When the red horse spoke: Bringing learning with horses from dream to reality

As more and more people discover that learning with horses is a powerful way of putting leadership theory into practice, this book is full of ideas and information for all those who are, or would like to be, doing this work. 'When the red horse spoke' is the very personal story of how Beth Duff took learning with horses into the corporate environment. It describes her early experiences with Chelsea, the red horse who spoke and inspired the dream and then goes on to explain how she made that dream into a business with the launch of the red horse speaks in 2004, the first learning with horses programme in Scotland and now internationally recognised as a leader in this field. There is plenty of practical advice on topics such as business planning, sales and marketing for those who want to set up a similar business or indeed launch and gain credibility for any innovative product or service. There is also some specific advice on the care and welfare of horses involved in this work. The book contains the results of the research that Beth has done so far including some of the first measurements of the impact that horses can have on humans and describes some of the challenges involved in finding a suitable establishment for doing leading edge research. And, of course, there are inspiring stories too about the magic of learning with horses and the profound effect these magnificent animals can have on people of all ages and abilities.

Since setting up her own company in 1990, Beth has worked world wide delivering leadership programmes and consultancy to support the growth of people and organisations. When she bought Chelsea she fulfilled a childhood dream to own a horse but had no idea that Chelsea would inspire a whole new dream. Instead of heading for semi-retirement as she had planned, Beth expanded her business to include Chelsea and her equine friends when she launched the red horse speaks programme in 2004. These days she works alongside horses worldwide to teach leadership and personal development to clients of all ages and abilities, finding it to be the perfect complement to the classroom learning she has always offered. As a result of all the positive feedback the red horse speaks programme has received from participants, Beth is currently working to measure the impact of horses on human learning for a PhD. She is co-founder of the Equine Guided Coaches Circle and is a member of the Association for Coaching, NARHA and EFMHA on whose membership committee she serves. Due to the success of Beth's work and innovative research, the red horse speaks is internationally recognised as a leader in the field of learning with horses and Beth is frequently asked to speak at conferences as well as being sought after as a teacher by others who want to work this field. Having made her dream into a business, Beth enjoys helping other entrepreneurs who want to market and gain credibility for innovative products. She lives on a small farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with her husband, Aidan, her six horses and a three legged cat. She sits on Aberdeen University's Careers Service Employers Board and serves on Aberdeenshire Children's Panel. In her spare time, she enjoys riding and gardening.