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Stock, K.L. Kolb, D.A. Equine-assisted Experiential Learning
Rhetorics and Composition (WSC 150)
Назарбаев Университеті
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“At the individual level, when managers embark on equine-assisted experiential learning, the outcome is not only memorable, but it has a profound effect on participant’s self-perception and their ability to work with others.”
By Karen L. Stock and
David A. Kolb
Equine-Assisted
Experiential Learning
For some, the concept of equine-assisted experiential learning may be a surprising topic. The idea of using horses as a training tool for management development is cer- tainly unexpected and brings with it aspects of novelty and wonder. What can a horse possibly teach us? Is this just a fad, or is there something insightful in this expe- riential approach to learning that can be truly beneficial? The prevalence of equine- assisted training programs targeted for business professionals is growing, and not just in the United States. We know of pro- grams in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, and Australia, claiming to provide business profession- als with tools to improve communication, teamwork, and trust. These positive out- comes are beneficial at both the group and individual level. At the group level newly formed teams, intergenerational teams, as well as groups of varying hierarchical levels in an organization benefit as a result of the experience. At the individual level, when managers embark on equine-assisted expe- riential learning, the outcome is not only memorable, but it has a profound effect on participant’s self-perception and their abil- ity to work with others. Thus, this unique experience allows managers to essentially “get over themselves,” as one plant man- ager described it, stating that where other types of training on-site with consultants had failed, this type of training helped to improve teamwork. While this concept is growing in popularity, there has been little research on
the use of horses as a training instrument for organization development. This article provides new insight into this type of train- ing experience based on a qualitative study, and also provides a glimpse into what takes place during a typical training session and the results that follow.
Why Horses?
The application of horses helping humans is well documented in other fields. In psy- chotherapy horses have been shown to help patients suffering from trauma experience bonding, reduce psychological distress, and improve well-being (Herbette, Guilmot, & Heeren, 2011; Yorke, Adams, & Coady, 2008). In the medical field horses have been shown to help medical students hone their communication skills prior to work- ing with patients, develop compassion, and practice presence (Carroll, 2013; Steakley, 2011; Walsh & Blakeney, 2013). The premise of using horses in these contexts is derived from the fact that horses are “flight” animals, as opposed to “fight” animals, indicating that a horse will flee when sensing danger as opposed to confrontation. Horses also have the keen ability to detect intention and authenticity in people and are known to “mirror” behav- iors they are picking up from others (Rob- erts, 1997, 2001). Horses have also been proven to be able to detect positive and negative human emotions based on facial expressions (Smith, Proops, Grounds, Wathan, & McComb, 2016).
Equine-Assisted Experiential Learning 43
About the Training Experience
Based on first-hand observations, a typi- cal day of equine-assisted training can be described as follows. A group of individuals enrolled in an executive education train- ing class arrive at the farm early in the morning. They depart from their cars a bit apprehensively and proceed to convene as a group. They have been instructed to wear comfortable clothes in preparation for a training experience involving a herd of horses. The group is greeted by the propri- etor of the farm, who explains the agenda for the day. After brief introductions among her staff and the group, she starts with basic safety instructions about how to interpret the horse’s body language. She emphasizes the need to refrain from any quick, sudden gestures, and from making loud noises. Afterward, the group is asked to sign a waiver to release responsibility for any injuries that may occur. Meanwhile, the herd is grazing freely in the pasture and is within sight as this orientation occurs. Group members are instructed to enter the herd environment and meet the horses. They proceed to enter the pasture to approach the horses and are followed by trained facilitators who have experience working with the horses, as well as training in the various activities the group will perform that day. As the participants approach the herd they notice how the horses react differently to different people. When approached from behind one horse merely walks away as if uninterested. Another is startled and moves to be closer to another horse when confronted. As the participant engages in this interaction, the facilitator stands back and observes. Later,
the facilitator will draw a few participants together to reflect on what has just hap- pened. They probe to ask participants why the horses may have reacted in such a way. They also inquire about what this occur- rence might tell the person about their own actions and how this knowledge could relate to a work experience they may have encountered. Then they ask the partici- pants to think about how this insight may alter future behavior in order to get differ- ent results. This type of interaction is typical throughout the day as participants conduct various activities such as bridling the horse or leading the horse through an obstacle course. With the help of a trained facilita- tor, the horse’s response and the partici- pant’s response are examined as a potential learning opportunity.
