What is Equine Inspired Coaching?

“Bless those who challenge us to grow,

to stretch, to move beyond the knowable,

to come back home to our elemental

and essential nature.

Bless those who challenge us,

for they remind us of doors we have

closed

and doors we have yet to open.”

~ Navajo saying

COACHING:

Question: What is Coaching?

Answer: Coaching is founded on the belief we are all creative and resourceful, and inherently hold the answers we need to thrive in our own unique way. Accessing that wisdom often requires practice, as well as an objective view point.

Coaching is an ongoing professional partnership between you and a qualified coach designed to support the achievement of your goals and desired results in an extraordinary way. It is primarily about discovery, awareness and choice to increase personal and professional fulfillment. The coaching process effectively empowers people to find their own answers while encouraging and supporting them on the path as they continue to make important choices.

Question: Why would I go to a coach?

Answer: Coaching is powerful tool to gain awareness, clarity and create change in your life. As such, there are many reasons you or your team may choose to work with a coach. Those may include:

•

searching for direction, clarity and purpose

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challenged with life or career transitions

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need for accelerated results

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motivated to achieve a specific goal

•

experienced a set back, or extreme success that require reassessment of

priorities

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work and life are out of balance and too complicated

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striving to be more effective and more satisfied

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self-management, organization and decision making could be improved

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knowledge, skill or confidence gap

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more balance, joy, peace of mind, simplicity, quality of life

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less stress, financial pressure, confusion

Question: What will I get out of it?

Answer: Every client brings personal goals to the process and has their unique passion to discover. And, like everything else, the results are commensurate with the effort invested. You will gain new perspective, new tools and skills to integrate into your life. Your goals will be clear, which makes decision making and life balance much more achievable. You will gain confidence as you experience positive results in your personal and professional fulfillment and goals.

Question: Does the coach tell me what to do?

Answer: The coaching relationship holds the power, not the coach. That means that you define all of the goals and focus for you or your team. The coach is specially trained to listen in specific ways, to ask questions, make observations and provide concepts and principles which can assist in generating possibilities and identifying actions.

Question: Is Coaching like Therapy?

Answer: Coaching is like therapy in that it is a relationship between a qualified professional and a client. However, coaching is different than therapy in several key areas. First, the emphasis of coaching is on action, accountability and follow through. Second, the client is the expert who defines all goals and outcomes; the coach does not have any expectations of the client other than they do what is most important to them.

While coaching supports personal and professional growth and development based on the pursuit of specific actionable outcomes, therapy focuses on healing pain, dysfunction and conflict. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past which hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present. Coaching is focused on forward moving, thinking, feeling, being and doing.

Question: How long does Coaching take?

Answer: The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the types of goals, client preferences, frequency of sessions, and the financial resources available to support the coaching. For some specific goals, 3 to 6 months may be sufficient. For other types of goals, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period.

PROGRAMS:

Question: How do I choose whether I want Transformative Coaching or Equine Inspired Coaching?

Answer: Once you and Rachel have identified your goals and desired outcomes, she will help guide you through the coaching process. Coaching is an opportunity to accelerate your learning and growth by receiving objective feedback from a specially qualified third party. Equine Inspired Coaching is a fast track to that learning, because there is not only a qualified coach, but also and a natural born leader.

Question: What is the advantage of Transformative Coaching?

Answer: For remote clients, who are not able to come to the farm, Transformative Coaching is a powerful way to achieve the accelerated results from a coaching relationship.

Question: What is the advantage to Equine Inspired Coaching?

Answer: The most significant advantage to you is the opportunity to explore and practice new skills in a safe environment with real-time feedback. You don't have to wait for the situation to arise in your daily life to practice a skill you talked about in a session - we create the scenario so that you can explore and hone the skills. That means that the learning is greatly accelerated and can be transferred directly to your life when you leave each session.

Question: How do the horses participate? What do the horses do?

Answer: The horses interact with you in a myriad of ways, depending on the scenario and whether the session is structured or un-structured. A series of simple exercises such as putting on a halter, leading and grooming the horses create fantastic opportunities for learning. For instance, if you are not focused, the horses may want to walk away from them. The human facilitator participates as a translator and as a guide to help you make meaning of the experiences. Please read about why the horses make the program so effective.

Question: Do I have to ride?

Answer: Absolutely not! Our horse partners interact with you as a participant in the activities which can be done mostly on the ground. As the sessions progress, and as you build confidence and trust with the horses, it may become appropriate for you to ride the horses under direct supervision.

Question: Is it all hard work?

Answer: Personal development and growth require commitment and courage, and we create a safe and supportive environment to do the "hard work." Since all of us need to learn to care for and nurture ourselves, relax and play, that is woven into your exercises and activities. The beauty and harmony of the farm is also an amazing catalyst for growth.

Question: Is it true that the horse will know I am afraid?

Answer: The horse will know you are afraid, angry, or sad, even if you do not. That is a piece of the power of collaborating with a partner whose skills are so drastically different than your own. It is also one of the most profound strengths of the approach.

Question: Do I have to know anything about horses?

Answer: Nope! You need to know that you are committed to personal or professional growth. The human and horse facilitators will guide you through the rest.

Question: Do I need to wear anything in particular?

Answer: For Equine Inspired Coaching, no special equipment is required. Participants should wear long pants (jeans), protective closed toe shoes, and a shirt. Otherwise, dress appropriately to be inside and outside - layers are encouraged in the winter and sunscreen all year round.

Question: Can the program be customized to the needs of our team, organization, or group?

Answer: Absolutely! We are adept at partnering with each client and creating programs for individuals as well as groups. The sessions can be structured or un-structured, depending on the goals and preferences of the client(s).

Question: Do I have to come to the farm?

Answer: Transformative Coaching is offered at the farm, or over the phone. Equine Inspired Coaching occurs at our facility in Maple Valley, Washington.

GENERAL:

Question: Where are you located?

Answer: We are located in Maple Valley, Washington, south-east of Seattle. While we are located in the country, we’re only 35 minutes from the Sea-Tac airport and 45 minutes from downtown Seattle.

Question: Can I bring my dog to the farm?

Answer: We do not allow dogs on the property in order to prevent distractions and potential safety issues. We have a pack of 3 dogs on the farm that can also participate in our work, so please let us know if you are uncomfortable with dogs and would like to address that. If you would like to see pictures of them to get to know them a bit before you visit, please visit our Photo Gallery.

Question: Are there things to do if I am waiting for someone?

Answer: Yes, there are designated waiting areas on the farm, as well as plenty of things to do nearby. Three miles away from the farm is a wonderful walking trail along the Cedar River. If you head into Maple Valley, (about 4 miles) there are coffee houses as well as grocery shopping, a public library, restaurants and one of the few wheat free bakeries in Western Washington! Sunny Valley Wheat Free Bakery has fantastic cakes, cookies, breads and meals, even if gluten isn't an issue for you. You can also head into Issaquah, (approximately 10 miles) where there is a larger variety of options available to you.

Question: Why is it called Redtail Farm?

Answer: We have a family of Red Tail Hawks that shares our space and we enjoy their presence so much, we wanted to honor them. They are always out doing chores with us, and their beautiful cry is so much a part of "home" that we miss it when we leave.

If you have a question that we haven’t answered here, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Redtail Farm

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Maple Valley, Washington