When doing some experiential work with our dear horse, Jazz, a client recently said that she got “a really big cuddle” from Jazz – which felt really special.
The client had been suffering from a lot of work stress recently, along with some conflict within the team of managers that report to her. Although the client had addressed the conflict and tackled the inter-personal issues in the team, she still felt quite bruised from the experience. She had inherited the team of managers, when the previous project director had retired. So there was quite a lot of anxiety in the team in becoming accustomed to the new leadership structure.
This had tapped into a sore spot for the client, who came along for some equine-facilitated sessions to support her in continuing this very responsible role.
While meeting the herd and getting a feel for the personality of each horse, the client struck up a bond with Jazz – who in turn was very calm and soothing in the way she nuzzled the client and accepted her presence.
This shows that spending time with the horses can be very supportive: this client felt very accepted and validated, which supported her in this challenging stage of her career.
The client also tapped into her leadership skills and the use of appropriate authority at the end of the session, ensuring that each horse received an equal number of carrots at the end of the session . . .
