More than just Riding a Horse
Story appeared in the 2018 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY JODINE BUYDENS, EQUESTRIAN PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Horses live in the present moment and they allow their bodies to give them information about the world around them. They don’t make up stories about people, places or things. They accept what is and if it doesn’t feel right they do something about it. This honest, in the moment feedback allows us to notice how we are showing up, learn from it, adjust if necessary and receive an immediate response back from the horse reflecting any shifts we made.
“The lead mare knows that her role is to encourage the members of her herd to embrace their unique gifts, step into their natural power, and to educate them in being their own authority. In this sense, the leadership role within the herd remains dynamic as different herd members step in and out of leadership roles depending on the situation and whose gifts it calls for.”
My curiosity about equine leadership was sparked many years ago as I sat on a hillside at Return to Freedom, Wild Horse Sanctuary (RTF). At Return to Freedom entire herds of wild horses that were ordered to be removed from their natural habitat were brought to live out their lives as a family unit on a 1,500 acre safe haven on the central coast of California, in the United States. Even more incredible is that numerous family herds, as well as a bachelor herd, share the same land at RTF. This allows people to observe interactions and relationships within each group, as well as between the groups.
My time spent at Return to Freedom, observing the herds and gentling the horses, was a life-changing experience. Something as simple as watching the horses head to their “watering hole” served up a wealth of information. Here, I learned about leadership and individuality. I witnessed the lead mare and stallion working together. Each herd member was allowed to step into their talents, express their unique personality and play an important role within the group. Something shifted in me as I realized that to horses, leadership is not about dominance. Inspired to lead how these horses did, I developed a deeper understanding that when I was truly acting as a leader, my own horses (or human team) would thrive in their self-expression.
In the many years that followed, horses became my teacher as I strived to master their model of non-predatory leadership. The path has not always been easy, and with success came failure and the opportunity to pick myself back up and try again. However, my belief that it is time for humans to move beyond dominance into authentic, non-predatory leadership has driven me forward. Even in the human world, the great leaders are not those who control our every move. The great leaders are the people who inspire us to live up to our potential, who help us embrace our strengths as well as support us in our weaknesses. They remind us when we are out of line, yet celebrate with us when we have success. The lead mare in a herd of horses possesses these same qualities.
For almost 100 years, horses have informally been serving the students and staff of Queen Margaret’s School as teachers. Whether it is replacing frustration with curiosity during a challenging riding lesson, being resilient and getting back on after a fall, or recognizing how the emotion they bring from the rest of their day effects their horse, our riders are learning valuable life skills through their experiences. In the classroom, studying for Equestrian Canada Rider Levels, Equine Science, or Introduction to Horse Training class, our students are discovering the importance of seeing a bigger picture and understanding the perspective of another living being. They develop skills such as resiliency, empathy, self-awareness and curiosity.
As Queen Margaret’s School moves into our next hundred years, every student will have the opportunity to have horses as their teachers. Although our riding program will remain a staple part of the QMS experience for students wishing to ride, through our new Equine Facilitated Leadership Program, students will learn from these majestic creatures out of the saddle. Through games, exercises and interactions on the ground, both as individuals and as a group, QMS students will bring the skills and characteristics of the non-predatory leadership model to life. In alignment with the rest of their educational experience at QMS, students will learn about themselves as they practice personal excellence through experiential and inquiry-based learning.