6. HorseSense Introductory Workshop:

List of 13 Lesson Topics

by Grace Ann Rosile, Ph.D. Copyright 2000

Note: Each lesson will have a format similar to Lesson 1. After Lesson 1, there is a brief outline of each of the other 12 lessons.

LESSON 1: HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO A HORSE

How do you meet a horse? How do you begin a conversation and talk to a horse?

First, center yourself, then find out who this other being is in a reciprocal way, finding out their mental and physical state as you share your own.

Step 1: Center yourself with breathing and mental attitude. Horses are very sensitive to your breathing and your body language. They don’t really KNOW when you are AFRAID, but they DO read your breathing and motions. Fear causes us to hold our breath and move with short jerky motions. Around horses, we need to control these reactions. As herd animals whose instinct is to run from danger, the horse had to develop a high sensitivity to fear. In this way, the fear of one horse for a prowling mountain lion is almost instantly conveyed to the entire herd, possibly saving their lives. Mentally, we may still be concerned, but physically, we want our breathing to be deep, slow, and calm, and our actions to be smooth and slow. Do this preparation before you approach the horse.

Step 2: Establish an open mental attitude. What is your purpose? Recognize it, then set it aside for now. At the introductory stage, your purpose will be only to let the horse be aware of you, to be reassured that you are not intending harm, and that you are friendly. Later we can discuss our business-like purpose. DO NOT take the "show them who’s boss" approach, as aggression will often cause the horse to be nervous and fearful, even causing the horse to fight you before you have even asked them to do anything. Sometimes, we use anger and aggression to cover our fear (see Nahdique/anger story).

Step 3. Observe the horse’s state: calm, excited, otherwise occupied, etc.

Step 4. Approach the horse and introduce yourself. Talk to the horse. Do not stand directly in front of them as this is a blind spot, and DO NOT put your face closely above their head–they may raise their head to see or sniff you and end up hitting you in the face with their head. Stand diagonally between head and shoulder. Let them see you. From this position, lean down and blow air towards the horse’s nostrils. Their head will probably turn towards you, they most likely will blow air towards you in return, and sniff your breath. Make some sounds. Observe the horse’s reactions to you. Use Western-movie-sound-effects.

ACTION: Talk to the horse.

REFLECTION: What did you say when you talked to the horse? Was it about you or about them? What was the horse’s reaction? Did the horse answer you? What did the horse say?

NOTES:

REFLECTION: How do you approach people you don’t know (clerks in the stores, post office, people waiting in line)? How do you approach new people in the workplace? How do you approach co-workers? Are you stressed, worried, hurrying to get things done? What do you convey by your breathing, your actions, your way of speaking? When you talk to new people, is it about you or about them? What reactions do you get? Do they talk to you in return? What do they say?

NOTES:

STORY: NAHDIQUE’S STORY (on the web)

ACTION PLAN: When meeting new people in the workplace (yours or theirs), what new behavior would you like to try out? (Give a specific kind of situation, time, place, etc., and your new actions.)

LESSON 2: WHERE TO STAND, HOW TO MOVE: SELF-PROTECTION

1. You are responsible for your safety–you need to understand the horse.

2. Observe the horse: they will warn you (usually) when you are wrong!

3. Observe eyes, ears, face, head, feet, tail, muscle tone.

4. Where is the horse’s "space"? What area do the feet and head occupy?

ACTION: Find a spot the horse likes; find a spot they do not want you to touch.

REFLECTION: How could you tell which spot the horse liked? (List at least 2 behaviors.) How could you tell which spot they did not want you to touch? (List at least 2 behaviors.) What are the warning signals in people you know? What are the motions with eyes, face, hands, feet, muscle tone, voice? (JamesRobert) When have you seen the warnings and ignored them?

LESSON 3: TRUST: BEING CARRIED AND CARRYING

1. Most of us have not been carried by another being since we were young.

2. As babies, we laughed when tossed into the air—why not now?

ACTION: Sit on the horse. Lay forward, hands on shoulders. Walk. Lay back on horse. Walk.

REFLECTION: How did it feel to be carried? What did it take to overcome fear and enjoy the process, or what would it take? Who do you carry? Are they afraid or do they enjoy it? Who carries you? Do you enjoy it? Would you like to?

(Ex: my class that created the newsletter)

 

LESSON 4: REWARDING: CATCH THEM DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

1. Communicating in the absence of verbal language.

2. Understanding reinforcement, punishment, and reward.

ACTION: Teaching the horse to trot bigger; faster; slower.

