Messages
I had an incredible experience last weekend. I got coached by a horse.
Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I got coached by a talented woman who uses horses in her coaching. Regardless, it was an unforgettable experience.
The talented woman is veterinarian and coach, Teresa Himebaugh. As Teresa explained to me, horses are prey animals and are extremely sensitive. They communicate primarily through body language, as sound would give away the location of the herd. As coaches, horses provide immediate, honest feedback.
When Teresa went out in the paddock to get her horse, Chance, it was Winnie who inexplicably came right over. Teresa listened to her intuition and correctly assumed that Winnie had a message to share with me. Winnie is a young Tennessee Walking Horse, low in the ranking amongst her herd.
Winnie was also once a show horse. She had heavy “pads” attached to her hooves, designed to make her lift her legs higher, producing a special gait. Now that the pads had been removed, Winnie looked a little gangly to me, and I noticed she drug her back right foot. When Teresa invited me to connect with her, I told Winnie how I had worn a lift in my shoe as a teenager for my scoliosis, and it had screwed up my foot a bit. As I empathized with this miraculous creature and told her she was perfect just as she is, I was certain she understood me.
It was a pleasure to spend time with Winnie – and an incredible way to learn more about my myself. Teresa invited me to get closer and walk around the ring in the barn with Winnie on a lead. When I was confident, Winnie followed, walking close to me. When I deferred to her, she stopped or drifted off. Leadership lesson learned: it’s appropriate to be cooperative in some cases and to take charge in others.
Jen says thank you and goodbye to Winnie
Teresa also invited me to hold an important message in my head and walk confidently about the ring. I did, and Winnie followed me (without a lead) around the ring once and then stopped and looked outside the barn at her field and herd. Teresa and I discussed what this could mean. I thought that Winnie might want me to let the other horses know what I told her. Teresa suggested that Winnie was indicating that I should share my message widely and with my own herd. Perhaps both are true.
So to my herd, my message is this: you are ok as is. You are perfect just as you are today. In the most wonderful paradox of life, we all have room to grow and develop; yet, we are all right just as we are in this moment.
What’s your message? What’s the thing that is so meaningful to you that you want everyone to know? Please tell us; we need to hear it.
Thanks for sharing!
If you live in the Memphis area and would like to experience coaching with Teresa and her horses, please contact her at 901-849-4355.