The Horse Institute

So son #1 started a new job on Monday and things have been a bit rocky. Seems they threw him in to a new situation with very little direction, surrounded by lots of co-workers stressed by impending deadlines and thus no time to bring him up to speed.

The result? He was overwhelmed, felt unwelcome and somehow managed to think the entire botched entry was his fault. Now I know I was only hearing one side of the story (and that side might have been a bit exaggerated as well as exasperated) but I do think that the powers that be at his new company might have benefited from an outing to The Horse Institute in Ancramdale, new York.

The Horse Institute, founded and owned by leading corporate trainer Marie-Claude Stocki and her husband Larry, develops programs for organizations based on equine-assisted learning. They promote concepts like teamwork, leadership, communication and creativity by having the participants work with horses.

No joke. Here's an example. A team of nurses from a hospital had a series of tasks to perform with the horses. The first was to place a halter on the horse they nicknamed Big Brown. The problem was none of them had any idea how to do it.

But gradually they figured it out. Running after the horse only drove him away. Eventually the horse came over and introduced himself to the group. Trying to halter him too quickly after that also drove him away. The eventual solution was to wait for the horse to introduce himself, spend some time getting to know him and then try and place the halter on the horse.

Sounds like a technique that would have worked pretty well on son #1, who, like all new hires, is certainly eager to please. The problem was nobody gave him a chance to introduce himself and get settled before they literally and figuratively threw a rope over him and pulled pretty tight.

What would be your response? Pull harder in the opposite direction, which is just what he did.

It seems that horses have a lot to teach us about human interactions if we just pay attention. "The horses mirror you; the horses mirror your intentions," says Stocki. and in showing you what you think, they may teach you to think twice before throwing a noose around anyone's neck.

Of course if anyone could only get the firm to "pony up" for the training I think everyone would be better off.....