COLOPHON

Author: Lisanna Weston Graduation Assignment International Communication and Media at Hoge School Utrecht in The Netherlands 2012 all rights reserved. Nothing in this publication can be copied or multiplied without explicite authorisation of the owner Duplication is in violation of applicable laws.

Preface
This research has been conducted as a graduation assignment for the HU Utrecht. I am confident to say that this research has convinced me in the use of Equine Assisted coaching, and I fully support the methods used by the coaches I worked with. No animals have been harmed while conducting the research. The research itself would not have been possible without help from professional trainers. Therefore Id like to thank Wendela den Tonkelaar of Het Spiegelend Paard, Marieke van Asselt of Inzicht door Paarden and Ferdinand Aukes of InnerQi. They did not just help me gather all the data I needed, they also fully included me in their activities and generously shared their insights and passion. Aside from this, I also like to thank Josien Willemsen from the NHL Leeuwarden and Harry Smals, Radmila Radojevic from the HU Utrecht my parents Elly and Roel Boer and my good friend Isabelle Zonderland for their guidance and support in making this report.

Summary
Equine-Assisted coaching (or Equi-coaching) is one of the newest forms of training people. Equineassisted coaching sessions have recently been reflecting a trend in the self-growth area. The trend is built on the burgeoning recognition of a horses ability to reflect peoples behaviors and emotions - some theyre not aware of themselves. (Kay Harvey, 2003). The principle of this training type is that horses mirror the communication of participants. Mirroring includes a visualization of the participants emotions, feelings and non-verbal behavior, explained and guided with the help of an equine assisted coach. The research of this topic has been narrowed down solely to the Netherlands in order to gain an insight as to whether the Equi-coaching has future potential. It explains a problem definition for which an advice will be written. This problem has been narrowed down to change management and where businesses go wrong implementing it. This research plan is targeted at all companies that are looking to change or improve their internal communication by focusing on the satisfaction of their employees. Please note that this report has not been created to influence or convince anyone of participating in an Equi-coaching session, but simply to explain a new approach and training possibility that could be helpful for an organizations communication culture. This report answers the following question: How and when will equine assisted coaching be helpful to an organization or business for training and coaching purposes? - What is Equi-coaching and why use horses? - What are the main organizational problems within a company that can be solved by equi-coaching? - How does equi-coaching treat these problems? - What is the result after an equine assisted coaching session with an orgnization?

Several studies were performed in order to answer the questions listed above. The first study was aimed at investigating the effect of Equi-Coaching through the experiences and knowledge of Coaches. The second and third studies included interviews with businesses that participated in an Equi-coaching in order to investigate to what extent people thought they had learned something from the coaching sessions. Three stages of interviews were held. The first directly before the training, focusing mainly on the motivations and expectations they had towards the training. The second interview was carried out directly after the training, which focused on what was learned about nonverbal communication and how the participants expect to apply the theory. The third stage of interviews was held four weeks after the training, focusing on how people had actually applied what they had learned.

All coaches agreed upon the fact that a horse helps to add value to a training, this is because the participant receives a direct response. It helps to raise awareness to the participants behavior and the effect it has on the environment. In almost all cases we can conclude that the expectancy rate has been overruled by the effectiveness rate, as shown in the results of the questionnaires (chapter 3). The training had effect on each one of the different categories. Leadership, change management and team building were the three biggest categories that showed results.

Table of Contents
Preface Summary Introduction What is the Problem? Lets do business! Lets talk about organizational Mistakes Be a leader! Lets create a culture! Lets build a team! A clear mission and vision Equine Assisted Coaching for Organizations Organizations that practice EAT/EAL/EAC Why do we use horses? A horse for coaching purposes Methods of Equi-coaching Research, preparation & method Methods Lets introduce: The Coaches 3 4 8 10 14 16 19 21 24 26 31 34 36 41 44 49 52 54

Lets set an example! Before & After researching ex-companies Conclusion Advise Discussion List of words List of abbreviations List of Figures Bibliography

57 61 66 68 71 72 74 75 76

Introduction
Organizational communication is a wide subject, which has many hidden corners and options. Effective internal communication has always interested me, especially when employee motivation is being linked to organizational success. In one of my journeys, I came across a different method of coaching and training people; Equi-coaching. Equi Coaching is becoming more and more popular in different countries around the world. It originated from Equine Assisted Learning: this is a program that consists of an individual or group training with the help of horses. This brought me to question; can we use this form of training for business purposes? The behavior of humans and animals has always been of great interest to me. How do we reflect to one another? What emotions do we feel? How can we change our behavior? I am interested in exploring the idea that animals can help in coaching and training, and of what help this method can be for businesses.

The Internet and organizations that already offer the possibilities to train people through the help of horses; we can see that the world is moving as more and more people are more open to try out new ways e.g. to develop or discover qualities and search for inner peace. Together with the help of three Dutch Coaches, I investigated the effectiveness of Equine Assisted Coaching. Topics include; Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, Motivation, Change, Culture, Mission and Vision. The purpose of this report is to find out: How and when Equi-coaching will be helpful to an organization or business for training and coaching purposes?

What is the Problem?

Without change, nothing will happen. Change can be exciting but it can also be frightening. The worst feature of change is that one does not know the outcome. The outcome cannot be controlled, however, we can inform ourselves about it and to prepare ourselves for it. Over the past few years, industry-leading global organizations have experienced an increasing growth of business change aimed to improve profits, avoid competition, operate more efficiently and satisfy shareholders. (IMAworldwide.com) Change is essential for organizations to prevent losing their competitive edge and failure in meeting the needs of loyal customers and shareholders. Definition: Change management is the set of tools, processes, skills and principles for managing the people side of change to achieve the required outcomes of a change project or initiative (Prosci, 2009).

Change requires destroying and then replacing old ways of thinking or acting.
Fig 0.1. Change management Source: http://www.change-management.com/

Change management includes an important area of internal communication: change communication and change adapting. For the adaptation of a change in an organization it is important that the company communicates this to its employees. The management scholar PG Clampitt (1997) and his colleagues observed five different communication strategies that managers use to communicate a change to their employees. The underscore and explore strategy is in line with what other research on organizational change has supported: organizational change is more successful when employees in non-management positions are able to exert influence over the change process by providing feedback on the change and its implementation. Successful adaptation to change is as crucial within an organization as it is in the natural world. Just like plants and animals, organizations and the individuals in them inevitably encounter changing conditions that they are powerless to control.

Joint involvement and collaborations between managers and employees in implementing change programs have been proved to lead to greater employee commitment. Employees prefer to hear news face to face (Larkin & Larkin, 1994) and directly by their supervisors, instead of the more senior managers (Llewellyn, N & Harrison A, 2006). Managers, supervisors and employees thus need to be able to communicate with each other, discover the qualities and pitfalls of each other, and support and work together to implement the change.

Figure 0.3: Statistics change management

Now we know why change management is important, but the problem is: It is not always executed in the right way! (Figure 0.3: Statistics of communicating change) Where businesses go wrong in executing change management you can see in figure 0.4 and read more about in chapter 1. In order to manage change an organization needs to be able to examine how they got to be where they are,

define their communication resources and investigate their objectives, values, mission and vision. To avoid problems, organizations often make use of a change management program or training. This can be provided by the company itself, or by a different company. Many advisory companies provide different strategies and trainings for implementing change management.

Problem definition
A large number of organizations are unsure as to which change management program would be the most suitable for them. For this reason this research paper will therefore be looking into Equi-coaching as a new way of training organizations. Advisory question: How can organizations use equine assisted trainings to implement change management?

Lets do business!
One of the major issues faced by every organization is employee motivation. It is an important task of the manager in an organization to motivate his subordinates in such a way that a will to work is created. An employee might be great in doing his job, but if he or she is not motivated to work, the work does not get done (Herzberg, 1957). Employee motivation is a known topic in de world of organizations and businesses these days. With the advent of a more philosophical research orientation since the second half of the last century, more attention is given to the individual and his place in the organization (Matthews, 1996; Wicks, 2003).

