Leadership, Teamwork & Horses

Building our leadership and teamwork skills through equine activities at Whiterock Peak

The BeKonstructive Marketing team recently had the opportunity to take part in one of Whiterock Peak’s Equine Assisted Learning programs, focused on building leadership and teamwork skills. This was perfect timing for us, as our team has recently expanded from 3 people to 7. The program was a fantastic way for our new team members to get to know each other while developing core skills that they will need for their positions.

Whiterock Peak offers a unique method for skills development based on experiential learning with horses. The current workshops they hold are based on research from The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning. Horses are wise mentors as they consistently react to the stimulus provided by participants. They respond to people’s intentions, emotions and thoughts that are transmitted unconsciously through body language. They make Whiterock Peak’s workshops engaging, fun, challenging, and truly memorable.The BeKonstructive Marketing team was thrilled to undertake the program as many of us haven’t interacted with a horse in years. The experience was magical, and our team ended up learning about patience, confidence, teamwork, empathy, and of course we got to know more of Richie’s, Wrangler’s, and Usher’s personality, followed by plenty of petting and affection.

“As an employer, I found the Whiterock Peak workshops really valuable. It was great to get some insight into the different styles of leadership that each team member uses, and to see how each of them approached each activity/problem that required team work to complete. I’d highly recommend Whiterock for any employer or team leader who wants to learn more about their team members, and get a feel for where each person excels. Personally, I also really enjoyed the activities – it was interesting to also discover where my own strengths lie! 

– Bek Drayton, Managing Director

Horses can teach a variety of aspects that humans can’t, such as assertiveness, honesty, kindness, clear communication, and trust. While the horses were the teachers, Michelle and Amanda who are Whiterock Peak’s qualified facilitators guided and supported us throughout the whole experience.

The experience allows team members to learn about regulating their emotions, improving their communication, and working together to achieve the desired outcomes.

I really enjoyed the experience at Whiterock Peak last Friday. The team building exercises were fantastic, and I felt as though I was able to make a great connection with my partner, who I had not spent a lot of time with previously. One of the biggest things I learned during the experience at Whiterock Peak was to try to view challenges as problems to be solved. When my partners (Sofia and our fantastic horse for the day, Wrangler) and I were starting to get frustrated with a task I was able to step back and think of the task as a problem-solving challenge. By stepping back and reassessing what needed to be done, what the problem standing in the way of completing it was, and figuring out how to get to where we needed to be, I was able to contribute more effectively to the team.

– Kate Walters, Social Media Coordinator

BeKonstructive is grateful for this wonderful experience, which empowered all of us as a team, and we would entirely recommend it to other companies that are looking to build up their leadership and teamwork skills. Learn more about Whiterock Peak and their equine assisted learning programs on their website.