Shelly Whitlock-Pope, Ed.D., EGCM ™, CTRI, ESMHL, EAGALA ES
Renaissance Equine Gestalt Coaching
Introduction: The proposed project seeks to systematically observe and record the manner in which three distinct equine subjects, lacking specific training as equine Gestalt partners, engage with a sole client across multiple sessions. This inquiry endeavors to scrutinize each horse’s idiosyncratic approach to their Gestalt work, encompassing their temporal dynamics, expressions, and nuanced behaviors reflective of their individual dispositions.
Significance: The prevailing understanding of horses as sentient beings acknowledges their inherent capacity to assist humans. This study is dedicated to examining how the distinct personalities of horses manifest in their professional endeavors. Despite being an overlooked aspect, individual horses demonstrate varied approaches to Gestalt work, encompassing aspects such as timing, methodology, and nuanced interactions as they effectively collaborate with the equine Gestaltist and the client.
Purpose: The objective of this project is to systematically document, through careful observation, the distinct and individualized methods employed by horses in the equine Gestalt coaching process.
Setting and Participants: The project was carried out at a non-profit equestrian facility specializing in equine-assisted services, inclusive of equine Gestalt coaching. With a twenty-year track record encompassing therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, equine-assisted learning, veterans programming and other related services, the facility involved horses without prior experience as equine Gestalt partners in the study. A single new client was selected to partake in the study and engaged with three different horses throughout three distinct visits.
Capstone Description/Process: The client was a 60-year-old female. Sessions were three consecutive weekly sessions.
Capstone Results/Impact:
The first horse was a thirteen-year American Quarter Horse mare. The equine gestalt session took place outside in a round pen. The mare had experienced working at liberty in the outdoor arena a few times previously. This was her first time with a client in the round pen. The client entered the round pen to work through a polarity piece. The mare stood off to the side as the client moved back and forth from one side to the other of the ground pole. When the client realized her own “ah ha” and broke down with the revelation, the mare began to approach her but stopped. It was not until the client moved further away from the pole that the mare went to her. Interestingly the other side of the pole represented worry and the side she wanted to live on was freedom.
The second horse was an eighteen-year-old Appaloosa/draft cross gelding. The session took place at liberty in a 180 x 160-foot indoor covered arena. The coach, client and horse handler were seated in chairs inside the rails of the arena. Initially, the horse stood at the rail on the opposite side of the arena. The client participated in an empty chair piece and then was asked to walk toward the center of the arena to reflect on the work. The gelding immediately walked to the client, lining up his body first at the root chakra and then at the heart and throat, leeching, licking, and chewing. This process was slow and deliberate and went on for nearly ten minutes.
The third horse was a fifteen-year-old miniature horse, and the session took place in an indoor arena at liberty. The coach, client, and horse handler were seated in chairs at the corner of the area; the horse stayed with them in that corner throughout the session. Near the end of the piece the horse began to pick up objects, such as cones and bean bags nearby and began to toss them about playfully yet deliberately. To both the client and coach, the horse was communicating – enough! It is time to get rid of all the “stuff” and move on. The client then moved toward the center of the arena and magically led the horse around and through cones, signifying a new pathway built with confidence and joy.
Capstone Evaluation: It bears reminding that none of these horses had participated in a Gestalt Coaching Session before. The horses were of different breeds, ages and included both a mare and geldings. Each horse approached the work differently, yet in the mind of the coach and the client, each horse was masterfully successful in the work. The timing of the “ah ha” for the client and the deliberateness of the horse’s approach was different for all three, with the mare waiting the longest to make a firm statement. The timing accuracy of the horse in the process was evident in all three sessions. All three horses were remarkable in success/impact as interpreted by both the coach and client.
Future Directions: This project opens the door for EGCM™ practitioners and others working in the equine-assisted services field to be open to and allow for true partnership with the equines in the work. For the practitioner to be patient and to trust, while also allowing for individualization in the approach by their equine partners.
Acknowledgements: I am thankful for each and every horse that I have had the privilege of working with in my lifetime. May all humans work to protect the health and dignity of horses while appreciating their magic and power. I also wish to express my gratitude to Melisa Pearce as a person and mentor, and for developing the EGCM™
References:
Birkholzer, N. (2020). Horse Logic. Mindful Connections Press
Hayes, T. (2015). Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal. Saint Martin’s Publishing Group
Irwin, C. (2001). Horses Don’t Lie. Da Capo Press
Pearce, M., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2015). Equusology. Touched by a Horse, Inc.