Nowadays more and more organizations want to create an open communication climate in which employees and employers feel free to express opinions and create a communication culture in which information passes without distortion and in which generally everybody within the organization feels satisfied and motivated (Cornelissen, 2008). A popular subject in this field is the study of leadership, in which, among other things, scientists try to discover what makes a leader successful. Research has shown that interpersonal skills, such as nonverbal communication are an important predictor for a leaders success (McCall & Lombardo, 1983) but also Voice & Silence and employee participation are terms used to refer to the degree

to which employees speak up, are listened to and participate in organizational decisionmaking (Cornelissen, 2008). It is important for an organizations employees that they are conscious of their verbal and non-verbal communication, that they are motivated at work, work in a team, and are able to adapt an organizations culture. Everything mentioned above has a major influence on corporate performance (Bass & Yammarino, 1991; Church & Waclawski, 1999) and can define an organizations success or failure. In this chapter we therefore will look at the businesses that want to change their organization, create an open communication culture, have motivated employees and/or

employ managers with great leadership. This radical and substantial change requires change management , which is where many organizations make mistakes. Where do they go wrong and what is needed to accomplish success?

LETS TALK!
about organizational

Mistakes
As discussed in the problem definition, change is important but can be difficult. If a company wants to become more successful, and thus change the way they are working, change management is needed. The success of a business can almost always be traced back to motivated employees. Therefore the world of business is moving away from productivity and profitability, and focuses more on recruiting and retention of employees. Experience over the years has proven that hardworking and happy employees lead to a bigger triumph. (Britton P.B., Chadwick, S.J. and Walker T. (1999, rewards of work) According to Stephen Covey, the difference between poorly motivated and highly motivated employees is about 500% in productivity (Covey, S. (2004) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

One study of automobile dealers sales personnel included that the average monthly cost of replacing a sales representative who had five to eight years of experience with an employee who had less than over year of experience was much as $36.000 in sales (Sasser, WE, 1997). This chapter discusses the most common faults that businesses make. These faults need to be changed in order for an organization to become more successful.

where do we go wrong?

1.. Bad leadership.

Leadership can go wrong in several ways. When a leader has too much dominance, it often leads to control issues. It blurs the lines of responsibility and authority. Leaders can also be afraid, which leads to misguiding and distrust of employees. In an organization it is very important that employees and management position themselves in the position they belong (Harr, R. & Van Langenhove, L. (1999) Positioning theory).

3. I dont like change

2. Bad Culture.

A corporate culture consists of combined cultures, mentalities and experiences of all employees in an organization. This includes the quality of personal contacts with colleagues and outsiders, the psychological tone that the management sets for every department beneath it, and the results of the organizations performances. Closed office doors, no information sharing, no compliments for success but employees only get reprimanded for mistakes, separate working environments. All of these factors are expressed in, and some are caused by, management and employee behavior, and poor behavior will always affect the culture negatively (Flynn, G. (1998) why Employees are so Angry).

A change is never easy and should be managed well. In an organization CEOs who want to make an organizational change, often forget that their employees are also involved. Implementing a change too quick and sudden can result in a dissent. For change to happen, it helps if the whole company really wants it. Kotter suggests that for change to be successful, 75 percent of a companys management needs to buy into the change (Kotter, (1995) Leading Change). The greatest barrier to organizational change has to do with the operating paradigm, or mind set, of the individuals and groups that make up an organization (Hohn, M.D., 1998).

4. Bad internal communication.

Free flow of information throughout a company contributes to good employee morale, innovation in internal processes and informed decision-making on the part of top management. (Duff. V, 2011) A lack of participation by employees in decision-making can suppress the communication flow inside the company. Employees feel not included in the company. If management does not keep in touch will the staff, it can lead to demotivation in the business and will not work to its full potential.

5.What mission and vision?.

Employees need to be able to tell themselves both what they do and why to make sense of their work.

6. No Team.

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world
- Joel Barker, 2005 According to the website HumanNature@Work, employees who understand exactly how their activities affect organizational strategies have increased job satisfaction and greater commitment to the companys objectives. If they dont know what they are working for, motivation will disappear.

An organization with employees is a team. If an organization exists only of individuals who dont work together, poor performances will lead to bankruptcy. Within this team of employees, managers and others, it is important that all members understand the mission and vision of the organization to enhance the organizations culture with each other and with other stakeholders (Heathfield, S. 2000). Poor Teamwork can lead to: Underperformance at work Poor communication among employees and thus poor communication with customers De-motivated and un-rewarded staff Declining sales numbers Low employee retention

Other organizational problems will need to be investigated further by the organizations themselves as each firm is influenced by their problems in a different way. All of these aspects mentioned above have relevance to this report, are included in the research and will be discussed in depth in the next pages.

Be a leader!
Consistent with the culture and values of the organization, its leadership enables, advocates and provides open access to information in which employees, customers, shareholders and the general public have a legitimate interest. Leadership may be defined as a communicative process where the ideas articulated in talk or action are recognized by others as progressing tasks that are important to them. This definition of leadership suggests that leadership may take many different forms and be associated with many different styles of communication. Leadership is having the ability to identify the various links in organizations.

Leadership is having the ability to identify the various links in organizations. It can mean the inspiring and connecting of people in order to create lasting value for its employees, customers, the organization and society (&Samhoud, 2002). Three important principles for effective leadership communication: Effective leadership communication connects with the hearts and minds of followers. At some level, effective leadership communication connects with the important values, attitudes, and commitments of followers and is viewed as addressing significant issues and facilitating task accomplishment.

Effective leadership communication manages competing goals and tensions. Effective leader- ship communication balances the needs to create strong interpersonal relationships and accomplish tasks, maintain a balance between order and chaos within the organization, and use rewards and punishments to motivate followers. Rather than take an either-or position, effective leaders try to create a bothand position where oppositions are integrated constructively. Effective leadership communication is context dependent. Every context is unique, and effective leadership communication is appropriate to the special combination of people, time, place, and topic.

Figure 1.2.3. Statistics Leadership Skills

Regular training for leadership and communication development is a well-known phenomenon and widely accepted and applied in the business and scientific communities (Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996). In these kinds of training, many outcomes such as enhanced self consciousness, motivation and assertiveness (Barling, Weber & Kelloway, 1996), reducing various communication problems (Car & Durand, 1985), enhanced leadership (Barling, Weber & Kelloway, 1996) have been proven or at least generally assumed. It is common for this type of training to rely on various kinds of metaphorical activities to elicit more authentic and genuine responses from the participants. Examples of this are role-playing games, team survival trips and cooperative gaming.

Lets create a culture!

An organizational culture consists of the artifacts, values, and assumptions of an organization (Schein, 1992). Many of these culture aspects can be seen as tangible, things you can see (e.g. Mission/Vision and Company Logos). It is important to have a positive corporate culture that is understood by all managers and employees. This increases efficiency in production and motivates the workforce. Organizational communication is defined as the sending and receiving of messages among interrelated individuals within a particular environment or setting to achieve individual and common goals (dictionary.com). It highly depends on the organizations culture, context and social environment of the organization.

Individuals in organizations transmit messages through face-to face, written, and mediated channels. One-way communication can become an ineffective way to exchange information throughout the company. Employees and managerial staff should provide feedback at all times in order to improve the quality of information disseminated and the manner in which the information is delivered. Organizational communication also includes building relationships, or repeated interpersonal interactions, with internal organizational members and interested external publics. The language that people use in their everyday conversation with other employees, job experiences that are told to external stakeholders, as well as formal organizational documents and communications, tells a lot about the organizational culture.

Figure.1.2.1.1: Statistics Communication Culture

Figure 1.2.1.3 Statistics of communication, perception and employee satisfaction

The organizational structure within a company defines the line of communication through all levels of the organization. It is therefore important that each department knows its responsibilities. An employee who understands his responsibilities tends to be more productive (University of St Thomas Describing employee performance for staff ). In contrast, if employees experience too much responsibility (usually tasks that should be handled by another department) they might become frustrated which affects their productivity.

Employees can be considered an organizations greatest asset for success, or the biggest cause of its downfall. It is the task of the management to value the companys employees because employees that feel appreciated are more productive, more efficient, and more dedicated to performance. A whole organization can suffer from frustrated employees and employees who are vital to the company may leave. Extreme circumstances could even include corporate sabotage, such as stealing or leaking important information to competitors.

