Alertness is an essential leadership quality
Pay attention to what you observe? Or observe what you pay attention to?
Alertness is a strong capability of all horses. Actively scanning the environment to check whether the surroundings are safe, is an essential leadership quality. It is about
- having an overview,
- sensing opportunities, and
- estimating what is the most accurate thing to do
For horses it might be easier to have their attention 360 than for humans. After all, horses have an almost 360 vision, humans have only half of that. We mostly pay attention to what we observe, and this often brings us into focus. Horses invite you to observe what you pay attention to, and that definitely broadens your horizon.
When you focus on only one option, you allow that option to become so big that it feels like it is the only option. And it never is. There are always other options, even if only theoretically. You needn’t create them, its about seeing them.