Here’s an opportunity to enhance your leadership development, team effectiveness or executive coaching program with hands on equine experiential learning that has lasting impact. We welcome the opportunity to partner with you!
Horses are wonderful natural coaches. Our equine-assisted learning programs are intended to build community and team work, enhance leadership skills and increasing emotional resilience to change and challenge in today’s work environment.
There is a large and growing body of evidence that points to rising levels of anxiety and stress, as well as feelings of alienation and disconnection in the work place. While technology enables transactional communication at lightening speed, it is allowing us to push aside the face-to-face communication and interpersonal connection that are the core of our human nature and evolutionary past.
Last year, Morneau Shepell and The Globe and Mail conducted The Mental Health Experience in Canada’s 
Workplaces survey. Of the 1,575 responses received, an extraordinary 72% of respondents said they believed their mental health problem had or would negatively impact their careers.
Organizations are intricate bundles of relationships. They rise (and fall) on the strengths (or weaknesses) of these connections. At The Mane Intent, we use a range of on-the-ground, horse-based activities to help leader-managers and people at all levels learn more about themselves, navigate their relationships, and bring more of themselves to work. We invite them on unique journeys of self-discovery and transformation in the peaceful presence of our horse guides. No previous horse experience is required.
Our focus is on nurturing the ‘soft skills’ that people bring to their roles. These, we believe, are every bit as important as the technical or professional ‘hard’ skills required for effective leadership. This includes the ability to:
- Communicate effectively and intuitively, especially in crisis and organizational change
- Be aware of interpersonal relationships and our how our style impacts others
- Listen empathetically
- Make and keep the emotional connections with co-workers, managers, and direct reports that is fundamental to all human interaction and achievement, and
- Practice leadership presence and maintain poise in the midst of turbulence and change, and from that point, be naturally more creative and innovative.
Participants engage in a series of ground work exercises in partnership with horses (and facilitated by qualified professionals) that ultimately uncover interpersonal patterns and communication behaviours and patterns. Our experience includes activities that:
- Deepen your team’s understanding: (individually and collectively) of natural leadership, teamwork, connection, personal presence, trust, managing change and transition (and resistance), and effective communication.
- Help redefine the qualities of good leadership to create a compassionate, inspired workplace with increased performance outcomes.
- Enhance creativity by helping participants collaborate more effectively, stay present, understand resistance and foster the safe places for failure that are essential for thriving cultures of innovation.
- Build leadership resiliency by exploring the emotions that arise at work and learn to best manage them during times of high stress, and
- Strengthen teamwork by engaging in meaningful team building exercises with energy-sensitive horses responding in the moment to unseen group dynamics.
Your team will have access to our 80+ acre property. Participants tell us they feel restored after simply walking, breathing and connecting on the farm. We have a new indoor 9,100 square foot arena for equine activities and 20 acres of sugar bush with trails, large perennial gardens, a stone labyrinth, and beautiful vistas. We offer a relaxed, down-to-earth setting for teams to explore what’s possible, while connecting with horses and nature.
If this speaks to you — please contact Jennifer Garland at 705-295-6618 or jgarland@themaneintent.ca to learn more and explore a strategic alliance with The Mane Intent.
About the Author: Jennifer Garland is the Owner/Program Director of The Mane Intent, offering Health and Wellness Workshops and Individual and Team Effectiveness Coaching. Jennifer’s intent is to bring horses and humans together to explore new possibilities, getting you out of your comfort zone and giving clarity of voice to your leader within. She has over 25 years of leadership experience in communications, cause-related marketing and change management. As a strategist, facilitator and effectiveness coach, Jennifer has provided counsel and support to senior leaders from all walks of life to build productive relationships, facilitate learning and to embrace change. She is a ‘socialpreneur’ who values the art of living life fully with intent.
Book your experience today: 705-295-6618
