Not very widespread, the technique of equicoaching is attracting more and more companies and individuals looking for well-being, self-confidence or even team cohesion. Explanations.
Horses running free, a unique setting and a lot of respect, these are the words that define the stables of La Paguère, located in Montaut-les-Créneaux. In addition to its boarding business, its owner, Stéphanie Sist, offers horse-coaching. This is a “not revolutionary but innovative” technique offered to individuals and businesses alike. It is made to work on self-confidence, leadership or even team cohesion with the help of horses and professionals like Stéphanie Sist.
“The horse is the mirror of what we are,” says Stéphanie Sist, who explains that this animal is a sensitive, empathetic being who is able to feel the beating of the human heart several meters away. According to her, “no one can lie to a horse because he feels and perceives everything”. “We ask our customers to no longer think with the brain but to let everything go through the stomach and the heart”, explains the passionate and equicoach.
She explains that if a person doesn’t act “too sure of himself” with a lot of confidence, the horse will not like it and may be aggressive or categorically refuse to share a moment with him. “It’s a job between the horse, the client and the equicoach because we have to read the animal and understand what it feels to accompany the client well”, adds the coach from Gers.
Mitigate trauma and reduce disorders
If Stéphanie Sist organizes days with companies (charged 500 euros per participant), she also works with individuals. “The horse has the power to appease and help certain people”, indicates the owner of the stables. She has been following for some time an 11-year-old girl diagnosed with ADHD, that is to say suffering from difficulty concentrating, impulsiveness and agitation. “It was a real trigger for her, she has a real connection with the horse which helps her to keep her attention and to concentrate”, explains the equicoach. She who observes the relationship between the horse and the child sees that “when she thinks too much with her brain, the animal leaves and refuses the exercises”.
The two horses have returned to the paddock where they will spend their summer with unlimited grass.
For other people, just sitting with the horse may be enough. This is the case of a lady, suffering from breast cancer and undergoing regular chemotherapy. “She came and the horse helped her directly. There is no judgement, he accepts people as they are and that’s what makes him a sensitive and attentive being”, explains Stephanie Sister. “For this client who recently learned that she should have this treatment for life, coming here to the horses is a necessity to relearn how to love and accept herself,” adds the stable manager.
An activity that Stéphanie Sist wishes to continue and accentuate “to help as many people as possible to feel better thanks to the contribution of the horse on the man”.