For horses, knowing what's going on around them is basic to their survival. The same is true for entrepreneurs.

An unfamiliar noise or a sudden movement puts a horse on the alert that something is amiss. Horses are so highly sensitive to inconsistencies in their environment that a passing mountain lion with a full belly stirs no unease. A hungry one, however, puts the herd on ready alert. 

Horses look for clarity. They create an especially valuable mirror for humans, who're so good at thinking one thing and feeling another. You can't lead a horse if you're not clear where you're going. You may be able to fool yourself, but you can't fool a horse.  

Through facilitated activities such as spending time with the herd in the pasture, leading a horse around obstacles and learning how to ask a horse to move willingly with you without using a rope or halter, you get clarity about who you are, how you affect others and where you're going. Horse-guided learning helps you find new ways to approach business ownership, decision making, visioning, planning and management. You gain the insight and confidence you need to take appropriate action.   

So what can a horse teach you about being a successful entrepreneur?

1. Horses have acute powers of discernment. They have what we call a soft eye, which means that instead of focusing on one thing, like an archer on a target, they see almost 360 degrees around them and perceive things with all senses from many angles. We teach entrepreneurs how to use the soft eye to hold their big vision so they can recognize and respond to smaller, more immediate issues with ease. 
   


2. Horses understand they're part of a herd. Each herd member has a role that's clearly understood, whether it be leader, sentry, greeter or quiet observer. Entrepreneurs are an independent lot, but no one can do it alone in business, either. Especially in today's market, it's essential to expand your notion of who your herd is by working with people who're strong in places where you're weak and by forming strategic partnerships.


3. The lead horse is not the most dominant horse. It's the horse that can assure the well-being of the herd.  Horses demonstrate servant leadership. Lead stallions and mares assert their leadership clearly and watch for signs that the others understand they are the leader. Once respect for the lead horse as primary resource for safety and guidance is established, the leader turns control of other resources, such as access to food and water, back to the herd to use as needed. Entrepreneurs benefit from understanding the difference between dominance and servant leadership as they steer their companies and manage their employees. Activities we do with the horses based on this principle of magnetic leadership teach entrepreneurs how to inspire a wholehearted "yes, we can" in others.


4. Horses, especially lead horses, conserve their energy. Put a new group of horses together and at first there'll be a lot of jockeying for position. But after everything settles down, a horse that appeared to be doing nothing emerges as a powerful leader. At one workshop, a horse named Billy spent all his spit and vinegar showing five other horses who was whom. He then charged over to Lynn's mare, the Baroness, who'd been standing quietly watching the whole show. The Baroness brought Billy to a screeching halt simply by laying one ear back and tilting her head toward the pretender. Entrepreneurs must learn to conserve energy, too. Trust your own timing, rest in your own knowing, move when it's time.


5. Horses have spirit. This intangible thing called spirit is what draws so many humans to horses. We see it in the lift of the head, the flare of the nostril, the beauty and grace of a magnificent gallop. It takes spirit to be an entrepreneur as well. Each of you has it but sometimes loses sight of it in the day-to-day challenges of running your business. Don't forget your own spirit. It's the fuel of the entrepreneur. We find that entrepreneurial clients who come to us a little worn down--a little forgetful of why they got into business in the first place--renew their spirit simply by watching these big, beautiful, instinctive beings run and buck and play.


6. Horses respond to us just as we are. They see the good in us. They're forgiving and generous. One client went out into the herd, thinking that since horses mirror us so accurately, maybe they'd run away from him. Instead, one horse followed him freely all over the pasture, showing him that he indeed was worthy. His new self-understanding helped him develop more effective relationships with clients and grow his business. If you were worthy, what bold step would you take right now?
   

Horses help people find what they really want to do and then do it. No matter how much or how little experience you have with horses, everyone is on a level playing field with them. Says one client, "It doesn't matter to the horse how much money you make or what your status is. It only matters that you are willing to see yourself as you are and take responsibility for your life."

Ann Romberg and Lynn Baskfield, owners of Wisdom Horse Coaching, are certified life coaches and leaders in the equine guided education field.

Find out how life and business coaches use horses to help people achieve better self-awareness.