In a corporate landscape defined by rapid change and constant connectivity, traditional leadership models built on command and control are losing effectiveness. Coach Claudia Lalloz, founder of Grupo Santalá and an internationally recognized executive master coach with over 25 years of experience, has brought her experiential horse-assisted leadership seminars to the U.S. business community. The approach aims to replace control with trust and accelerate executive decision-making under pressure.
Lalloz, a recipient of UNESCO’s Golden Torch Award, explains that horses serve as mirrors of true leadership. “Working with horses invites us to recognize that our perception does not always align with full reality,” she says. “The horse does not offer a psychological diagnosis or a definitive explanation of personality; rather, its behavior acts as a stimulus that helps leaders observe their own perception patterns, how they react to uncertainty, and what they do when routine strategies fail.” This insight matters because many executives rely on habitual responses that may not serve them in volatile situations. By interacting with horses, leaders can identify blind spots in their decision-making and develop greater adaptability.
The science behind non-verbal interaction underpins the method. For rational, metrics-driven corporate profiles, Lalloz positions horse-assisted leadership as a real-time behavioral and bodily feedback lab. During sessions, leaders focus on posture, breathing, and muscle tension. “When executives claim to feel calm yet approach with abrupt movements or physical tension, they uncover gaps between self-perception and physical expression,” Lalloz notes. This gap is critical: leaders who misread their own signals often misread their teams, leading to poor communication and flawed strategies. The seminar forces participants to align intention with action, a skill that translates directly to boardroom negotiations and crisis management.
Measurable results and tangible ROI are central to the program’s value proposition. Lalloz emphasizes that the experience holds business value only when it translates into sustained, observable changes back at the office. Success appears through concrete behaviors: clearer delegation, reduced micromanagement, active listening, timely decision-making, and increased team autonomy. “The return on investment happens when self-awareness is paired with clear goals, action plans, and execution,” she says. This focus on outcomes distinguishes the seminars from typical team-building retreats, which often fail to produce lasting behavioral change. For U.S. companies facing talent retention challenges and a need for agile leadership, Lalloz’s method offers a data-informed path to building trust-based cultures.
As businesses seek alternatives to outdated leadership paradigms, the introduction of horse-assisted seminars to the U.S. market signals a broader shift toward experiential learning that addresses the emotional and physical dimensions of leadership. By leveraging the immediate feedback of horses, executives can practice the very skills that drive innovation and resilience. The initiative, announced through NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE, underscores a growing recognition that effective leadership in a hyper-connected world requires not just strategic acumen but also deep self-awareness and the ability to build trust—qualities that horses, with their sensitivity to non-verbal cues, can help reveal.