The Training Framework
The basis for which this type of training is conducted aligns with Experiential Learn- ing Theory (ELT), which defines learning as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming experience” (Kolb, 2015, p. 51). Emphasis is placed on the process of learning over the outcomes. Kolb developed ELT based on the prin- ciples of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget, as depicted in Figure 1. The model proposes that learning occurs through a 4-stage cycle which begins with a concrete experience that leads to reflective observation about the experience. Abstract conceptualization follows in which models, paradigms, strategies, and metaphors are applied to the results of the experience. Active experimen- tation concludes the cycle as the concepts are then put into practice, thus generating new concrete experiences. The equine experience follows this learning theory in the way that is intro- duced and the manner in which partici- pants interact. The session begins with concrete exercises that individuals conduct with the horses. Throughout the day, the participants interact with one another and reflect on the exercises they conduct
As the participants approach the herd they notice how the
horses react differently to different people. When approached
from behind one horse merely walks away as if uninterested.
Another is startled and moves to be closer to another
horse when confronted. As the participant engages in this
interaction, the facilitator stands back and observes. Later,
the facilitator will draw a few participants together to reflect
on what has just happened.
Figure 1. The Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 2015 )
CE
Concrete Experience
AC
Abstract Conceptualization
RO
Reflective Observation
Experience
Grasp
Experience Transform
AE
Active Experimentation
44 OD PRACTITIONER Vol. 48 No. 2 2016
1. Know yourself. Since the horse acts as a mirror to one’s own actions, participants gain insight into their own actions and are able to see how their actions are interpreted by others. One participant described the training as a way of “learning about myself, kind of more of a self-awareness and self-reflection; more of a temperament too. If I receive feedback that maybe I disagree with or that isn’t necessarily favorable, I’ll kind of go back and look in the mirror more and try to take it from the other side and evaluate it from there.” A participant also described the
training as a way of seeing more solutions by stating that “when you’re dealing with a problem, there’s always more than one solution, or 99 times out of 100, more than one solution.” Another noted that “some people took different approaches to doing that. And you got to see the results of those approaches on different horses and differ- ent people.”
2. Level the playing field. A shared powerful experience creates an opportunity for equal dialogue. Whether the groups contained union and non- union participants or managers and direct reports, the experience provided a means of “getting together to try to participate in activities with common goals.” Unique about the equine experience is that “work- ing with animals that are 1,800 pounds, that speak a different language, and are somewhat unpredictable levels the playing field for people.” This was illustrated very clearly, as one executive described by stat- ing, “Horses give you really clear, unadul- terated feedback. They could care less if I’m a CEO. It didn’t matter to them. I’m not a CEO in their environment.”
3. Build trust. As a result of working with the horses throughout the day, participants learn to develop trust with the horse in order to conduct the various exercises that then translated to trust in each other. One partic- ipant described having to “develop the trust to get that horse to follow you and allow you to touch it, to do things, and it required a lot of effort to get that to happen.” And at the conclusion of the day, another partici- pant noted that “we were sharing things in conversation that we would never ever do outside of that environment.”
4. Recognize your role as part of a larger system. The connection to the physical environ- ment and to the animals builds compas- sion and empathy in participants that they otherwise did not express. Being in nature has a restorative effect on learning. This concept dates back to early writings that recommend when the capacity to focus becomes fatigued, urban dwellers should seek recovery in nature (Olmsted, 1865). One participant describes this restorative effect as follows:
“When I first made a connection there was one horse. He was a little skittish, so I gave him a little more time, and then he came up to me and then I was able to pet him, stand with him, and then I turned and started talking with the group. He came up kind of like right up behind me nudging me. In a matter of a few minutes we were out there I went from being intimidated by this animal and apparently him afraid of me to within a few minutes making a connection where he was comfortable coming up to me, and I
was comfortable with him coming up to me.”
The physical setting of the horse ranch and the environment also allowed par- ticipants to fully engage in the experi- ence. Merely slowing the pace of learning allows a deeper kind of knowing to occur, which some attribute as the source of true education through a direct experience with nature (Orr, 1994). This is illustrated by one participant in the following quote:
“I think spending the day out there and doing something that was kind of slow-moving, with a lot of thinking and interacting with the horses where you are trying to read their signals was valuable. There was a lot of quiet- ness. The busy working mother like I am, who is married, two kids, works 60 hours a week – we never stop and think about anything. There’s no time to stop and think.”
Thus, making a connection with the horses, being part of the natural environ- ment, and slowing down to take it all in essentially gave participants a different perspective and deeper sense of belonging. Overall, the impact of equine-assisted experiential learning contributes to man- agement development by improved work- place relationships and self-awareness. Participants described seeing things from a different perspective, which in one example resulted in changing the order of work for given tasks to improve productivity. They also describe being better able to take stock of their own actions and the impact they have on others.