REFLECTION: What result did you get with punishment? With reinforcement? With reward? What punishments, reinforcements, and rewards were used?

LESSON 5: COMMUNICATING

1. Context: What is the situation? History, attention, noise, attitude.

2. Visualizing, intention, commitment, looking ahead.

3. Touch and body language.

ACTION: Getting your message across to the horse.

REFLECTION: What aspects of history, attention, noise, and attitude did I tend to overlook? Do I do this with people? In what ways? What might I do differently in the future? Do I have a clear vision of my intended message? Do I communicate clearly, with commitment, with all mediums (voice, body, touch)?

LESSON 6: USING INFLUENCE TO ACCOMPLISH A TASK

1. The "Columbo" approach, to give shots etc.

2. Demanding respect: not playing the "games;" the karate reaction.

3. How to stop a runaway horse (sometimes): making yourself bigger

4. Using natural motivators; teaching babies to lead; trail work

ACTION: Carrot-and-the-stick flexibility exercise.

REFLECTION: Where is the source of energy, of motivation, in each activity?

LESSON 7: CONFLICT HANDLING

1. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Handling Model

2. Assessing the relationship

3. Finding common ground; changing the subject

4. When NOT to back down

ACTION:

REFLECTION:

LESSON 8: DISCIPLINE: When "Common Sense" is NOT "Horse Sense"

1. Horse trailering (see web story); jumping; the thumb example

2. How language influences what we accept as "common sense."

ACTION:

REFLECTION:

LESSON 9: ADAPTIVE RECIPROCITY / CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES

1. Horses tell you where they like to be scratched, by scratching you.

2. People (and other creatures) do not always like what we like.

3. Observation and attention is needed for successful translation.

4. Adult (horses and people) are trained to NOT give this feedback.

ACTION: Massage a baby horse and let them reciprocate.

REFLECTION: Do I let people know what I want, what are my preferences? Have I been hurt, taking it personally, when someone else assumes I will like what they like? How can translate what I like, into someone else’s language?

STORY AND PHOTO: BABY DAHRION

LESSON 10: SUSTAINING STABILITY: BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY

1. What does it take to stay on a horse in motion? (What causes Space Mountain to be scary? Expectation and control. Bridge over the River Kwai story.)

2. You think the action is up and down like a pogo stick; if you think of

the action as being like a wave, you can move with it. Without any

thought at all, a child naturally follows the motion. Adults have a harder

time.

ACTION: Sit on the horse for a few trotting steps. Try without stirrups, see how

your own resistance against the stirrups is making things worse. Be a sack of potatoes. Be a gumby.

REFLECTION: How do I react to change? Do I cling to things for security, making movement and bounces painful for myself?

LESSON 11: EMPOWERMENT (see also Rider’s Workshop)

1. Power is the ability to influence the self, other beings, and the

environment, to accomplish one’s purpose.

2. You have power; no one can give you power or take it away from you.

3. Who is stronger, you or the horse? Always? If not, when? where?

4. Who has power, you or the horse? Always? If not, when? where?

5. Can you take the horse’s power? How?

6. Can the horse take your power? How?

7. The sailing example.

ACTION: Pushing, pulling, and leading the horse.

REFLECTION: Can you take advantage of the horse’s power? How?

Can you exploit the horse? How? Any negative consequences?

LESSON 12: LEADERSHIP: WHO LEADS AND WHO FOLLOWS?(See also Rider’s Workshop)

1. Dimensions of leadership styles in work organizations: from autocratic through delegating; transformational, visionary, self- and super-leadership.

2. Understanding the needs of the follower.

3. Understanding your personal preferred style.

4. Increasing your leadership effectiveness.

ACTION: Crossing the logs. Advanced riding videos (optional).

REFLECTION: What behaviors do followers want from their leader? What behaviors do I prefer to demonstrate? In which situations am I most effective? Least effective? What is my action plan to improve my effectiveness?

 

LESSON 13: ETHICS

1. Nature and what is "natural."

2. The nature of the horse; the nature of man.

3. Exploitation in relationships

4. Dependence, independence, and interdependence and colonialism.

5. The fallacy of the all-or-nothing argument.

ACTION: Carrying the saddle.

REFLECTION: Whose needs are met in my relationships with the horse? Whose needs are being met in my various relationships at work and at home? Am I fostering dependency? Who gains power in these relationships? Who gains economically from these relationships?