Editor's Note
Welcome to Equine Leadership 2 (2nd issue). So thankful you stopped by to have a look at this publication and get a glimpse into a new way of leadership. The equine way. My name is Lynda Watson and Equine Leadership has been a labour of love and a passion for me since it started with the premier issue February 2016. That issue has been seen by folks all around the globe and viewed over 5,000 times. In creating Equine Leadership I have learned many things: trust more, let go, open myself up to other’s ideas and feedback, and follow my own path – wherever it takes me. My life has been spent with horses, living in their world on my own farm as well as looking after other’s farms. I have been honoured to be included in the herd, shown their nuances and receive their vital wisdom. When I need comfort, honesty and peace I head to the horses.
When I started the process of this issue of Equine Leadership I fully trusted my intuition and it told me not to start with a ‘theme’. And so I did not. I trusted that the right articles would come and the premise would show itself. It actually wasn’t until a short few days before publication that I was speaking to one of the contributors that the 'theme' presented itself. Wisdom that is vital for our present global climate. I saw it, each article is an insight into how we can live and thrive in the moment that we live in, here and now. Pat Hutchinson tells us ‘Why Horses’ in her article of the same name. Why and how are horses here to support and help us? Graeme Green takes us on a mindful equine journey in his piece; ‘A Word from the Mindful Horse’. As we navigate change we must look after and honour ourselves. Greif became a prominent topic in what our writers (and their horses) had to say. ‘In a Way Our Hearts Can Hear’ we hear Heart Medicine Woman recount the story of one of our young members of society sharing with a horse and releasing her grief. In ‘Love, Anxiety & Labels, Jennifer Steers shares three horse/human sessions. One of them tells how her horse teachers helped her client move past grief and learned to love again. Moving between emotions freely is called emotional agility. This topic is beautifully articulated in Dorothy Chiotti’s article ‘Thaw’. Moving from just surviving to fully thriving. Becci Godrey shares how she and her horses work with women in her article ‘Women’s Empowerment’ to help today’s women share their voice, improve their communication and live a balanced life. When we move through these emotions we move to a place of leadership, of self and perhaps of others. Several articles on leadership presented themselves for this second issue. In the present global climate we need leadership that is heart based, compassionate and wise. The horses lead the way in these articles. In Agata Wiatrowska’s Leadership and Followership we see the necessity in leading and following from a place of authenticity. In Jude Jennison’s Leading thru Uncertainty she touches on how leadership must evolve in these uncertain times and the horse can lead us to a brighter more productive future for all. Of course to be in any of these moments of growth we need to feel that space is being held for us. This is of utmost importance for us to evolve as individuals and as a global society. We have Victoria Sambleson back and her article, ‘Being Heard’ is a story and a guideline on how to truly hold space for another. “Just think of the horses.” I truly believe horses are ‘agents of social change’ and in my article I posit a theory on that and explain how they can support us in the transformation to peaceful and positive change for ALL.
This is my place in this publication to thank each and every one of the contributors for their words and how they reached deep within to find the right wisdom to share at the right time. I know they went to the horses to ask for their wisdom. So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to the horses. All of them that are here now, that have come before and will come after. My gratitude also for sharing your knowledge and your essence in numerous photos. You show us a new (or very old) way of seeing life, leadership and letting go. Also, thank you to YOU for showing up, opening this publication and sharing this moment with all of us. May the horses (and their stewards) bring you hope, joy and peace.
We are offered positive and peaceful possibilities when the horse leads the way.
When I started the process of this issue of Equine Leadership I fully trusted my intuition and it told me not to start with a ‘theme’. And so I did not. I trusted that the right articles would come and the premise would show itself. It actually wasn’t until a short few days before publication that I was speaking to one of the contributors that the 'theme' presented itself. Wisdom that is vital for our present global climate. I saw it, each article is an insight into how we can live and thrive in the moment that we live in, here and now. Pat Hutchinson tells us ‘Why Horses’ in her article of the same name. Why and how are horses here to support and help us? Graeme Green takes us on a mindful equine journey in his piece; ‘A Word from the Mindful Horse’. As we navigate change we must look after and honour ourselves. Greif became a prominent topic in what our writers (and their horses) had to say. ‘In a Way Our Hearts Can Hear’ we hear Heart Medicine Woman recount the story of one of our young members of society sharing with a horse and releasing her grief. In ‘Love, Anxiety & Labels, Jennifer Steers shares three horse/human sessions. One of them tells how her horse teachers helped her client move past grief and learned to love again. Moving between emotions freely is called emotional agility. This topic is beautifully articulated in Dorothy Chiotti’s article ‘Thaw’. Moving from just surviving to fully thriving. Becci Godrey shares how she and her horses work with women in her article ‘Women’s Empowerment’ to help today’s women share their voice, improve their communication and live a balanced life. When we move through these emotions we move to a place of leadership, of self and perhaps of others. Several articles on leadership presented themselves for this second issue. In the present global climate we need leadership that is heart based, compassionate and wise. The horses lead the way in these articles. In Agata Wiatrowska’s Leadership and Followership we see the necessity in leading and following from a place of authenticity. In Jude Jennison’s Leading thru Uncertainty she touches on how leadership must evolve in these uncertain times and the horse can lead us to a brighter more productive future for all. Of course to be in any of these moments of growth we need to feel that space is being held for us. This is of utmost importance for us to evolve as individuals and as a global society. We have Victoria Sambleson back and her article, ‘Being Heard’ is a story and a guideline on how to truly hold space for another. “Just think of the horses.” I truly believe horses are ‘agents of social change’ and in my article I posit a theory on that and explain how they can support us in the transformation to peaceful and positive change for ALL.
This is my place in this publication to thank each and every one of the contributors for their words and how they reached deep within to find the right wisdom to share at the right time. I know they went to the horses to ask for their wisdom. So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to the horses. All of them that are here now, that have come before and will come after. My gratitude also for sharing your knowledge and your essence in numerous photos. You show us a new (or very old) way of seeing life, leadership and letting go. Also, thank you to YOU for showing up, opening this publication and sharing this moment with all of us. May the horses (and their stewards) bring you hope, joy and peace.
We are offered positive and peaceful possibilities when the horse leads the way.