Lets build a team!

Teamwork nowadays is one of the buzzwords in the world of businesses because organizations started to experience the benefits of having employees work together in a team. These employees can be from different levels of the corporate hierarchy, but still are expected to achieve preferred outcomes (Cameron, D. 2000).

Deborah Cameron cites in her book Good to talk (2000);

On the work floor it is important for employees to work together as a team, instead of looking at one another as a competitor. Creating a good team can be very difficult, but is vital to the performance of an organization. More and more models in good teamwork are being developed as we speak. Susan M. Heathfield developed the model of the 12 cs. (See appendix 5) This is an interesting model to understand good teambuilding, but will not be discussed any Training may be needed to enable both managers and further in this research, because it is not relevant to workers to master effective teamwork. this research.
Figure 1.2.2. Statistic Workplace

Nowadays businesses tend to be changing from a command and control culture (in which managers give instructions and workers follow them) towards an empowerment culture in which managers are encouraged to explain, discuss, negotiate and listen, while workers are permitted to question, challenge and argue and expected to solve problems

Some advantages of good team building are as follows (based on an article of Danielson, B. sales manager of Chillisauce, UKs largest provider of activity based events for businesses.): Teams will be more successful in executing plans and strategies. Team building teaches people to split the workforce and divide responsibilities. Team building stimulates creativity and supports brainstorming and networking. Team members can give better feedback to each other, and quickly discover that many people come up with more ideas than just one person. Working together for a longer period, individual work has benefited from the developed capability to see different members perspectives. Once all members of a team are fully committed to the idea and plans it results in full involvement in the project given to the team. This lead eventually to a better result for the companys client. A team stands strong: responsibilities and workforces are shared and are not depended on one individual. If somebody unexpectedly drops out of the team, the rest will continue the project. People motivate each other once they are motivated themselves.

A clear mission and vision

A clear vision and mission can serve managers in carrying out a better leadership role. It also unifies efforts and builds alignment and loyalty among employees. All over the world, organizations are looking for the perfect way to fulfill their missions. However, most organizations have lately been focusing on the current financial crisis and forgot to: Motivate their workforces Satisfy those they seek to serve Operate within their existing financial constraints The first question to ask is, Are the managers and other employees inspired to fulfill on the organizations mission, vision, goals and objectives. This is the first question to be asked because the results of any attempt to develop
Vision

The vision sets out what the organization wants to accomplish, and should inspire members, staff and supporters. Vision statements may describe how things
would be different as a result of the organizations activities

and implement appropriate training and support will be disappointing in an uninspired environment. Furthermore, until managers and employees are inspired to participate, it is generally not entirely clear what the appropriate training and support should be. The second question to ask is: Do all employees have the requisite training to fulfill upon the organizations mission, vision, goals and objectives. No matter how inspired employees may be, they can only perform at a level consistent with their training. The third question to ask is: Are all employees receiving the support required to fulfill on the organizations mission, vision, goals and objectives? Inspired, well-trained employees will not be inspired for long if they do not receive adequate support.

Mission The mission describes what the organization does to achieve its vision. The mission helps clarify the practical aspects of what the organization will actually do. Most missions emphasize action, using such words as: support, involve, assist, contribute, provide, promote, etc.

Figure 1.2.4 Statistics corporate culture

The answers to these three simple questions can serve as a basis to intervene effectively to impact performance in dramatic ways. Sustainable organizational excellence is possible solely for those organizations with members inspired to: be excellent, produce excellence and honor excellence whenever and wherever it occurs.

Fix the trust

walkt the talk

communicate

- Managers, supervisors and employees need to be able to communicate with each other, discover the qualities and pitfalls of each other, and support and work together to implement the change. - Employees and managerial staff should provide feedback at all times to improve the quality of information disseminated and the manner in which the information is delivered. - A well-maintained corporate culture enhances a company pride and employee happiness increases. - Sustainable organizational excellence is possible solely for those organizations with members inspired to: be excellent, produce excellence and honor excellence whenever and wherever it occurs. This transformation requires a training that induces motivation and trust. - Consistent with the culture and values of the organization, its leadership enables, advocates and provides open access to information in which employees, customers, shareholders and the general public have a legitimate interest.

tell the truth involve people

set goals help people learn

and develop
We can conclude that all of these subjects add to the success of a business, but also to the success of ourselves. Personal success, created by the knowledge of ones qualities and the ability to adapt to changes restores a sense of control and improves professional prospects (Change anything; The new science of personal success Patterson, K. & Grenny, J. 2011).

measure results

An organizations wish to become successful can be a good reason to change, but should not be the main reason. A companys success is always traced back to the motivation of its employees. If and when an organization wants to change, it is vital to concentrate on its employees, and success will follow. Change is not easy, but can be simple if we create an open communication culture, inform and enhance employees to their ultimate qualities, keep a clear mission and vision throughout the organization, show great leadership where needed, and work together! And above all: You dont have to do it alone! This transformation requires a training that induces motivation and trust. As mentioned a couple earlier in this report, a change management program often guides change management. This program includes management training, team building, the development or execution of a clear company culture (or mission and mission) and an effective corporate communication structure.

In the upcoming chapter, Equi-coaching will be explained further. Moreover, the effectiveness of the Equine Assisted training for businesses will be measured in order to discover how organizations can use Equine Assisted trainings to their advantage/ to change management.

Equine Assisted Coaching for Organizations

Equine Assisted Coaching is part of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. For starters Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP ) is not horsemanship . The focus is not on riding, but on psychology. EAP should only be practiced by a licensed clinical professional. Psychology is more interested in understanding pathologies such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, alcoholism, etc. & the treatment can consist of a diagnostic & a therapeutic intervention. Coaching is a teaching or training process in Creating a culture of coaching is essential to which a client gets support in achieving a personal or helping businesses meet challenges related to keeping professional result or goal. customers happy, producing high quality products and Emotional growth and learning are central aspects services, and managing continuous change. Coaching in the practice of both Equine Assisted Therapy and also helps organizations retain top talent, work in Equine Assisted Coaching. A therapist (or coach) collaborative ways in a networked environment, build treats disorders or problems of clients with the assispersonal capabilities to match performance needs, tance of the horse. In this form of therapy the horse empower breakthrough results, and reinforce business is a mean to offer inside in behavior, to connect with emotions and believes, and other feelings/skills of practices - American Management Association the client(s). With the use of living animals that are both big and powerful, humans often quickly gain an emotional connection with the horse. This chapter goes on to explain the life of a horse and its influence on humans. The first chapter explains the history of Equi-coaching, followed up by a chapter in which explains what Equi-coaching actually is. Aside from this, a short summary of the organizations that conduct this type of training in the Netherlands was given. The various methods in working with horses will also be explained as well as the added value of using horses in business and personal coaching.

Equine Assisted Coaching includes a lot of different methods and therapeutic models. The coach of the therapy choses which method he or she wants to use, depending on his/her personal experience and preference, the clients needs, the problem and the characteristics of the horse assisting the training. The focus of the Equi-coaching is on the present & future. Equi-coaching for businesses mainly assists the individual and/or team in the development of new capabilities to enable him/her to exercise their leadership in both his/her personal & professional life. Common topics within Equi-businesscoaching: - Leadership development - Team-building - Communication - Problem solving - Organizational change - Decision making

