HALT - Horse Act Learning & Training
HALT starts from the following 4 principles of effective learning:
- Attention in the NOW | The horses take care of that like no other. They give us experiences in the Here and Now that we will never forget.
- Space for learning | Learning takes time, everyone has their own rhythm. Our system needs processing time to integrate new insights.
- Anchoring new insights | Mental learning moments alternate with moments of experience with the horses. Feeling is necessary to permanently anchor new insights in our system. Knowledge becomes 'knowing'.
- Commitment based on free will | Personal growth and awareness require that all our sensory gates open. Learning processes only start based on our own will.
So HALT! This also means effectively coming to a standstill. The horses help us with this and draw our attention 100% to the Here and Now, the only place where there can be real silence.
Lifelong learning from horses
Our learning model starts from the horse-man relationship, the connecting interaction between man and horse. It is a relationship based on trust, in which there is no room for dominance and insecurity. The foundations of this philosophy are: Respect and Trust, the building blocks of Leadership in horses.
The herd is an age-old and authentic system, shaped by evolution, that works perfectly. It is the essence of horse language. Respect ensures that we do not overstep the boundaries of others. Trust ensures that we dare to come out of our comfort zone and show our vulnerability. And those dynamics are exactly the same in humans and horses within their systems.
By anchoring this horse wisdom in our mind and body, we develop a unique and extremely valuable talent: Personal Leadership. It is an energetic compass that helps us in all facets of our lives: at home and in the workplace. It is the ability to energetically walk that thin line between 'give' and 'take', whereby our energy is optimally deployed to achieve our goals. It means being able to stand in your strength, always feeling the flow. Horses are our teachers here.
HALT is a process
The (neur)logical levels of Bateson and Dilts show us in a simple way what the HALT process looks like for companies, teams or individuals.
The logical levels are: environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs, values, identity and mission. These levels indicate different degrees from which we can think, feel, know and speak. The lower levels contain concrete matters and thoughts. The higher levels are more complex, abstract and provide insights and solutions. HALT follows Bateson's and Dilts' logical levels, from low to high:
1. Environment => Behavior => Skills
We start at the level of the context, which concerns concrete things that you can observe. One level higher we find behavior. This is the only level that is measurable and, together with the environmental level, it is the only level that is visible. Then we come to the level of skills, talents, qualities and emotions. Here we touch a person on a deeper level. Exploration of our possibilities, limitations and skills are contained in the ebook: The Silent Language, what people can learn from horses about Leadership, Authenticity and energy management.
2. Beliefs and Values
A step further we get to the level, where real changes are taking place. Beens and values are our motives and provide our energy to get moving. When you are at this level, you are motivating. Repowerment, consent and motivation provide us with an answer to the question: Why? Horse Act wrote the ebook: "Horsepower, which people can learn from horses about energy control and optimization".
3. Identity
The identity level is one of the most powerful domains to move people to something. Working at identity level is inspiring. As we go deeper into this level, we experience that true identity emerges, when words stop, beyond the self-concept. Silence can help with this. When you give words to an Identity, it becomes a conviction again. This is what our ebook speaks off: "Identity is what people can learn from horses about Freedom and Tolerance".
4. The mission of the mission
Here we arrived at the highest neurological level: Mission - Connection - Soul. Whoever works at this level is working around Purpose . Here you will discover what a person contributes to the world. The universe is so much bigger than our individual identity. Everyone is part of it and at the same time we are all a reflection of this greater whole.
