The Best Horse Sense

Here’s a chance to learn some leadership lessons while having some laughs.

This video is funny…

…but, then again, it’s not.

It’s funny because Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are wonderful comediennes. I just discovered this comedy team when this video was sent to me, but I remember Saunders from "Absolutely Fabulous" a few years back.

It’s also funny because most of us who have ridden have experienced the issues these characters faced. We laugh because we see ourselves in them.

For me, it’s not funny because it is true. I feel sorry for those characters. They so desperately want to have fun with their horses, but they have no idea how to fix their problems. And, since I look at these issues from a leadership perspective, I see many examples of lack of leadership between riders and horses. At the risk of ruining the comedy of a great piece, I am going to point out some leadership lessons we could learn from this video.

1. They take eight hours to catch their horses. As leaders, those two women are not providing a reason for the horses to come to them willingly. They try to catch Peter Pan and Jigsaw with bribes after they get tired of chasing after them. They can only catch the horses when the horses are cornered and tired of running. Horses can be taught to be caught.

2. Dawn asks to look at Peter Pan’s foot, but when he refuses, she accepts it and moves on. By asking for something and allowing the horse to refuse, she teaches the horse that it’s OK to ignore the rider.

3. Dawn spends a lot of time on Peter Pan’s tail, which likely feels good to him, and makes her feel better, but does little to improve their relationship. The outside of the horse shouldn’t be more important than what is in his head.

4. Jennifer can’t control Jigsaw’s speed and Dawn can’t get Peter Pan to move. Both of them try to talk to their horses, which is ineffective. As in most leadership situations, actions speak louder than words. They need to make their "go" equal to their "whoa."

5. While Peter Pan ignores her and grazes, Dawn imagines winning the Badminton 3-day event, but she has no idea on how to get there. When she can’t even get Peter Pan’s head up, she tells him he is wonderful anyway. Peter Pan knows that she is an ineffectual leader.

6. At the jumps, neither rider knows how to teach her horse how to jump. Peter Pan just stands in front of the jump and Jigsaw goes around. Neither leader knows how to help her horse learn what he needs to know.

7. When Jigsaw knocks down a jump, Jennifer calls him a stupid bugger. Of course, it’s her lack of leadership and direction for this horse that allows him to make mistakes. The rider needs to take responsibility for their team work.

8. Dawn continues to try to get Peter Pan’s attention by pulling on his reins, which just deadens the sensitivity to his mouth. It would be easier to get his head up by popping him on the butt. She’s using the wrong tools to communicate with her follower.

9. The riders give up on their horses and just do the jumps on foot. This is like a manager saying to a subordinate, "Oh, give it to me. It’s just easier if I do it myself."

Of course this is a comedy sketch and these characters are parodies, but the saddest thing about these characters is that there is so much potential to have a lot of fun with these horses. They could have a barrel of fun with a thimble of frustration, but they accept a thimble of fun after a barrel of frustration.

 Do you see yourself in any of these scenes? Let me know. Please leave a comment.