Within this practioners of EAP found that horses have the capability to mirror the behavior, emotions and/or non-verbal communications of a human being. The use of animals to assist in therapy may go back centuries. An understanding of the behavior of horses is vital if one is to become an equestrian. This was understood by one of the first masters, the Greek, Xenophon in about 400bc (Behavior of The horse proved its worth first in war, as it was by far horses Kiley-Worthington. M. 1997, p2). the fastest, most agile and most maneuverable engine As a result of domestication the basic behavior of for a chariot or a mounted soldier. Before the development of the steam locomotive in the horse has changed very little. Social organization, the early 1800s, the only way to travel on land faster sexual behavior, relationships between individuals than human pace was by horse. Since travel is one of and communication systems are identical as far as we the defining features of human development, so the know. In fact there is little behavior that has changed history of the horse is the history of civilization itself. during domestication that has been integrated into the gens and therefore inherited as far as we can see. (www.britischmuseum.org) It is possible that horses have become predisposed to In the late eighties people felt that there was more to being co-operative with humans (Behavior of horses the connection with a horse than simple grooming, Kiley-Worthington, M. 1997, p11). feeding and working with the horse. People started to value how a horse expresses his or her self, how Today, coaching, education, physiotherapy and other they communicate, what they like and dont like in a forms of therapy involving horses are gaining in relationship, their sensitivities, their curiosities and popularity. In the world of business, animal assisted therapy as a practice is a relatively new phenomenon. their true spirit. Archeological and paleontological evidence indicates that the horse was domesticated about 5,000 years ago, substantially later than other farm animals. The modern domesticated horse (Equus caballus) is today spread throughout the world and among the most diverse creatures on the planet. (www.archaeology. com)

Organizations that practice

EAT/EAL/EAC
There are several organizations that deal with Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) or other versions of social work with horses. EFMHA The Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association began as a subcommittee of NARHA (now: PATH Intl.) in 1994 according to the chronological history at the EGEA site, and EFMHA was granted section status in 1996. Co-founder Boo McDaniel held Horses & Healing conferences at her Pony Farm in New Hampshire. Boo has written an article about the founding of EFMHA that was published by PATH Intl. in their magazine. Another co-founder, Barbara Rector, continues to train individuals through her Adventures in Awareness [AIA] programs. (www.EFMHA.com)

EPONA Founded in 1997 by author, lecturer and horse trainer Linda Kohanov, Epona Equestrian Services has received international attention for horse training and breeding innovations, as well as educational programs that employ horses in teaching people leadership, assertiveness, personal empowerment, relationship, intuition, and emotional fitness skills. EPONA offers workshops and private sessions in Leadership, Personal Development, Equestrian Skills, and Apprenticeships. (http://eponaquest.com/)

EAGALA The Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association was formed in July 1999 out of the work begun by Greg Kersten and Lynn Thomas. In 2005, it was announced that Eagala would focus totally on equine assisted psychotherapy and not expand into equine assisted learning in order to establish standards and promote the Eagala model in the mental health field, which they have continued to do with the premier in January 2008 of their new magazine, Eagala in Practice. (www.EAGALA.com)

O.K. CORRAL. The O.K. Corral was created in 2005 by Greg Kersten and his wife, Jennifer. The company was designed to offer the finest equine-assisted training and to make it accessible to anyone who was interested in working with horses to make a difference in the lives of humans. Specific efforts were made to maintain the affordability and ensure the quality of certification seminars. The OK Corral is currently training nationally and internationally, and the website lists over 5000 members. (www.okcorralseries.com) EGEA ( http://www.equineguidededucation.org/) After Eagala made the decision to focus on EAP, Ariana Strozzi established the Equine Guided Education Association in 2003. EGEAs main priority is to provide a membership community and foundation for the growing field of Equine Guided Education and all of its components. Horses as healers and teachers have now incorporated into a variety of educational models including coaching, corporate development, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, youth at risk programs and advances in horsemanship around the world.

EAHAE The European Association for Horse Assisted Education was founded in 2004 by Gerhard Krebs. Their vision is to establish and develop Horse Assisted Education as a general form of personal and professional development in (not only European) enterprises, organizations, institutions, societies, and for personal purposes. (www.eahae.org)

E3A The founding members created The Equine Experiential Education Association in the fall of 2006. E3A is an international professional membership organization offering training, certification and resources for the implementation of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) programs by educators, coaches, Professional Development trainers and other facilitators. Their goal is to provide the necessary resources for the promotion and implementation of quality, successful, professional equine experiential education programs and businesses. (www.e3assoc. org/)

Why do we use

horses?
Before the behavior of the horse is considered in detail, it is necessary to think about the way in which the horse perceives the world; what he can see, hear, feel, smell or taste and what he makes of information received by analyzing it in his brain. Therefore, the topics in this chapter are the social physical characteristics of the horse and an analysis of the human-horse interaction. Hearing: The ears of a horse can move independently and in any direction and are particularly good at picking up sound. Their secondary function is for communication.

Taste: At present the importance of taste in horses is not well understood. Smell: One of the main reasons why horses have such long faces is probably because they have to accommodate an enormous area of olfactory mucosa . Smell is also important for recognizing areas and home ranges, similar like a dog. Sight: The most important sense for the horse. A horses eye is larger than the eye of an elephant or whale, and allows for more receptors, increasing the acuity of sight and the visual field. A horse can see almost all the way around himself.

Touch: A sense of touch is very important in horses for gathering information about the environment and for communication between horses and between horses and people. All these senses are involved while horses recognize each other individually. There is little doubt that horses have a complex social structure; that they from long term and close relationships between individuals; that when males mate with females they detect when the female is in oestrus ; and that mothers recognize their young and their young recognize their dams (The behavior of horses - KileyWorthington, M. 1997, p13-39).

Domestication and conditioning: Horses are mammals that are vulnerable to conditioning. They are also known to have an excellent long-term memory, which makes consistent training extremely important to the horse. The training is considered to be one of the most expensive and time-consuming part of raising a horse. Untrained foals or young horses are therefore less expensive than a trained one. Although horses are naturally curious creatures that love to investigate all that is not threatening, they remain prey animals and see humans as their natural predators. Horses are used to cover big distances and show confidence in doing so. A horse that is afraid more than necessary will spend useful energy and may not be able to escape when a real threat occurs. Thus, horses have an ability to check out the unusual and not immediately flee from something that is simply different.

Social: Horses are gregarious and social animals, but why? Horses are part of a herd; this is why they have highly developed social behaviors that keep the group together. Within this group horses uphold the ranking of each individual. Horses form and protect a ranking order, which avoids constant fights about food, water, and friendships. Once its place in the social hierarchy is understood, a lowerranking horse almost always gives way to a higher-ranking horse without fighting. Friendship is, as said above, one of the main aspects in this group. For instance; Mares will pair up with other mares, which shows in mutual grooming . The relationships between horses are deep and long lasting and they show obvious preferences and dislikes of individuals (KileyWorthington, M.).

Visual communication: Posture: Compared to other hoofed mammals, horses developed postural responses whereby head and tail can be raised. Postures can vary from squatting down to tilting body parts. The postural changes of a horse depend on the social situation; tired, frustrated, playful, on heat etc. Facial expression: Particularly the position of the mouth and nose indicate the horses social state. Besides the social state, responses can also indicate orientation, irritation and protection. E.g.: watching a horses ears can say a great deal about how the horse is feeling and where his attention is directed. Movements: Tail swishes, snapping , kicking legs, or other movements can indicate different moods and messages.

of a horse

Communication

Most communication between horses is conducted via physical gestures instead of sounds (The natural horse - Budiansky S, 1997). Pinned-back ears, which signals aggressiveness is an example of the subtle signs that horses respond to. By studying the visual Touch: Although there is communication of horses we can a lot of contact between mare and understand their messages. foal, friends, or partners, horses are not considered to be contact species. Which means that they Non-visual communication: dont actually spend time in contact Non vocal signals: with other members of their group, Sneezing (discomfort, clearing, touching them and cuddling conveying presence of another together. Still this is a great part horse) Snorting (cautious, in the communication with group excitement) sighing (boredom, members, but especially for the closure) horse- human bonding.

Smells: By scanning movements such as head turning and the gradient of smells, horses pick up pheromones . These smell messages are connected to individual odors, which create recognition (group/home area/ enemy/ mother etc.) and reaction (eating / fleeing / fighting / mating etc.).

Horses

Clever Hans Clever Hans was a horse who was able to count, to do simple arithmetical exercises and was apparently a genius as horses go. During the nineteenth century he was brought before a group of academicians at The Hague in Holland who found that there was no trick in the sense that the horse could solve a simple mathematical problem even when his trainer was not present. Clever Hans tapped out the answer with a front leg. However, when the audience was hidden from the horse by a screen, he was no longer able to do this. What he was doing was responding to subliminal cues (very slight muscular tension changes) that the audience showed when he had reached the correct number; they would slightly relax or tense up. The horse had learnt to do this himself; he had not been taught, as his trainer did not even understand how he was doing it. In addition, the slight muscular cues are so slight that other humans (who as a species are not good at this type of visual communication) could not sense them.

