Equicoaching: learning from horses with Céline Campo.
Strasbourg-Europe
28 Sep 2023
Every year, students at the Icam Strasbourg-Europe site take part in the Soft Skills Seminar to discover new skills and enrich not their technical knowledge, but their knowledge of themselves and others. Céline Campo, a guest speaker at the site, makes her mark with a workshop like no other.
Who is Céline Campo ?
Originally a teacher, Céline went on to train in neuro-pedagogy to understand our learning and inking processes, as well as the elements that help or hinder memorization. The result: we retain things better when they are not only linked to emotions but also inked by the body, since the body learns before the brain!
A lifelong horse-riding enthusiast, Céline learns best from horses, and spent a year training in equi-coaching. Today, she includes equicoaching in her training courses.
After 7 years of practice at university, she joined the Icam team as head of educational innovation.
But then, what is equicoaching?
Horses have always been part of human life? As animals of prey, they demonstrate intelligent survival and a way of apprehending danger, acting at the right moment and saving themselves the rest of the time. Céline tells us: “What’s interesting is that, when it comes to horses, we’re all equal”.
Created twenty years ago, equicoaching puts this observation into action. Thanks to this non-verbal equine method, we know that horses can read our bodies. In fact, they know our intentions before we do, both by tracking our heart rate and via the mirror effect. With them, we become aware of the way we work.
Today, the therapeutic benefits of equicoaching have been scientifically proven, particularly with neuro-degenerative lyricists.
What is the purpose of the workshop?
The aim of the Soft Skills seminars is, initially, to offer new courses to engineering students based on “what I am” and not just on “what I know how to do”. The approach is still fairly technical, but the seminars provide a change of pace for 3 years by bringing students together around soft skills themes.
In this context, Céline proposed equicoaching in the “Knowing yourself and others” workshop. During this workshop, students try to understand themselves and the fact that others don’t function in the same way as they do. It’s also about understanding how others react in a group dynamic.
This is where horses come in! When working in a group, horses will first seek trust from the students, and then they’ll need leadership. Only then will they be ready for the exercise.
Comment réagissent les étudiants ?
Sometimes, Céline notices a certain apprehension, depending on the students’ knowledge of the horse or their own experience. Whatever the approach, everyone leaves with a sense of peace and calm: equitherapy lowers the heart rate and allows you to find yourself in your own body.
“I’m here and now, I don’t anticipate or think about anything else.”
While many schools in the region are now turning to equicoaching, the Icam Strasbourg-Europe site is the first to have entrusted its students to Céline. A great success!