Shared Leadership in Action – Learning Exchange at Eat Sleep Ride

Eat Sleep Ride was proud to host a recent Learning Exchange in partnership with Inspiring Alba and Social Enterprise Scotland, welcoming nine women from across our region. The session was designed to explore shared leadership in practice — not through theory, but through lived experience with our herd of horses.

Led by Danielle, Middy Fairgrieve, and Loretta Windsor (from our Empower Her and Women’s Justice projects), the day combined structured activities with reflection. We began by grounding in the stables, noticing energy and presence, before moving into the Tide exercise, where participants experienced what it means to lead, to follow, and to flow together.

A quiet meditation in the garden offered space to reconnect with nature, before the group entered the field for a closing exercise with the herd. Here, horses revealed truths about leadership that are often overlooked:

• Presence is felt in the body, not the head.

• Authenticity matters — horses respond to who you really are.

• Boundaries create safety and clarity.

• Connection is non-verbal, rooted in rhythm, pace, and positioning.

• Leadership is shared — at times we lead, at times we follow, and both roles have value.

The reflections were profound. One participant realised her people-pleasing tendencies mirrored in her interaction with Betsy, while another noticed how slowing down allowed her to connect more deeply. Together, the group experienced what it means to build trust, accept difference, and honour each other’s presence.

As one participant summed it up: “I came to learn about leadership, but I left understanding connection.”

At Eat Sleep Ride, our herd continues to teach us that leadership is not about control, but about authentic presence and shared responsibility.