Horse-human interaction Humans are generally viewed being harmless objects to be curious about, or at least to be noticed. Any domesticated horse connects the presence of humans with receiving food. It does not happen very often that a domestic horse will act violent towards humans, unless it was not threatened in the past. However, any horse remains a very large animal that can potentially harm people by acting upon wild instincts like fleeing, or bite or strike or kick. This is why humans must always stay attentive around any horse to prevent accidental injury. The connection between humans and horses can be traced back to the natural curiosity and to the need of strong social relationships of both species. If a horse stands alone, the changes of being exposed to predators is bigger. Therefore horses tend to stay in their herd. Within this herd, the less dominant horses tend to gravitate toward the horses in the higher ranking of the herd. These higher ranked horses show a big deal of confidence and are often mature enough to look after their group. This is the reason why many horse-training principles include the acceptance of

the human being the dominant herd member. Force is not necessary; being a true herd leader is a matter of receiving a horses trust in the ability of the humans confidence in protecting the herd (Budiansky, S, 2004). Besides that, horses have proven to be highly sensitive to emotion (Text 1: Clever Hans). Many riders already know that horses respond to the slightest physical muscle tension in a riders legs and will stop, run faster or act upon any behavior that it has been taught. Although the case of clever Hans can be considered exceptional, it shows that horses dont need touching to understand messages. In the past, taking a look at the indigenous inhabitants of America, history shows that these humans valued a spiritual connection with the horse they rode on ( Horse follow closely Native American Horsemanship GaWaNi, 1995). Nowadays more stories reach the news about the special bonding between horses and mentally disabled children. It is not known for sure whether these stories are true or if they can be scientifically proved.

A horse for

coaching purposes

A horse sees the person you are, not the person you try to be! - Lisanne Boer
More difficult activities include rules that a therapist or coach sets before starting a session. For example making the horse walk over a plastic sheet without touching the horse or using a rope, no bribing with real or fake treats. This task is very hard to complete and will bring a lot of the clients issues to the surface. Frustration, fear, adaptation, control, confidence and anger management are issues that rear up and provide information for further exercises or conversations. In some cases a coach can also decide to use a horse as a representation for someone or something. Horses are mostly used as a metaphor for attitudes, persons, life, behavior or people. For example: the horse can represent a clients parents, his/her employees or a burden/ problem in the clients life. Usually this strategy provides the client with more insight and appreciation for the represented person(s) or issue.

When the horse is used as a therapeutic tool during a coaching session, this basically means the horse is present during the session. Most of the time during a coaching session, a coach/therapist gives the client an exercise with the horse. These exercises are usually simple, e.g. walk with the horse on a rope or make contact with the horse. An interesting factor of working with horses is that all clients do similar exercises with the horse, but it almost never results in the same effect. Of course, the horse will walk the same round every time, but within this form of coaching the horse is a mean that shows the client how he or she executed the exercise. It is all about the visualizing of the clients process, which tells the client a great deal about him or herself.

Honesty is one of the most A horses personality has So, why are horses good with important features of a horse. a great influence on the clients humans in this form of coaching? Several aspects from the world of a horse, and the world of humans, show similarities. These similarities make it easier to understand and guide one another. This makes them very suitable in therapy. A horse never lies, and therefore sees a person the way they are, not the way a person wants to be. A client thus cant manipulate the situation and will receive clear feedback by reading the horses body language. The visual communication of a horse consist for 99% of their feelings and actions, which provides guidance to break down a clients barriers and communication blocks so he or she can be and/or discover oneself. A grass field, stable or paddock provides a natural setting for a client. This setting offers a safe and trustworthy environment in which a client can speak freely and does not feel watched closely by their therapist.

perception and attitude towards the exercise. In fact, most clients tend to choose the horse that shows similar personality characteristics. Clients can relate to the horse and understand behavior or reactions.

Beneficial to this process is the fact that horses are naturally social animals, which live in a herd with a ranking order. This pecking order is also common in many human circumstances, which shows an individuals strengths and weaknesses in their leading positions. Activities or exercises demand an immediate reaction from the client from the start of the session till the end. Therefor a clients boundaries or personal issues come forward much quicker than they would anywhere else.

Often during an EAP session, clients do not realize or acknowledge that therapy is actually occurring. The person who may be able to control or skirt around a situation during office therapy will find it much more difficult to do so when presented with living horses who have a mind of their own and arent afraid to expose the clients real self.

The horses side remains the best place, holding the rope and providing guidance while walking by its side. Pulling or dragging the horse can cause it to become stubborn and disobey. Letting the horse wander freely can allow too much space to get in trouble. Hoping that the horse will choose to move forward when the parent is in front of it is a common but inaccurate attempt; inaccurate because the parent is actually blocking the horses path and, in effect, saying stop. Getting behind the horse to make it move is a very effective method, but that can also be scary; who knows where the horse will go or what it will do if set free with no restrictions? When next telling the parents that the horse represents their child, the parents can quickly and easily understand how EAP works through metaphor and begin to perhaps see how their actions have precipitated their childs reactions. The power of using a horse as a therapeutic tool cannot be underestimated in such a situation.

- Chrysalis equine Therapy

Example: ask parents how best to make the horse move forward This exercise helps parents in finding the best way in managing their childrens behavior and develops and improves parenting skills. Should they pull the rope and demand that the horse follow them? Barely touch the rope and let the horse wander? Hope that the horse will walk forward by its own choice? Stand directly behind the horse and try pushing it forward?

Personal Coaching: Expanding the clients awareness of patterns that may limit their personal development, such as growth in career or relationships is one of the main aspects of personal coaching with horses. The method can easily be compared to life coaching , but is often focused on the client and the goals he or she chooses in life. Personal equine assisted coaching is part of the EAL (equine assisted learning) and can be conducted by coaches, riding instructors, holistic health practitioners as well as organizational development professionals (Salem, P. 2011). In this type of coaching, the client interacts with the horse(s) without mounting it. This way, clients receive feedback from the horse by reading its visual body language. This mirroring-behavior is natural to a horse due to its position in the food chain. The horses is able to sense incongruence between intentions and behaviors and reacts to this phenomenon (Kaye-Gehrke, 2007; Strozzi, 2004). The coachs role is describing the horses behavior and asking the right questions to the client which helps him or her processing what happened.

Methods of
Equi-coaching

This method is often set in a circle (round pen) of approximately ten meters cross cut. While being in this different environment and setting, the client is asked to perform certain assignments together with the horse, on which feedback is given.

Business coaching works very similar to the personal coaching, only this time, clients are in a group. A group of colleagues can be a lot of fun, but also be a little strange. Yet, todays organizations can only function effectively if their people know how to work together productively in high-performance teams. The importance and main difference from personal coaching, is the fact that business coaching leaves room for feedback. This feedback is not only given by the coach and horse, but also by the other participants. Some scientists within the field of equine assisted coaching are discussing the hierarchical issue that can occur while conducting business training. They argue the fact of open feedback during the training to its participants. The genitor would for instance never feel free to provide honest feedback to his boss, knowing that he has the power to let go of any employee that does not satisfy him. From personal experience, and the experience of the coaches who were worked with to conduct this research, no hierarchical issues have ever arose during a session.

Therefore there are different forms of training. Within the equine-assisted-coaching, coaches use different strategies. These strategies can include e.g. one or more horses, but overall they have the same intention and effects. Leadership, Team Building, positioning, non-verbal communication, and change management are main themes within a training, which will be explained further in the next sub-chapters.

Figure 2.3.2. Statistic of silence and voice

The basic aspect of EALT (Equine Assisted Leadership Training) is that it helps to create sustainable changes in the awareness level of the client(s). Through behavioral gestures from the horse participants receive authentic behavior in response to their leadership qualities (Kay-Gehrke, 2007). During a coaching, participants get the chance to become aware of their non-verbal communication. The coach or counselor provides feedback on their actions and the horses response.

