Today’s Wednesday Wisdom has been inspired by my horses as we have been involved in a number of near “misses” over the last few weeks, which could have gone spectacularly wrong and had a very different outcome if the horses hadn’t stayed calm when their emotions got high.
Charlie was the first to demonstrate the importance of staying calm in a crisis because what tends to happen is that when our emotions get high – through either fear or joy – then our rationale brain can stop working and we forget to think logically about what is happening, and as a result intelligence goes down.
At this time of year the grass has been growing quite fast so some areas of the horses paddock are fenced off with electric tape to prevent them entering the area. Within my two fields I had an area that needed reseeding so I had put up some electric tape (although it wasn’t electrified) to enable the grass to grow.
As I went into the field to get the horses for an event with a private client I saw Charlie had his head over the electric tape in an attempt to get the lush grass on the other side. Immediately, however I saw the problem. He had also managed to step over the bottom electric tape meaning that the tape was between his front feet. As I entered the field he stepped backwards but forget to lift his front foot up. The result was that the electric tape was wrapped round his foot.
I saw the panic rise in his eyes and calmly I told him to stand still. There was a urgency and directness in my tone and bless him he stood still so I could try and remove the tape. The challenge was the tape was so taut that I could not release it. (Now I know why cowboys carry knives!). It was exasperating trying to figure out a way to help him. In that moment I had to keep my emotions in check so that I could use all my intelligence to help find a solution to release him. The obvious solution would be to get him to walk forward and so slacken off the rope but Charlie was literally sitting on the floor with all his weight pulling against the rope. Luckily I managed to pull up some of the posts which gave me enough slack to get the rope off his foot. What a relief.
Charlie suffered a mild rope burn to his fetlock, just above his hoof, but when I think what could have happened we were so lucky. Charlie clearly demonstrated that in a difficult situation he could contain his emotions and trusted me enough to allow me to help him. He kept his intelligence in the face of adversity.
Bracken too has had her fair share of challenges over this last week. The first was during a demo I was holding for a group of local business owners. As we often do we start with a herd observation exercise where the group observe the horses and figure out which horses they are most drawn to and why. The horses were in the arena and as usual there were a number of obstacles in the arena for use in other exercises were doing that morning.
As we observed the herd Bracken decided that it would be a great idea to go and rub her backside on a jump wing that was holding up a pole. Everyone was laughing at her as she played her usual joker role and entertained the crowds. Not unsurprisingly the pole fell to the ground. No worries there but then the terror came over me at what happened next. Bracken has a really big, bushy tail and in rubbing her butt on the jump stand she got the jump cup that the role rests on stuck in her tail. So as she moved away from the jump post she dragged it with her. My heart leapt to mouth as I knew the consequences of what could happen. If Bracken panicked and started running she would think she was being chased by the jump stand and all hell could let loose. Thankfully again I called to Bracken to stand still and she did. Then as I approached she started moving but thankfully the jump cup became disentangled from her tail and fell away. Another serious accident – one none of us could have foreseen – averted.
Contrast this with her sheer joy this morning at being able to get into the field with lush grass. As some of you might remember from my previous post Sometimes You Need A Different Perspective, the horses currently have to really think to find the exit from their field. This morning Bracken and Toby couldn’t figure out that they needed to retreat 50 metres into the field to get onto the other side of some other electric fence so they could and then get out the field. So I went and caught Bracken and Toby and led them back into the field so I could lead them out into the lush grass. As we turned the corner Bracken immediately realised she could get the lush grass. It was just 50 metres ahead of her. What she forget in her sheer excitement was that she had a halter on and I was on the end of the rope. In that moment of her emotional high all her intelligence left her as she decided to try and run away and the dance on two back feet!. Not very clearly. I calmly asked her to stand still and dropped my energy so as to calm her. She stood still but when we started to walk she decided to run again. I asked her to stop and we stood still. It took a long time to reach that lush grass simply because in her excitement she had lost all perspective and intelligence and forgotten how to behave.
So my question to you today is how do you respond when things don’t go to plan?. Do you panic and forget any logical reasoning as your intelligence drops or can you regulate your emotions, stay calm and react in methodical way.
I love how my horses are always teaching me new things and this week I learnt how I can stay calm in an emergency and respond in a measured way that keeps everyone safe. I also learnt how by calming my energy I can help my horses manage their emotions. Plus I also love how much my horses trust my judgment in these challenging situations and know that I am there to help them.
As always share your thoughts with me on facebook or email me and let me know how this post has impacted you and you can put into place what you have learnt in the workplace.
Wishing you a flow filled week.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
