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Star Tribune Newspaper Article
September 28, 2005
Dick Youngblood: A tracked attraction and horse sense
Dick Youngblood, Star Tribune
September 21, 2005 BLOOD0921
Lynn Baskfield and Ann Kerr Romberg got together early this
year to help folks develop their leadership,
communications, teamwork and problem-solving skills in
workshops built around -- horses???
Welcome to the latest edition of the Youngblood Anthology
of Odd Pursuits, a collection of yarns about folks who have
found truly peculiar ways to earn a buck.
'Equine-guided education'
Baskfield, 57, and Romberg, 54, got together in February to
form Wisdom Horse Coaching, which their literature says
offers "equine-guided education for leadership and life."
What the heck does that mean? "It means using horses, which
are masterful at sensing a person's emotions and behavior,
to teach clients to overcome fear and self-doubt and to
work together to accomplish goals," said Baskfield, who was
trained and certified by the International Coach
Federation.
She and Romberg, who is certified by the Coaches Training
Institute, seek in their workshops to interpret the horses'
actions and reactions to clients to provide object lessons
that are custom-designed to meet the participants'
objectives.
Example: The owner of a small business complained that he
tensed up when approaching important prospects. He
transmitted the same tension to the horse he was handling,
and as the animal began to fidget the client was advised to
step back, take a deep breath and relax.
Result: As the businessman became calmer, the horse
immediately quieted, bringing home the larger lesson.
Example: Administrators of a college MBA program, who were
having trouble developing a leadership component, were
given halters and told to attach them to several horses and
lead them around the ring. Instead of focusing on gaining
the animals' trust, they got stuck on figuring out how the
halters worked. Romberg called it "analysis paralysis" that
got in the way of solving the problem. The group got the
message: Don't overanalyze a problem, whether it's about a
horse or a college program.
Although their business is young, involving a merger of
horse-coaching businesses they started several years ago,
revenue is growing by the month and the partners expect
sales this year to approach $60,000.
They charge $180 for one session with an individual and
$300 to $400 a month if the client wishes a continuing
consulting relationship. Corporate groups pay $1,700 for a
half-day session, $3,000 for a full day.
Not everyone buys their concept; Romberg said they confront
skeptics "almost daily."
But one supporter characterized her experience as
"life-changing." Added another: "I can't believe what I've
learned about myself with your help and the horses."
Both partners had fairly conventional business careers
before getting involved in coaching. Baskfield ran a beauty
salon out of her south Minneapolis home until repetitive
stress syndrome nudged her out of business and into
graduate school at the University of St. Mary's, where she
earned a master's degree in human development in 1997.
Romberg was a longtime IT executive at the St. Paul
Companies before her urge to mentor others lured her away
from the corporate world.
Dick Youngblood can be reached at 612-673-4439 or at
yblood@startribune.com.
Wisdom Horse Coaching: transforming the workplace and the world!
Wisdom Horse ® Coaching is based in Minneapolis, MN USA
We can be contacted by Phone 612-823-7022 (Lynn Baskfield)
or by email Info@WisdomHorseCoaching.com
Copyright 2008
Wisdom Horse ® Coaching, LLC
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