“We are unaccustomed to being honest and communicating clearly. When you step into the arena, you can’t bullshit a horse.”

Lara Postma

I didn’t grow up around horses. Dogs were my thing. I knew dogs. But horses to me were foreign.

My only experience was riding a horse with my cousin around the age of 10. It seemed like we rode all day in open fields. When we got back and the horse spotted the farm, I remember it sprinting towards the barn. I hung on for dear life, suffocating my cousin with my arms in vice grip around her waist.

I thought the horse was going to run right through the closed barn doors, but instead he stopped on a dime that forced us to almost be tossed over his head. After riding and soaking in the tub because I could hardly walk, the experience for me was exhilarating, freeing and scary. Horses were always these fascinating, magnificent creatures to me.

I was introduced to experiential learning in 2012 at a coaches’ training program where you could use painting, nature, horses and other modalities to incorporate into your coaching work.

So my second experience with horses was as a participant of Equine Assisted Learning during this training. It was powerful and eye opening. When in the arena with the horses, a coach and equine specialist navigating specific exercises within a group, what I learned about myself in that 2 hour period was:

my communication style disconnected me from others
the abundance of responsibility and weight I took on in all my important relationships
that I feared expressing my anger

This work seemed to cut to the chase, getting to the core of shields I used to cope and keep myself “safe,” and how they showed up.

It felt like a crash course in self-awareness. And I fell immediately in love with the possibilities of how this could help empower my clients the way it did me.

For the past 9 years I have incorporated Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) into some of my coaching work with teens, athletic teams and individuals. It’s taking the coaching work into the arena with the guidance of a horse(s) and an equine specialist. There’s no riding, only ground work. It never ceases to amaze me what transpires in the arena. Whether it’s an individual, team or family, the experience has such an impact that the person never leaves the same as when they came in.

What I’ve learned about horses….

They are social animals, with defined roles within their herds and they would always rather be with their peers. Like humans, they have distinct personalities, attitudes and moods and the approach that works with one horse won’t necessarily work with another. At times, they can seem stubborn and defiant but, they also like to have fun.

They are considered prey animals, so they rely on the power of their senses for safety.

This special, keen sense of their environment and surroundings enables them to respond to the changes that happen within it. For this reason, working with horses can be so productive in building self awareness, because when we walk into the arena, we are part of their environment. They respond to what we bring in: anxiety, conflict, anger, fear, sadness, calmness, confidence, worry or uncertainty. Whatever is present.

What I’ve learned about humans and EAL…

When we are in the presence of other people we are used to being met with judgement, an agenda or expectations. So it’s our natural tendency to put on our “mask,” hide our emotions or show people our desired impression.

When clients are engaging with the horses, it’s the horses’ keen senses and responses that give transparent, honest feedback to the client. With the horse's instinct as a mirror to how one is approaching a challenge, the client and I are able to observe and debrief what’s working and what isn’t. There is so much unique insight that the client would otherwise not be able to experience using other coaching tools. Horses are truth detectors. They respond to the truth of what’s present and how the client is showing up. And THIS is why EAL is so powerful and so damn cool!! It provides a unique, safe environment to practice how to trust, be vulnerable, show up honestly, and communicate clearly.

Witnessing clients and teams evolve, learn to communicate clearly, shift their patterns, overcome challenges, strengthen their resolve, and build confidence inspires me every time. But having the opportunity to watch the magic & co-facilitate with a 2000 pound, 4-legged truth teller is by far the most exciting and fulfilling process to be a part of.

To learn more about EAL, contact me at larapostma@gmail.com.

You Can't Bullshit a Horse