Wow!
What an amazing morning we had with the guys from The Prince Consort Hotel. As huge supporters of Life with Horses we couldn’t wait to get them out to Timbertops Park and show them the amazing work they are supporting.
Welcome
The Prince Consort Hotel senior team arrived at Timbertops Park for a unique equine experience. We all made our introductions as handlers, and of course, introduced the stars of the show, Scallywag, Ducky and Prince Brinky.
We gave the team a run-down on each of our thoroughbreds, including their racing and post-racing history, their injuries and their rehabilitation journeys.
Shaking off the city
Once everyone was ready, we led the group into a grounding exercise. This allowed the attendees a bit of space and time to relax and shake off any stress or tension they may have been carrying from their work or home life. Next, a controlled breathing exercise introduced the team to the experience and focused on opening up to the surrounding environment using their five senses. We asked everyone to concentrate on what made them feel happy, calm and/or relaxed as we took a moment to appreciate the beautiful country environment.
Safety First
It was time to talk safety. It was important to ensure attendees understood the importance of setting clear boundaries with the horses. This meant being aware of what was happening around them, understanding how the horses communicated and how to pick up on the horses’ cues.
Meeting the horses
Letting the horses smell and accept each individual can be tough for some people and around half of the attendees admitted to feeling nervous having such large animals approached them. There were a few uneasy faces as they got the once over from the horses, but that soon turned to bonding, patting and friendly scratching as the horses and humans warmed to each other.
Following my lead
The fun and conversation was flowing and everyone was fully embracing the experience as we started one-on-one time leading the horses. Each team member used their body to lead, turn and stop their horse safely. Through leadership and communication exercises, the horses and humans bonded and better understood the importance of building trust. Towards the end of the session, everyone rewarded the horses with some carrots before we demonstrated some of our tricks, like kisses, hugs, bows and dancing. Our audience was suitably impressed.
Teamwork
Our last activity of the day (and the most fun) had each team member riding the horses as they were led by the handlers. They gave the riders tips on how to keep the horses in a controlled walk. Once the riders were comfortable we gave the lead to one of their own team members to guide their colleague around the arena. It’s our favourite part of a team building day to watch the trust, leadership and teamwork that this exercise instantly creates. At this point, some of the quieter personalities were encouraged to step up and support their teammate, through the connection with the horses. The feeling of camaraderie was amazing and after more carrots and photos, no one wanted to leave.
We would like to thank the team from the Prince Consort Hotel for all of the joy they brought to us and our precious healing horses. We loved hearing that the staff continue to talk about the session and the benefits it provided for the team. We can’t wait to have them back at Timbertops Park for another session.