However, there is no scientific evidence that specifically validates this process, but science guides us back to the indigenous behavior of a horse and its place in the pecking order of the herd, as it wont trust an insecure leader and take the lead itself.

CEOs tell us that their most pressing need is for more leaders in their organizations not the consummate role-players who seem to surround them.
- Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones An important factor to consider in this method, and all coaching methods, is that neither horse nor a coach judges behavior. They simply reflect on what occurs in the particular situation or exercise. This way the participant receives open and honest feedback, which makes him or her conscious of their leadership skills.

TRA I

LEA

DER

NIN

SHI

am Te ng
ldi ui b
Equine-assisted coaching is a unique training for corporate teams to increase effectiveness on the working floor. Just like other methods of Equi-coaching, participants will experience self-awareness on their non-verbal behavior. Leaders will improve their assertiveness skills. Teams and individuals can improve their communication skills, and problem-solving abilities (Elrick. W, 2012).

Besides the level of awareness and possibility to give one another feedback, Equi-coaching also includes the element of fun and working together. A coach can give a team an assignment, e.g. make a closed circle together with the horse. This seems easy, but the participants will have to work together to get the horse in the group, showing leadership skills and divide roles. Nothing is wrong and failure is allowed, this often leads to a good laugh within the team. After the exercise team members provide feedback on what went right and what went wrong. Because of the natural and relaxed setting of the coaching session, participants often get to know a little about their colleague, which sometimes can make it easier to work with him or her.

Research
preparation

Many different coaches were contacted in preparation for this research. Through the contacting of these coaches, it was possible to participate and observe many sessions that were taking place with businesses. Most interviews used in this research have been conducted in person. Personal contact and face-to-face interviews have helped to generate an understanding of the different experiences of the participants. The main advantage of face-to-face or direct interviews is that the questions could be adapted as necessary (Cornelissen, J. 2007). Doubt from the participants could also be clarified as well as ensuring that the responses are understood in the right way. This was done by repeating or rephrasing the questions. These qualitative interviews are non-standardized; a set of topics is covered, though the exact order in which questions are asked and the wording of questions can vary. This way the interview allows for flexibility, greater depth and more sensitivity to contextual variations. This is important because this research is based on opinions of people, which need to be fair and honest.

& method

Within this research plan a look was given to the added value of the training with horses for businesses and organizations. What are the long-term effects of an equine assisted coaching? How do participants perceive the use of horses in a coaching? What can the professionals say about their coaching tactics? We will take a look at different coaches and their point of view. A chart was also created to portray the effects over a longer period of time. Finally I present the data gathered from questionnaires in where participants were asked to answer questions that were related to their experiences and expectations of an Equi-coaching. These questionnaires were conducted before, after and four weeks after a training with horses.

Interviews were used to study the effects of Equi coaching for businesses. The first and most important limitation of this study is related to this method and concerns the possibility of socially desirable answering among the participants. research method Because participants have been actively engaged in the training for a large part of their day and are conscious of the status of the cooperation between researcher and trainer, it is not unlikely for them to give answers that they think will please both parties. The third limitation of this research method is the frequency rate of respondents of the questionnaires. The second limitation is part of the disadvantages In this research plan I am merely depended on the of doing qualitative research. Firstly, my task as a cooperation from the coaches that I worked with. researcher is to be concerned with the identification We decided, to protect the clients privacy, all contact of cause-effect, nevertheless, it is very hard not would primarily go via the coach, and not directly to to let quality and texture of experience influence me.

Limitations

of the

and Topic

this identification. Also, as discussed later in this report, it will be very hard to not use preconceived variables, to avoid precluding the identification of respondents own ways of making sense of the research topic.

Finally, this research does not have a prediction of outcomes. Which can make it more difficult to prepare for the outcome. More limitations of interviews, questionnaires and observations are mentioned in chapter 3.5.

First of all it is important to mention that all coaching sessions are different, which could be a limitation of the research topic. The factor of impact or fun during the training depends on the coach. Every coach uses a different approach. It thus is very important for a business to decide which coach is a good match with its employees. Perhaps they prefer a relaxed atmosphere and want to have a lot of room for fun, or maybe they prefer to have a little bit more structured and official training that suits the companys culture. Other environmental factors could be the weather; when a coaching session can be done outside, e.g. in a paddock with the sun shining on participants faces, a different atmosphere is set. Although the number of studies on association between daily weather and ones mood is relatively small, the majority of people think they feel happier on days with a lot of sunshine as compared to dark and rainy days (Watson, 2000 & Keller, 2005). Findings of a research of R. Nadler, R. Rabi and J.P. Minda (2010) suggest that positive mood has a specific influence on learning and that it affects your ability to learn things that require some amount of flexibility and creativity.

Besides environmental factors, limitations are also connected to personalities of the participants, e.g. if the participant is afraid of the horse. In the classical learning theories of Hull (1943) and Estes (1958), motive (drive) states were presumed to have corresponding internal drive stimuli that entered into, and activated, stimulus-response associations. In this case, a fear of working with horses can thus affect a persons capability or degree of learning. The last limitation of the research topic is the difficultie with power difference and hierarchy in the organization. Power is different from leadership. Position power is power that comes from holding a particular rank or position in a company (Daft, 2005). In this case, somebody with power, e.g. your boss, can influence an employees attitude and behavior without intention. In a coaching session, all participants should feel open to give one another feedback, without the fear of getting fired. This hierarchical limitation can be made smaller or less important by the coach (e.g. creating a free and open atmosphere), but will unfortunately still be present.

In this section it is described how the effect of Equi-coaching on creating change in an organization was measured. First the method will be outlined, which is then followed by a presentation of the results. Within this research plan a test was carried out for a new training for businesses. This is a research depending on opinions, and thus requires qualitative research methods. Combination of qualitative and quantitative data can be gathered from questionnaires and interviews that ask both fixedchoice questions and open-ended questions. The quality of qualitative data depends to a great extent on the methodological skill, sensitivity and integrity of the researcher. A difficult fact within this method is the risk to get affected by intended purpose and targeted audience (Patton, MQ, 2002).

Methods
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
- Albert Einstein Features of qualitative research stated by Rober C. Bogdan and Sari Knopp Bilken in qualitative research for education 2006 are: Naturalistic often occurs in a natural setting which is important for both participants as for the researcher to observe.

Descriptive data Data gathered in form of words, transcripts, video recordings, quotations, photographs and personal documents rather than numbers. This provides many details within the research. Concern with process The process is more important than the outcome Inductive research is not conducted to prove or disprove hypotheses, but enhance and open approach. Meaning The interplay between researcher and informant can affect the researchers interpretation of what the informants think to be accurate or true.

Interviews, observations & questionnaires

At first glance, the interview seems simple and self-evident. The interviewer coordinates a conversation aimed at obtaining desired information. He or she makes the initial contact, schedules the event, designates its location, sets out the ground rules, and then begins the interview (Holstein, J.A. 2001). Observational research tends to be more flexible, more valid, but also less reliable. Observational research is supposed to be objective, as it measures behavior directly and accurate. Nevertheless the observation can always be influenced by environmental aspects or by the researcher.

Researchers use questionnaires when they need to collect information from large numbers of people (Questionnaire Design, Oppenheim A.N. 2000). There are several advantages of online questionnaires; it can reach many people or businesses directly, the researcher is not bound to location or appointments, it does not take up a lot of the participants time and finally there are low costs (Woods, P. 2006). Questionnaires are not among the most prominent methods in qualitative research, because they commonly require subjects to respond to a stimulus, and thus they are not acting naturally says dr. Peter Woods in his research paper qualitative research published by the university of Plymouth in 2006. modified.

We could say that the disadvantages are the opposite factors of the advantages; Nonverbal behavior cannot be read, questions cannot be adapted, no chance to ask further etc. After the questionnaires were filled in, identification of the context of answers can be difficult and the questionnaires continuously need to be checked, balanced and and modified. The questionnaires were sent out via email to different companies. Within the email it the research topic was explained and it was made sure that the participants understood that the questionnaire was anonymous and confidential. Managers and employees had the chance to participate online or send a printed version to my home address to ensure anonymity.

