What horses have taught me about leadership
A true boss mare does the work and knows how to protect the herd.
Note: This piece is an updated version of another column I wrote for a small community newspaper where I serve as editor. I wrote that piece in advance of the Nova scotia provincial election, which was on Nov. 26. Still, I think its message resonates when the ballots are done being counted.
I have been taking horseback riding lessons for a little more than four years. For the past two years, I’ve been working with a trainer who is teaching me every little detail not only about riding horses, but about how horses behave. That includes how horses behave in a herd.
At the farm where I ride, there are several paddocks, each with its own herd of all mares, except during foaling season when there are colts running around. Now, mares are smart and a bit tougher to work with than geldings, but once you have their trust, a rider and a mare can make an incredible team.
In one paddock there are two mares always fighting it out to be the lead mare, or what is known as the boss mare, of that herd. But these two mares have very different leadership styles. One of the mares is opinionated, works hard, and doesn’t mind getting dirty. I frequently see her in the paddock standing in the pouring rain or a complete mess after rolling in the mud. I once had to go get her as she stood atop a pile of manure, overlooking her paddock.
The other mare hates the mud and rain, is kind of lazy, but is confident and wants to be the boss. So, there are frequent skirmishes between the two to fight for who’s the boss mare. The first horse usually wins. Her mother was a boss mare, too.
A few weeks ago, I took a course on horse behaviour during which I learned more about herd dynamics. Now, these horses at the farm are domesticated, so the arguments the mares have among themselves would play out differently if they were living in the wild. There are no predators in paddocks, but the consequences in the wild are real.
According to the trainer, that first horse that is opinionated, hard working, and doesn’t mind getting dirty, is also a confident and highly observant horse. In the wild, that means she would look after the other horses in the herd and help get them away from predators. Horses, after all, are prey animals, despite their strength and speed.
The second horse that hates the rain and mud and just wants to be boss rarely notices what happens around her. Unlike the other mares, this horse doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings and really doesn’t care about much at all. That makes her a solid lesson horse sometimes as she doesn’t spook; that’s especially good for first-time riders, including children.
But in the wild, the lack of awareness of surroundings and careless attitude would put the rest of the herd in danger. That horse would simply give up too soon and let a predator eat her and her herd mates.
So, what does all of this have to do with leadership and people? Well, even though people are predators, humans as leaders need to have similar skills as horses to survive. Of course, there are certainly predator-prey dynamics among humans.
As I mentioned above, I wrote this piece in advance of a provincial election. So, whenever there’s an election now, I think about what I have learned from horses.
Do I want a leader who is willing to get dirty, do the work, pay attention to their surroundings, and look out for others? Or do I want a leader who just wants to be the boss?
I hope you all don’t work too hard thinking about what your answer would be.
As always, thank you for reading,
Suzanne