Animal lover

My parents told me that in the first couple of years after I was born, we spent quite a lot of time at our summer house located at P. Baatrupsvej 52 in Odder South of Aarhus. My mother told me that I liked to play in the puddles there as well as feed the pigeons. 

A deer is my favourite animal. Why? I learned that a deer has an athletically built body with long legs adapted for running and jumping. They are known for their agility and speed. Deer have well-developed senses of hearing, sight, and smell. They communicate through vocalizations, body language, and scent marking. They may form small groups. Deer eat, for example, fruits and nuts. 

For my 5th birthday in October 1975, my parents bought a 2 months old poodle dog for me. Within a very short period of time, Sussi became my best friend. Sussi loved me. I loved Sussi. We were together. We were one. Sussi slept in my bed.  Sussi was a relief for my heart following the divorce of my parents. In Spring 1976, a neighbor complained that Sussi was barking during the day when I was in kindergarten. As a result of this complaint, my mother and I were told that we had to give away the dog. A couple in Vejle, a city south of Aarhus, reacted on the note my mother put in a newspaper, and towards the end of 1976, this couple picked up the dog. The couple in Vejle agreed to my wish that I could visit Sussi a couple of times in Vejle, which I did. After some time, the couple in Vejle told my mother and me that I should please stop coming to visit Sussi. Their reason: Every time Sussi saw a boy with dark hair, Sussi would run over to the child. Reflecting on my friendship with Sussi, I learned that during a situation of strong change, which a divorce of parents is, having a friend or friends is important. It is important to have people around you who want to be with you, care about you and want to listen to you. Values, which come in to mind in this regard and when I think about Sussy, are kindness, play and thankfulness. These values were important to me in 1975. And they are important for me now as well. When I meet people and learn with people, these are among values which I appreciate.

The first experience I had with a horse was joining a horse nursing school as a child. One Summer I got the opportunity to attend a horse nursing school with other children for about a week. During this week, I recall that I learned to groom a horse every day. Through circular motions with a brush, I remember that I learned to remove dust and dirt from the horse. I understood that the purpose of doing this was not only to clean the horse. The simulating of its skin also helped the horse to improve its blood circulation and feel wellbeing.

A few years after moving to Switzerland I became aware of a horse event: The Icelandic Horses World Championships in Brunnadern, Switzerland. During the event I had the possibility to help out with various tasks. I recall that it was not least in the preparation phase of the event where I got to chat a little with people who worked with horses. That inspired me. Also, I learned that horses sensitive creatures. This was also what I learned during a vacation with my girlfriend and mother near Grenå in Denmark. One evening, as we were driving around in the wonderful area, we had this special moment with a beautiful horse. It touched my heart as the horse with calm movements came very close to us and showed a strong need for connection.

In 2024 I was invited to a horse based training event near Aargau in Switzerland. The time spent in wonderful nature with the beautiful and calm horse Calipso was unique. I thought I knew myself quite well. Through this event, I got to know myself better. As I was working with other event participants, with moderators of the event and not least with Calipso, I became more in touch with my heart. This enabled me to learn more about who I am. I am grateful for that. The event motivated me to do research about what is unique about horses as well as ways that a horse whisperer can transfer his or her skills into helping humans. 

The uniquely designed horse based training training entitled "Leading without words" helped me increase personal awareness of how I lead every day. The combination of workshop and assessment-based coaching strengthened my practical skills and put them into new contexts with theoretical knowledge. Communicating with workshop leaders about a) video sequences of time I invested in working with the horse Calipso and b) my answers to more than 100 questions helped me understand that my leadership style is a cooperative and connecting style of leadership which provides minimal control or oversight. In my leadership I put focus on freedom, open communication and harmony.