ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1700029
Equine-Assisted Learning and Leadership Transformation: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Workplace Behavior
Provisionally accepted
Rubentheran Sivagurunathan1*
Abdul Rahman bin S Senathirajah1Linkesvaran Sivagurunathan1
Sayeeduzzafar Qazi2Rasheedul Haque3Nguyen Thanh Lam4- 1Faculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia
- 2College of Business Administration, University of Business and Technology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- 3Faculty of Business, Accounting, Finance, Law & Humanity, MAHSA University, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 4Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract Background: This study explores how equine-assisted leadership development (EALD) interventions activate experiential processes that reshape leaders' self-concept, relational schemas, and behaviors. A conceptual model is proposed to explain how non-verbal interaction with horses catalyzes transformational learning. Methods: A qualitative exploratory design was employed to examine leaders' experiences over 12 months following reintegration into their workplaces. Eight leaders (n=8) attended a five-day EALD program, engaging in "join-up" exercises with horses. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, to identify patterns of leadership learning and transformation. Findings: The reflexive thematic analysis produced three interrelated themes: (1) embodied self-awareness and leadership reflection, (2) transformative learning and behavioral change, and (3) relational leadership and trust-based engagement—which together describe a developmental pathway from immediate embodied feedback to sustained workplace change. Originality/Value: This is the first Malaysian study to show how structured human-animal interaction can elicit sustained leadership shifts. By positioning horses as nonverbal feedback systems, the research highlights embodied, affective, and relational dimensions of leadership development often overlooked in cognitive or skills-based models.
Keywords: Experiential learning, Leadership, animal-assisted interventions, Equine-assisted learning, organizational behavior
Received: 05 Sep 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sivagurunathan, S Senathirajah, Sivagurunathan, Qazi, Haque and Lam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rubentheran Sivagurunathan, rubenfit5119@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.