LEADERSHIP THROUGH HORSEMANSHIP
The horse does not care what your title is.
A monthly observing clinic. Five people work a horse on the ground. Up to thirty watch from the rail while every move, and the leadership principle behind it, is explained in real time. Not for horse people only: for anyone who leads people and wants a memorable way to get better at it.
First Sunday of every month
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Ocean View Stables in Daly City, twenty minutes from downtown San Francisco. Starts November 1, 2026 and runs every month after that.
Participate: $250, five seats
You are in the round pen with a horse and a coach. You ask the horse to move, stop, turn and come to you with nothing but your body, your timing and your composure, while the group watches.
Observe: $30, thirty seats
Watch from the rail with a running commentary. Every groundwork technique is named and explained as it happens, and tied straight back to how you lead on Monday morning.
Why a horse?
A horse reads your shoulders, your feet, where your eyes go and how fast you breathe long before it hears a word. It responds to what you are actually doing, not what you meant. People do exactly the same thing; they are just more polite about it. In the round pen the gap between what you say and how you carry yourself shows up in seconds, in front of everyone, and there is no arguing with it.
What gets explained, in real time
Body language is the message. You will see what a horse does when someone's posture says one thing and their words say another, and what that costs a leader.
How you say it matters more than what you say. Tone, volume and timing move a thousand-pound animal or fail to. Same with a team, a teenager or a difficult coworker.
Posture and emotional control are not optional. A horse will not follow someone who is tense, scattered or frustrated. You have to have complete control of your own state before you can influence anyone else's. The horse makes that visible and lets you fix it on the spot.
Pressure and release. Apply the smallest pressure that gets a try, and release the instant you get it. The release is what teaches. It is the exact mechanic behind good parenting, good management, good coaching and good peer relationships, and you will watch it work and fail in front of you.
How the morning runs
10:00 Coffee, introductions, and the idea of the day: the horse as an honest mirror.
10:20 Demonstration. Zachary works a horse and narrates every move: pressure, release, posture, timing, and what each maps to at work or at home.
10:50 Participants, one at a time, each with live coaching and a short debrief with the whole group.
12:30 Putting it together: the patterns that showed up and the one thing each person will try this week.
1:00 Done. Stay and meet the herd if you like.
Questions
If yours is not here, call or text 415-969-1223.
No. Neither ticket needs it. There is no riding. Participants are coached every step, and people who have never touched a horse often get the most out of it because they have no habits to unlearn.
It is the point of the format. The participant is busy with the horse; the observers are the ones who get to see the whole picture with a coach explaining it. Bring a notebook. Many people observe first and come back as a participant.
Closed-toe shoes for everyone, long pants for participants, and layers. It is the coast; the fog burns off mid-morning and can roll back in.
Yes. Book participant and observer seats together on one date, or if you want a private session built around your team, see our corporate events page.
Clinics run in normal coastal weather. If we have to cancel for safety, you are moved to the next date or refunded, your choice.
Next clinic: first Sunday of the month, 10 AM.
Five participant seats and thirty observer seats per clinic. Pick your date and book online.