow I realized that Dr. Rosile was not only trying to get Rainbow to do a task, she was also attempting to build a good relationship....I think that many times managers get so focused on the task at hand and getting it done they do not consider the damage they are doing to the manager/employee relationship. Benny M.

* When I first chose this course, I did not know it would be that exciting. "Horse Sense At Work"! I thought this would be a usual "theoretical" class that requires more memorization than comprehension or common sense. I was really amazed when I found out in my first day that as part of our daily class schedule, we would be spending two hours in a typical American ranch to understand horse’s behavior. First, I couldn’t see the relationship between training horses and management in general, but once I met Marvin, Ben, Rainbow, and (Minnie), I have learned very interesting things that I would never know without this class....I noticed obvious behavioral resemblances between horses and humans....the few days at the ranch were a unique experience. The first day was my first acquaintance with Marvin, my preferred one. He is smart, elegant, and graceful. When I entered his territory, there was a mutual contact between us: first by the eyes and second, I approached him by introducing myself and rubbing the back of this neck: his favorite part. As a response, he touches me back with his head....Marvin’s message was clear: "I like you too." This was the starting point of an enjoyable relationship....we did communicate efficiently by doing some lunging exercise and sideways walking. As I observed my classmates, it seemed easy. But, once I positioned myself in the field, I did not have a clue how to direct the horse. Thanks to the indications of my instructor and my partners, I started forming a circle that got bigger and bigger....Same thing, for the sideways practice, I had some problems at the beginning....So, to operate the sideways move, Marvin and me benefited from the help of a new member in our team: Kyle who handled the back of the horse. Finally, our team congratulated each other after a very valuable coordination. Adil K.

* Before we stared this class, I had very minimal experience with horses....I was a little nervous....thinking that they would do something harmful....But after my encounter on the first day, I realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. Like humans, horses also have feelings and they too are capable of doing what we want them to do.
    On the second day...I had the chance to lead the horse, Ben. I saw how the other people from my group did it, and I thought, "It can’t be that hard." Then, it was my turn....It turned out to be harder than it looked....Ben was getting mixed signals from me....And because I was standing too close to him, he had complications walking because he was afraid that he was going to step on my feet....I did two circles with Ben....I thought, "That was easy." Then, we went the other way, we went clockwise....I realized then, that I used more energy when we did the circle going clockwise. I had to make bigger and faster steps than Ben did. Doing counter-clockwise circles was more relaxing to me but more work for Ben....Standing inside the circle, showed me that if I would just stay at one place (i.e. in my office), I could have my subordinates do all the work while I do practically nothing. And they could be more productive if I just give them instructions and guides an give them the space to complete their tasks....My position sometimes requires me to train new employees....I need to give them instructions that are clear so that they are able to do what I want them to do. I should trust in them that they are able to complete the tasks given to them if I just guide them....My future action plan is to give my subordinates space when they are doing their jobs. I realize now that they are more efficient this way rather than me showing up in front of their faces all the time....Humans, like horses, have feelings too. Marie J.