Riding and Leadership

Many years back, at the time of pre service training at the Civil Services Academy Lahore, I asked my riding instructor--- why riding was a necessary part of training. He responded that it was a tradition since colonial times. That was not the answer to my question. I raised the level and went to director training and put the same question. He tried to answer me in a way that’ it keeps you healthy and fit’-------- but what correlation does this has with leadership: He elaborated that while riding you learn how to control a horse? He added that horse naturally would never like somebody to sit on it and control it and in this situation it becomes necessary for the rider to control the horse. That answer could not satisfy me as well and I always remained curious to find an appropriate answer for that. Couple of days ago I was reading Heifetz’s book “Leadership without Easy Answers”. From the reading I discovered that adaptive challenges are complex situations and do not have easy and simple answers as compared to technical problems. The riding is distinct from other sports in many ways. Besides rider, it involves horse which has power and will of its own. There is more unpredictabity in this sport as compared with others due to confounding factors. The rider may lose the game if he is not familiar with the psyche of his horse. Similarly any incompatibility between horse and rider may lead to fatal consequences, a serious element of danger, specially for the rider. And finally it is the prompt response from either of the two to be in the race or win the race. All these components in the riding are the important traits of leadership. The leader and the led have to move in tandem in complete harmony to each other. The leadership works in unpredictable situations and adaptive challenges make the leader to think about multiple strategies. He is always quick in responding to any situation. The fear makes him careful from the dangers. In view of the foregoing, my argument is that riding, perhaps can be a useful tool in understanding and developing leadership skills.