Equicoaching, do you know? It is a method of professional support assisted by the horse, which helps to know and understand oneself better. While she was going through a period of doubts, Marine had the opportunity to discover this personal development tool. She told Why Doctor about the benefits of her work with Jessica and the horse Cupid.
- Equicoaching is a method of personal development involving the horse as a partner. This helps participants to know themselves better, understand themselves or to become aware of their mode of operation and their relationships with others.
- Going through a period of loss of self-confidence, Marine had the opportunity to do a session in the riding center she frequents.
- From the following week, she was able to observe very positive effects: return of self-confidence, better positioning in relation to others and even less stress and fatigue.
Horse riding has been an integral part of Marine’s life since she was six years old. Very introverted child… the horse helped her reveal herself and accompanied her until adulthood. It is also this animal that supported her during a difficult period this year. How ? Thanks to equicoaching: a coaching method that uses the relationship with the horse to help individuals know themselves better, (re)discover their interpersonal qualities and skills or even work on their emotional intelligence.
Self-confidence and equicoaching: “I was in a period of doubt”
“I was in a period of my life where there were a lot of changes and I felt a little at odds with my abilities and my positioning to others. I was in a period of doubt. This impacted my work and my self-confidence”explains Marine.
An executive and responsible for several people, she was no longer able to have confidence in her skills and knowledge. “I knew I had to do something, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get what I wanted.”continues the manager.
As she faced these uncertainties, the proverb “chance would have it”, did not deny himself. An equicoaching session was canceled at the Touraine Cheval riding center that she has been attending for years. Knowing that Marine was having difficulties, Jessica, who leads these personal development sessions with the horse as mediator, offered her the slot. The horse enthusiast “grabbed the ball”. “I said to myself why not, maybe it could sort things out.”
This is how she met the horse Cupid.
“Your relationship with others is immediately highlighted with equicoaching”
Before working with Cupid, Marine discussed the difficulties she encountered with Jessica and what she hoped for from this session. For her part, the coach explained what the horse needed to interact with her as well as the different skills necessary to obtain things from him. “Afterwards, we went on the ride where she let go of Cupid.”
An equicoaching session is different from a riding lesson: the person does not ride the horse, the work is done remotely and on foot. “We do not expect physical performance from the horse, nor from ourselves. What matters is the bond that is created with the animal as well as the person who accompanies us”, explains the executive. Moreover, the exercises requested do not require any particular physical or mental skills; this type of coaching is accessible to everyone, even those who have never done horse riding.
Marine’s mission that day: either put Cupid in motion by obtaining a regular movement, or make him walk uniformly. But it’s not as simple as you think… even for seasoned riders. “First, we need to get it started. At first, he looks at you and seems to be saying to himself: what does this one want from me?laughs the forty-year-old.
“During the exercise, the relationship with the horse becomes the mirror of your behavior. Your relationship with others is immediately highlighted with equicoaching, because the horse does not lie. If you are in a complicated period, this will be brought to light. Whereas it would take more time to realize this with humans”recognizes Marine.
How did it go between Cupid and her? “He is very much a leader, he will seek the limits.” But despite the fears that this character gave rise to in Marine, the two “partners” managed to do what was asked. “At the end I crouched down in the quarry and he came towards me. He felt me. It was very moving. There was really osmosis during the session. We had created a bond.”
Equicoaching: “from the first session, there are effects”
Marine recognizes it: she participated in this personal development session without any particular expectations. Above all, she went there to discover. “It was ultimately a very good choice”she confides, “There is no need to do 10 sessions to see a result. From the first, there are effects.”
“With equicoaching, I managed to reconnect with what I was capable of doing, because I had almost immediate results with the horse. I obtained his consent in the relationship. This really helped me reassured.”
The benefits of the session were also visible almost immediately to the manager. “I felt an improvement in my professional posture, my relationships with others became more fluid.” She also observed changes at the physical level: “Before, I was tired, I had a stomach ache, I was stressed. The following week, things were better, I recovered and reconnected with the joy of going to work and being with my colleagues. It was really impressive”.
Communication, self-confidence, stress management, leadership… equicoaching allows you to work on many points. Convinced by her experience, Marine plans to do equicaoching again if she ever experiences difficulties again. “This has so many good results that you shouldn’t hesitate. It even made me want to offer a session to my loved ones.”
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