A coaching program was conducted by Isabelle Hasledar, a certified leadership coach and Vidhushi Karnani, a tenth-grade horse enthusiast for around 20 youngsters, who were part of The Bhavishya Yaan, a student enrichment program of the Rotary Club of Bombay on November 26th.
Isabelle, a corporate management trainer who trains with horses, stated, “horses react to what you communicate non-verbally.”
“Therefore, when you learn to communicate well with the horse and lead him/her, you automatically learn to pay attention to your body language and other communication skills,” she added. “The idea also is to put into practice what you learn
and stay motivated.”
Isabelle, who was born in Austria, has called India her home for the past 12 years. She focuses on involving horses in her training programs by using exercises that encourage leadership skills, such as co-leading horses through obstacles, getting them to move in the direction you want them to, and other similar tasks.
The objective is to inspire the trainees to conquer fear and gain self-assurance through riding. The Bhavishya Yaan affiliates have participated in the Youth Equine Leadership Program for the second year in a row.
Vaibhav Patil, a former student of The Bhavishya Yaaan who was attending it for the second time, stated, “one needs to have a sense of direction and clarity while riding. These are the things that we learn when we interact with the horses. It is a good way to be in tune with your own sense of direction.”
When Samikhsa Patil first sat on the horse, she was terrified. She was eager to ride once more, however, and the fear soon subsided.
“I am a little more confident now. This was the first time I saw a horse up close. Before this, I had seen them only in movies,” said Patil.
“We make horses walk through obstacles with two youngsters. This teaches them to trust others,” added Isabelle.
“I have spent 10 years with these youngsters. They are very bright and some have already made it to big companies,” said Jaya Prasad, mentor of The Bhavishya Yaan project at N M Joshi Marg School.
“Today’s program will surely teach them how to focus, communicate and most importantly how to be a team player.”