Lets introduce:

The Coaches
The interviews with Ferdinand Aukes, Marieke van Asselt and Wendela den Tonkelaar showed that Equi-coaching ads value to a company. (See appendix 1) Because of the horse, which is big, strong and imposing and does not judge the participant, participants are more likely to uphold an open approach. Personal aspects of the participants are confronted in a situation in which he or she sights what kind of effect his/her non-verbal behavior has on the environment.

By conducting several different exercises, the coach translates the assignment with the horse to something that could happen in real life. E.g. Participants are asked to work together in forming a herd with the horse and lead it into a smaller circle. One group member lingers behind, another tries to take the lead but the team does hear him, again another waits his turn and looks at the other team members. All personalities, qualities but also pitfalls, reach the surface while conducting this exercise. When they figured out that the old way was never going to work, and that they had to work together to form a herd, the assignment was executed successfully. Within this exercise, participants often worked together, which helped to enlarge the team spirit.

All coaches agreed upon the fact that a horse ads value to a training because the participant gets a direct response. This direct response raises an awareness of ones behavior, and the way this behavior is perceived by others. Sometimes this can be very confronting. But, even a poor confrontation can bring good in the form of relief to one or both parties. Its something not to be resisted. It can resolve alienation between parties and bring healing to that lost feeling, if its done properly with the correct mixes of grace and truth.(Cloud H & Townsend J, 2003)

Wendela den Tonkelaar

Coach and trainer at Onbewuster since 2010 Writer of e-book; Spiegelen University of Social Psychology Amsterdam PHD training and coaching www.onbewuster.nl

Ferdinand Aukes
Coach at Innerqi since 2008 Bachelor of education NLP www.innerqi.nl

Marieke van Asselt

Coach and trainer at Inzicht door Paarden since 2010 University of horsemanship professional

www.inzichtdoorpaarden.nl

ts are articipan hin p exercises of tasks wit h group n y Throug e divisio re do the cover th o dis and whe shows able t t is good It am. Wha lems as a team? he te t nd how ob unter pr gruent a . enco to be con on it means ve communicati hat w impro you can an Asselt
ev -Mariek

Many of m y clients ne ver stood next to a h orse before and this happe ns they com when their comfo e out of rt zone. Yo u cannot u tricks an se d nothing remains bu truth ... t the
- Wendela den Tonke laar

Let go of what is known and keep an open mind, because every time something different happens. Sometimes it is good not to be prepared; it leaves room for new discoveries
- Ferdinand Aukes

Lets set an

example!

The client example was taken from the North of Holland, together with coach Ferdinand Aukes. Four managers and a director from the council booked this training out of curiosity, and to try something new. Ferdinand started with an introduction and an in-take in which participants could talk about their troubles, expectations and goals for this day (See appendix 4: day testimonial). They also filled in my questionnaire before they started the training. After this Aukes continued with an exercise in which the participants plait three pieces of rope together, and practiced how to lead and follow with this plaited rope.

The third exercise was to make a circle for which teamwork was needed. After this they had to pick out a horse they wanted to work with, and a horse they did not want to work with. Of course, the horse they did not want to work with became the horse that the training would start of with.

The tarp stands for a problem in your organization. It is your goal as Can I hit it?, wait, I dont hit a manager to get you employees (the my employees either, although I horse) to deal with the problem, and sometimes want to walk over the tarp -Participant 3 - Ferdinand Aukes This was the last assignment of They had to introduce themselves an eight-hour day, after which the to the horse and make individual group evaluated their findings, contact with it. An assignment with experiences and gave each other a tarp included team effort and was feedback. Straight after the training translated to the participants as a and four weeks later participants real life business story. were asked how they felt about the training and if things had changed.

A second assignment that was translated to be an organizational event was showing leadership from your office. A tiny circle was made within the big circle. This circle represented the managers office. He or she was not allowed to get out of the office, but had to lead his/her employees and make them walk/run in a circle.

A total of ten employees were interviewed, divided over two trainings. All ten of them filled in the questionnaire before the training, after the training, and four weeks later. This questionnaire was confidential. Participants got told that none of the information would be shared with third parties, and when preferred, could be filled in anonymously. This interview consisted of both open questions and closed questions. The first interview (see appendix 2.1), based on expectations, did not differ much from the second (see appendix 2.2), which was primarily based on experiences. With this method I wanted to test what people expected from the training and what goals they had set for themselves. The second interview showed if they had reached their goal, if their goal changed, or if they experienced something that never was expected. Both interviews included 3/10 questions that related to their work. These questions measured their complaints with their hopes for change. The final questionnaire, (see appendix 3, which was send by email and if not answered, followed up by phone) came four to eight weeks after the session and asked merely about the changes in the company. By doing so, I was able to test the efficiency of the coaching session. These results are included in the next chapter.

Before and straight after the session participants were asked to pick boxes from the given topics. They first answered what they expected to learn (blue) and then what they actually learned (red). All participants had been informed what to expect from a coaching session with horses, but still experienced a greater learning pattern is areas like leadership, teambuilding and change management. The biggest difference was shown on the positioning.
Figure 3.7.2: Expected vs. outcome

Figure 3.7.1: Working with horses

A small percentage of the participants were afraid of horses. Yet, all of the group members participated equally and got in the rounded pen with the horse. When handled with understanding and lots of explanations, fear often makes room for curiosity. All members where happy they participated. In the beginning of the training the horse is a horse, now I just see it as my employee, or a means to get something done. Incredible transformation! -Participant 9

Results

In figure 3.7.3 one can see that 6/10 participants agreed upon the fact that the communication in their company should be improved. Figure 3.8.4. shows that Equi-coaching does contribute to both personal developments as to the organization. Yet, on a personal level vote higher and thus reached a higher efficiency rate than the coaching does on a business level.

Figure 3.7.3. Communication in the company Figure 3.7.4. Graded contribution

Before &

After
researching
ex-companies
Contact was made with the excompanies from Wendela den Tonkelaar, Ferdinand Aukes and Marieke van Asselt. Furthermore, businesses were also reached via LinkedIn.com. All of these companies received a questionnaire to be filled in by one or more representative team members who participated in a coaching session with horses. A total of 20 companies responded, including the 10 participants from the client example discussed in the previous chapter.

As mentioned earlier; a questionnaire was sent out via email to different companies. This email explained the research topic and made sure participants understood that the questionnaire is anonymous and confidential. Managers and employees had the chance to participate online or send a printed version to my home address to ensure anonymity. As explained in the chapter about limitations the frequency of respondents depended on the cooperation from the coaches that I worked with. Although the coaches have shown full cooperation, responses stayed low. In the Discussion chapter at the end of this report, you will find further research and ways in which to avoid this limitation.

The data within this research was added up. Figure 3.8.1A. shows the outcome of the reasons why businesses participated in training with horses, and the results and effectiveness of the training. In almost all the cases we can conclude that the expectancy rate has been overruled by the effectiveness rate. Businesses came out better than they expected. The training had effect on all of the categories. Leadership, change management and positioning were the three biggest categories that showed results. Figure 3.8.1.B. shows the results and effectiveness of the training straight after the training, compared with four weeks (or more) after the training. Differences are visible in positioning bars; the amount of people who thought to have learned to position themselves in a better way decreased. People falling back in old patterns could explain this phenomenon.

Figure 3.8.1A. Expected vs. effectiveness 1

Figure 3.8.1B. Expected vs. effectiveness 2.

Les Landes says in his research getting the best out of people in the workplace (2006): No matter how many times managers guide, support, and instruct them on how to do something differently, people seem to fall back into old familiar patterns of behavior. Its important to remember that changing old habits is not easy for most people. It takes frequent repetition before people can become comfortable with it, and they need support and encouragement when they get off track. As long as there is a genuine willingness to improve, and as long as the aptitude is there, patience and reinforcement usually pay off in the long run Another difference shows itself in the change management table, which actually increased. This can be perceived in two different ways; Change management has occurred because of the training. (Reasons could be: recent better

teamwork performance due to the training, or e.g. employee understanding of job positions and qualities, etc.) Change management has occurred in between the training and the time of measuring. (This has not been included in the questionnaire) The last difference that has emerged is team building. A single team building activity is not enough - its a process. Within this process, it is important that organizations show commitment and consistency to develop a good team.

