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Horse Power: Experiential learning and team building
Author: Natalie Kowalik
Published: 17/03/2017

A group of doctoral candidates from the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences were invited by Prof Sandra Swart of the History Department to an experiential learning and team building morning at the Maties Equestrian Club last month.

The brave team consisted of history doctoral students – Herbert Ndomba, Hezron Kangalawe, Innocent Dande, Lloyd Maphosa, and Makaato Lukyamuzi – and a MA student, Theo Galloway. The morning proved to be a success despite the 37 degree heat.

"I was afraid of horses initially and I did not like the idea. However, it turned out to be an excellent opportunity to get to know not only the horses and how they behave but also my colleagues!" said doctoral candidate Innocent Dande.

The event, which was sponsored by the Maties Equestrian Club Community Project, has hosted several active practicums on life-skills, team work and leadership, using horses as the medium of instruction – to act as windows into understanding group dynamics and individual challenges.

"It was my first time to touch the horses and experience their world amidst socialising with psychologists and PhD colleagues. It was such a fantastic experience, which will remain etched in my memory," said fellow doctoral student Hezron Kangalawe.

The sessions, which are run by two trained facilitators in Equine Assisted Learning, Sarah Garland and Fiona Bromfield, have been popular with participants including a diverse group of students and University staff. According to Swart the session served as an excellent way to open up new conversations and foster team building.

"It shook us out of our comfort zones. In the final analysis, if nothing else, it got us all out of the archives, library, lecture theatres and offices: out into the sun and into the company of horses for a few hours. After all, writing a thesis is an intensely atomised, lonely and alienating experience – so exercises in team building, cohort creation and, above all, building authentic friendships are vital in remedying this" said Swart.

More information about Maties Equestrian Club can be found on their home page at http://blogs.sun.ac.za/matiesequestrian/home/

Photo: Prof Sandra Swart with doctoral students; Herbert Ndomba, Hezron Kangalawe, Innocent Dande, Lloyd Maphosa, Makaato Lukyamuzi and MA student (History Department) Theo Galloway. (Photo supplied by Prof Sandra Swart)