Conclusion
The link between horses and the field of management was made long ago. The very origin of the word manage dates back to 1560 and is translated as “to control a horse” (Harper, 2016). This research has uncovered yet another link to manage- ment due to the evidence of ways in which equine-assisted experiential learning contributes to developing managers and “sticks with them” as evidenced during
Unique about the equine experience is that “working with
animals that are 1,800 pounds, that speak a different
language, and are somewhat unpredictable levels the playing
field for people.” This was illustrated very clearly, as one
executive described by stating, “Horses give you really clear,
unadulterated feedback. They could care less if I’m a CEO. It
didn’t matter to them. I’m not a CEO in their environment.”
46 OD PRACTITIONER Vol. 48 No. 2 2016
interviews with participants who were able to recite step by step actions of the day of training even when a few years had lapsed. As the following quote from a participant indicates, this recall of what was learned proves beneficial and continues to be pow- erfully meaningful: “I’ve been able to use it in my inter actions with coworkers on a daily basis. So I was unexpectedly surprised that it all tied together and I’m drawing the parallels. I’m still drawing them now every day that I interact with the people at work.” As a result of having attended a training session involving equine-assisted expe- riential learning, these managers are left with episodic memories that create useful scenarios that benefit human interactions.
References
Carroll, L. (2013). Open up, say “neigh”: Horses help teach med students. TODAY Health &Wellness. Retrieved from today/health/open- say-neigh-horses-help-teach-med-students- 6C Charmaz, K. (1990). “Discovering” chronic illness: Using grounded theory. Social Science & Medicine, 30 (11), 1161–1172. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine Publishing Company. Harper, D. (2016). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from http:// etymonline/index. php?term=manage&allowed_in_frame= Herbette, G., Guilmot, P., & Heeren, A. (2011). Horses and mindfulness: How meditation and relationship with horses can enhance well-being and coping with stress and emotions. Psychomed, 1–2 , 46. Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Olmsted, F. (1865). The value and care of parks. Paper presented at the Report to the Congress of the State of California (Reprinted in Landscape Architecture, 17 , 20–23).
Orr, D. (1994, September/October). The marriage of mind and nature. Resur- gence , 6–7. Roberts, M. (1997). The man who listens to horses: The story of a real-life horse whis- perer. New York, NY: Ballantine Books. Roberts, M. (2001). Horse sense for people: The man who listens to horses talks to people. Toronto, CA: Anchor Canada. Smith, A. V., Proops, L., Grounds, K., Wathan, J., & McComb, K. (2016). Functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (Equus caballus). Biology Letters, 12 (2). doi: 10/ rsbl. Steakley, L. (2011). How horsemanship techniques can help doctors improve their art. Scope Medical Blog (June 24). Retrieved from scopeblog. edu/2011/0scopeblog. edu/2011/06/24/how-horsemanship- techniques-can-help-doctors-improve-their- art. Van Maanen, J. (2011). Tales of the field: On writing ethnography. Chicago, Il: Univer- sity of Chicago Press. Walsh, K. M., & Blakeney, B. A. (2013). Nurse presence enhanced through equus. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 31( 2), 121–128. Yorke, J., Adams, C., & Coady, N. (2008). Therapeutic value of equine human bonding in recovery from trauma. Anthrozoös: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Interactions of People and Animals, 21 (1), 17–30.
Karen Stock is an Assistant Professor at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. She earned her Doctor of Management degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University following a 15-year career working in mul- tinational firms. She is a third generation horse owner whose research combines her love of horses with practical management applications that can be gleaned from such experiences. She can be reached at kstock@walsh.
David Kolb is the Chairman of Experience Based Learning Sys- tems, an organization he founded in 1980 to advance research and practice on experiential learn- ing. He received his BA from Knox College and his PhD from Harvard University. He was a professor of organizational behavior at the MIT Sloan School of Management and at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University where he is currently Emeritus Professor. He is best known for his research on experiential learning and learning styles described in the recently released 2nd Edition of his book, Experiential Learning. Other books include Becoming an Experiential Educator , Conversational Learn- ing , Innovation in Professional Education , and Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach. He has received several research recognition awards and four honorary degrees recognizing his contributions to experiential learning in higher education.
Equine-Assisted Experiential Learning 47
Stock, K.L. Kolb, D.A. Equine-assisted Experiential Learning
Course: Rhetorics and Composition (WSC 150)
University: Назарбаев Университеті
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