Of the 20 participants in the survey, almost everybody had a very good experience that had effect on their personal attitude and behavior. (Figure 3.8.2)

people dont listen to me, but I now realize that a big part had to do with myself; I positioned myself in the background, and gave up really quickly if I wasnt heard. This training has made me see that I do this, and since then I have consciously changed my behavior
- Participant 20

I always complained that

Figure 3.8.2. Personal effect

90 percent of the participants graded their experience with a training with a 7 or higher. (Figure 3.8.3) Of this group, 100% advised other businesses to plan a training with horses.

Figure 3.8.3 Graded experience

All participants would advise this method of coaching to other companies. The respondents have requested to keep this information private, for this reason they have not been submitted in the appendix.

Figure 3.8.4. Percentage Advising Equi-coaching

Conclusion

The aim of this report was to answer the following research question: How and when Equi-coaching will be helpful to an organization or business for training and coaching purposes? The first chapter therefore described the most common mistakes made in an organization, which narrowed the research down to four different topics. These topics were chosen, assuming that an organization wants to change by improving its communication skills, teamwork capacities, enhancing culture, mission and vision, and/or to implement a successful form of change management. The first chapter concluded on the fact that coaching and training during a change management program is advisable for any organization. The second chapter investigated a new approach in the world of coaching. It was stated how an equine assisted training works, which different methods can be used, and the added value of using a horse as a mean of reflection for participants. The topics leadership and team building gave more depth to the explanation of equine assisted business coaching.

In the third and final chapter one can find the results of Through group exercises, participants are able to the exploratory and qualitative research that has been discover the task division in their team, where they go done. Interviews, questionnaires and observations wrong, and how they can improve. were used to answer the research question. The results of the interviews and, or questionnaires The interviews with the professional Equi-coaches before and after the coaching session showed that showed that Equi-coaching adds value to a company participants expectations matched the outcome because of the added value of using horses. A horses of the training. Participants reacted surprised, as big, strong and imposing posture, participants they had learned more, or different things than tend to be more open. Secondly, a horse reacts to a expected. Especially in leadership skills, teambuilding participants emotions and his/her behavior, an honest and positioning. On average, participants graded reaction that people often find very hard to give. A the contribution of the training to their personal horses reaction provides immediate feedback on development with a 7,8, and graded the contribution a participants actions, and raises awareness in the of the training to the organization with a 7,1. participants behavior.

Advise
A large number of organizations are unsure as to which change management program would be the most suitable for them. For this reason this research paper looked into Equi-coaching as a new way of training organizations and asked;

How can organizations use equine assisted trainings to implement change management?
Equi-coaching could be very effective for organizations, especially if an organization wants to change. Equicoaching affects the team and its individuals in a wide area, starting from communication strategies, leadership skills and individual positioning to eventually team building. Results in this report may even have shown that change resulted from the equine assisted coaching session, because employees and managers improved or changed their behavior. The big advantage of an equine assisted training is the perspective of time, and the benefit of receiving immediate feedback, which could result in a shorter time of change adaptation and thus an earlier time prospect to implement the change.

This is were organizations go wrong Bad communication 52 % of employees do not feel free to voice their opinions openly Change management 50% of decisions made in organizations are not fully implemented or sustained Bad leadership 55% of managers are unfit for their job

This is what Equi coaching can do to help Learn to give feedback to each other and learn to be congruent. Raises an awareness of individual and group qualities and positions, which makes people more open to change. Become aware of personal non-verbal behavior in response to leadership qualities, and improve assertiveness skills. Nothing pointed out that Equi-coaching benefits to this. Extra research in the personal change and the effect on organizational cultures is needed. Improve communication skills and problem-solving abilities. This includes the element of fun, and getting to know one another.

No clear culture, mission and vision 52% of employees do not understand their organizational strategy and goals No team 38% of employees dont feel committed to their organization

Discussion
The findings in this report were conducted in a and does not mention an organizations reasons for time span of three months and concluded on the participating in the training. effectiveness of Equi-coaching based on participants opinions and experiences. This report does not tell an organization that Equicoaching is better than any other form of coaching or Interviews, observations and questionnaires were change management programs. tools used in the qualitative research method, but Other ways of implementing change management were limited in credibility. The participants were were not included in this report, but are open for mainly people from the north of Holland, and did not further research. represent the majority, nor did they represent other countries. All of the research tools were affected by Further research could also include the negative effects environmental factors like weather and computer of Equi-coaching, or the reason why an organization access, the small time frame, and budget limitations. would have no interest in working with horses. This research does not include expectations of people who never heard of equine assisted coaching,

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy EAP incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. It is a collaborative effort between Underscore and explore strategy (Clampitt, P, 1997): a licensed therapist and a horse professional working Involves managers focusing on several fundamental issues with the clients and horses to address treatment most clearly linked to the organizational change, while algoals. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, it is lowing employees the creative freedom to explore the imconsidered a short-term, or brief approach. plications of the change in a disciplined way.
Change management: The planning and introducing of new processes, methods of working, etc. in a company or organization: With effective change management, changes are handled quickly and have the lowest possible impact on service quality

List of words

Horsemanship: Skill at riding horses

Mirroring The behavior in which one person copies another person usually while in social interaction with Stakeholder: them. It may include miming gestures, movements, A person, group, or organization that has direct or indirect body language, muscle tensions, expressions, tones, stake in an organization because it can affect or be affected eye movements, breathing, tempo, accent, attitude, by the organizations actions, objectives, and policies. choice of words/metaphors and other aspects of communication. Equestrian:
Of or relating to horseback riding or horseback riders.

Domestication

Adaptation to intimate association with human beings.

Foal: The young offspring of a horse or other equine animal, especially one under a year old.

Equestrian: Neuro-Linguistic Programming Of or relating to horseback riding or horseback riders. NLP is an incredibly powerful discipline that Olfactory mucosa: Membrane capable of picking up smell cues. Grooming: Involves standing side by side and head to tail while each one scratches the others neck and back with her teeth. Snapping: Opening the mouth and withdrawing the mouth corners to indicate fear, non-aggression, and submission Pheromones: Any chemical substance released by an animal that serves to influence the physiology or behavior of other members of the same species. Life coaching: A practice that helps people identify and achieve personal goals.

enables people to unblock the structures of human communication and human excellence. By doing so people can think, communicate and manage themselves, and others, more effectively.

List of abbreviations
CEO: EAP: EAC: EAT: EAL: EALT: EFMHA: EGEA: PATH Intl.: NARHA: AIA: EAGALA: EAHAE: E3A: NLP: PHD: Chief executive officer Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Equine Assisted Coaching Equine Assisted Therapy Equine Assisted Learning Equine Assisted Leadership Training Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association Equine Guided Education Association Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. North American Riding for the Handicapped Association Adventures in Awareness programs Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association European Association for Horse Assisted Education Equine Experiential Education Association Neuron Linguistic Programming Doctor of Philosophy

List of Figures
Figure 0.1. Change management Figure 0.2. Strategy Continuum (Clampitt, 1997) Figure 0.3. Statistics change management Figure 1.2.1.1. Statistics communication culture Figure 1.2.1.2. Statistics communication and perception Figure 1.2.1.3. Statistic employee satisfaction Figure 1.2.2. Statistic workplace Figure 1.2.3. Statistics leadership skills Figure 1.2.4. Statistics corporate culture Figure 2.1. Equi business coaching Figure 2.2.1. Clever Hans [text] Figure 2.2.2. Example of Personal Equi Coaching [text] Figure 2.3.2. Statistic of silence and voice Figure 3.7.1. Working with horses Figure 3.7.2. Expected vs. outcome Figure 3.7.3. Communication in the company Figure 3.7.4. Graded contribution Figure 3.8.1A. Expected vs. effectiveness 1 Figure 3.8.1B. Expected vs. effectiveness 2 Figure 3.8.2. Personal effect Figure 3.8.3 Graded experience Figure 3.8.4. Percentage Advising Equi-coaching

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