As someone who is proud to work within our NHS, I am committed to compassionate leadership, and influencing those around us by the way we lead. I can think of many examples throughout my career of times when the behaviour of and approach taken by leaders around me has influenced how valued and supported I feel in the process.
As a keen horse rider in my childhood, I was encouraged by a friend to try lessons again just as the covid pandemic was starting. A riding school local to me was still offering lessons, and it seemed one of the few things that could be done while maintaining strict social distancing and adhering to infection control precautions.
The toll of being in hospital all day meant that for many of us there was a desire to be outside whenever possible. The suggestion of riding lessons reignited a long-forgotten passion for horse care, and met my personal needs to learn, develop new skills and to set myself a challenge.
It wasn’t long before “lessons” weren’t enough, and I am fortunate now to own the horse of my dreams, and to be on a yard where I have made some of the best friendships of my life. One of the friends I have made also happens to by one of my regular coaches. A founder of EquiTeam she is forever known to me as ‘Super Squirrel’ and is the epitome of the compassionate leader that I try to be every day at my work, and when exploring the concept further, I was amazed at the links I could see between leadership theory in the NHS, and what makes a good, empathetic equestrian coach.
Equestrianism to Support Leadership Development
A search of the internet for Equestrian Leadership brings a multitude of articles about how equestrian experiences can improve leadership styles. Horses are a prey animal, and humans present a potential danger. Machackova (2020) discusses her return to horse riding and her need to be the “alpha mare” in her early riding lessons. With progress and experience she was able to experience the difference in response from the horse when her approach was to build trust and loyalty, with clear communication and empathy, rather than focusing on domination.
My own experiences have been similar – my horse is sensitive and easily overwhelmed, and as our relationship with each other has developed, so too has my understanding of the need to be patient, to modify my messages when they aren’t clear and to listen and understand the feedback he gives me.
The range of Equine Development and Team Building days available are testament to the opportunity for self-development when spending time with horses.
The outcome of developing deeper emotional intelligence, be aware of non-verbal cues and develop confidence while spending time with horses resonates with both corporate leaders who want to better support their team, and also with equestrians who have found psychological safety in our time with our horses.
What isn’t so easy to find is the leadership style needed for equestrian coaches who want to build a relationship with their clients that promotes rider independence while maintaining personal resilience.
Hasley (2025) reflected on the emotional impact of their role on equestrian coaches and looked to see how to balance the emotional investment from coaches and the myriad of changing roles they require to undertake for individual riders, and to minimise the risk of personal burnout and exhaustion at the same time.
Instructing or Coaching?
For many of us who rode as a child, there may be a memory of that scary instructor who you followed to the letter in your lessons. I know that it did not occur to me to ever say no, or to disagree – if I was told we were jumping higher then that’s what we were doing, despite any sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, or lack of personal self belief.
It did not always go the way it was planned, and I there were many occasions where I did indeed “look down” and ended up on my bottom in the arena. I learned the importance of following instruction and still within lessons I tend to follow instruction automatically rather than taking the time to plan and prepare for a transition or movement.
However, what this method doesn’t actively promote is skill acquisition for autonomous problem solving, or self awareness and recognising the reason for specific emotions.
Magelssen et al (2024) looked at reinforcement learning vs transitional skiing instruction and found that those who received coaching and feedback after each ski run evidenced greater improvements in their sport than those who received either traditional instruction, or those who had free choice with supervision only. They also found that the coached group demonstrated better retention of information and learning.
Within some evolved equestrian circles, there is a focus on repetitive learning which gradually builds on skills, confidence and ability, while promoting shared responsibility for learning between the coach and rider. EquiTeam offers opportunities for learning, mindset building and skill acquisition through an online community, as well as the opportunity to attend for 2-3 day confidence camps. The ethos behind both is for riders to take ownership of their individual needs, use the coaching support to build on existing ability and to continue to grow confidence, skills and knowledge out with the formal coaching environment.
It could be argued that EquiTeam’s coach utilises a similar approach to the one promoted by Magelssen, with a focus on building experiential learning using progressive learning, and encouraging self management and retention of physical and mental skills.
Using my own example, as a child I understood I needed to look where I was going when jumping. I didn’t realise that not only did looking down alter my centre of balance, but also told my horse that there was something on the ground that may harm us. Now, with the knowledge I have, I understand that looking up improves my position, shares clear directions with my horse and that I am responsible for practicing that approach every time I rider regardless of whether my coach is there or not.
Compassionate Leadership
Atkins and Parker (2012) identify four behaviours which are displayed by compassionate leaders in healthcare – attending, helping, understanding and empathising. Leaders who attend actively listen and engage with their team. They do not just hear the positives but also the challenges and frustrations that those they lead are experiencing. They help by removing obstacles and enabling team members to be able to meet their goals. They understand by unpicking situations to understand the challenges from their team member’s perspective and they empathise when faced with the range of emotions that team members experience.
