What a Panicked Horse Taught Me About Leadership
I did something stupid. Really stupid. And I knew better.
It started like any normal day. I was getting ready to hop on my horse for our daily ride. I wanted to do some pole work as part of his conditioning, so I tossed his reins over his head and went to set a few poles in place.
Mistake. Big mistake.
He dropped his head to grab some grass at the edge of the arena. The reins hit the ground, and he stepped right into them. When he lifted his head, his front leg was caught. He panicked, which is exactly what a prey animal does when it feels trapped. Suddenly my only job was to get him calm enough to pause so I could free him.
That meant I had to:
Stay calm. If I panicked, he would panic even more.
Convince him he was safe. Prey animals react first and think later.
Create a small pause so I could disconnect the reins.
I started with long, slow “whoooah” sounds. He hobbled around on three legs, terrified. I stayed still, quiet, and steady. After what felt like forever, but was probably less than thirty seconds, he stopped. His thinking brain clicked on just long enough for me to unclip the reins. Then we both exhaled.
If I had matched his panic, the situation would have escalated instantly. Calm and slow was the only way through.
The same thing happens in the rest of life. Work. Family. Leadership.
When you lose your cool, things do not get better. They get worse. When a leader panics, the team mirrors it. If she is worried, we should be worried too.
The first pause has to be yours. You need a moment to breathe, reset, and let your thinking brain take over from the part that wants to react or catastrophize.
The next pause is the one you create for others. Your demeanor sets the tone. You may not have all the answers, but you can create enough calm for people to shift out of panic and into a more grounded place.
Only then can you work your way forward with clear thinking and level‑headed decision making.
The pause is not passive. The pause is leadership.
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