West et al (2015) identifies that reduced stress is identified by team members who have clearly identified roles and positive leadership. Within equestrianism, McArthur, Boucher and Syrnyk (2024) demonstrated that horse riding was effective in stress reduction for teenagers during the Covid Pandemic.
Within the adult population, Kang and Yun (2016) were able to show a reduction in stress as evidenced by a 36% reduction in salivary cortisol levels following a riding lesson. There is little current evidence to explain the reasons why this effect occurs, although the benefits of endorphin release, exercise and emotional regulation are well known. An area for future exploration could be whether the focus and mindfulness promoted during a riding lesson help to reduce overall stress by role identification and leadership in the same way that West et al (2015) identified it in healthcare.
West (2021) further showcases that as compassion blurs the lines between self and other, inclusivity, mutual support and trust are higher in environments where leadership is compassionate. For equestrians, a teaching situation which has these positive factors will in return promote a better experience for coach and rider, as well as ensuring collaboration and shared goal setting.
Within all EquiTeam lessons, the goal for the lesson is agreed by both the coach ad rider at the start, normally using a SMART approach – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. As she is invested in helping build rider confidence and skill, EquiTeam’s coach will help to either modify the goal, or the timescale for achieving it if required. This compassionate leadership approach means that the rider feels involved and their level of skill recognised.
Conversely, there is also an opportunity to recognise the value that the coach brings during this goal setting, From my experience, the “feel” of a positive riding lesson is multifactorial and in affected not only by achieving the goals set out for the lesson, but by the relationship between coach and rider. Firth (2020) suggests that successful lessons are co-created, by the rider being prepared, having open two way communication during the lesson to ensure mutual understanding and by realistic goal setting.
EquiTeam’s approach to lessons includes encouragement to ask questions when unsure, to trust the process being used for learning and development and to be actively engaged in the lesson. Firth (2020) also recognises that learning cannot come from lessons alone, as riders need time to consolidate, practice and explore what works for them. This also aligns with the EquiTeam ethos with downloads available as a guide for ridden exercises to be done at home, templates to capture what went well and what needs to be worked on, and planner outlines for weekly organisation of riding and horse care. However, it is up to the member to take responsibility for which downloads they want, which templates they need and how they structure the week.
Although they may seem disparate entities, there are strong links between equestrianism and healthcare regarding the leadership approaches which encourage people to feel valued, supported and a partner in their own development. EquiTeam is an example of an organisation that not only celebrates compassionate leadership, but one which recognises the impact on the coach in having healthy collaborative relationships within the coaching environment.
Collective leadership promotes the learner taking ownership for their own learning and not being solely reliant on the leader. It aims to deliver improved engagement, teamwork, collaboration, performance and a more positive and supportive culture. Within equestrianism, the EquiTeam approach is a mirror image of this where riders are supported to develop the tools and knowledge they need to be responsible for their own learning which receiving constructive and supportive feedback, and this is done best when it is in conjunction with a mutually supportive relationship between coach and rider, and a commitment to work together with agreed goals and honest and open communication.
In a world where compassion is not seen as weak, and where organisations such as healthcare aim to have an approach which promotes the best experience for patients and staff, it is interesting to see a similar approach within equestrianism. It seems sensible that we should aim to learn from each other and promote learning environments where participants get the best experience, feel empowered and work collaboratively for agreed objectives. As the Dalai Lama states
“When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience.”
References
Atkins, P and Parker S, (2012), Understanding individual compassion in organisations: the role of appraisals and psychological flexibility, Academy of Management Review, 37(4)
Firth, H (2020) Making the most of your riding lessons, New Zealand Horse and Pony Equestrian Lifestyle
Hasley, E (2025), Emotional Labour in Equestrian Coaching
Kang, O and Yun, Y (2016), Influence of horse and rider on stress during horse-riding lesson program, Asian-Australas Journal of Animal Science, 22:29(6)
Machackova, T (2020), What horseriding has taught me about leadership, Terkins.medium.com
Magelssen, C, Gilgien M, Tajet S, Losnegard T, Haugen P, Reid R, and Fromer R (2024) Reinforcement learning enhances training and performance in skilled alpine skiers compared to traditional coaching instruction
McArthur, A, Boucher, A, and Syrnyk, C (2024), Brief report: Impact of a horseback riding lesson on youth well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, Journal of Equine Rehabilitation, 2
West, M, Armit K, Loewenthal L, Eckert R, West T and Lee A (2015), Leadership and Development in Healthcare: the Evidence Base, The King’s Fund
West, M (2021), What is Compassionate Leadership, The King’s Fund
