About Us
About Your Trainer: Kelsi Halvarson
Kelsi Halvarson has been training leaders, employees, and teams for more than sixteen years. Her experience spans a diverse range of audiences, including government agencies, corporations, nonprofit leaders, family caregivers, youth mentors, and parents.
Kelsi holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership and combines her education with years of hands-on experience to deliver a unique and impactful leadership development program. Her training is designed to help participants become more confident, self-aware, and ultimately more effective leaders.
After completing the program—and often after just one session—participants frequently share that they have gained greater confidence and awareness, along with practical tools and strategies they can immediately apply in their leadership roles.
Known for her supportive and encouraging approach, Kelsi creates a learning environment that is both engaging and enjoyable. Her authenticity, honest approach, and genuine desire to see leaders reach their full potential inspire participants to step into their strengths and develop the skills they need to lead with greater confidence and purpose.
Leadership Development with Arrowhead Trainings
Arrowhead Trainings uses horsemanship to facilitate leadership development in a way that is engaging, meaningful, and memorable. Each session is individually tailored to help participants sharpen their leadership skills, clarify their values, and develop stronger communication and connection as they learn to work with a horse.
Throughout the session, your equine partner provides immediate, honest feedback, giving you a unique opportunity to experience and practice effective leadership in real time. While working with horses may feel intimidating at first, we provide a safe, supportive learning environment where you can work at a pace that feels comfortable for you. You’ll have the opportunity to learn, make mistakes, try new approaches, and fine-tune your leadership skills along the way.
Each session begins with a brief discussion about leadership and the focus for the day. The trainer then demonstrates a groundwork activity with the horse before the participant spends the majority of the session practicing the activity with guided instruction and support. Each session concludes with a short debrief to reflect on what was learned and how it can be applied to everyday leadership.
No riding is required or involved, although it can be incorporated at the participant’s request. No prior horse experience is necessary.
Why Equine-Assisted Leadership Training Works
Our sessions are effective because participants don’t simply learn about leadership concepts—they have the opportunity to put those concepts into practice and experience them firsthand. Working with a horse allows participants to explore their own beliefs and approaches to leadership, test what works, and receive immediate, honest feedback from their equine partner. This hands-on experience creates powerful insights that can lead to meaningful, long-lasting leadership transformation.
We use horses to teach leadership for several reasons. First, horses are herd animals that naturally look for and respond to leadership. This creates an authentic environment in which participants can practice leading and observe the results of their approach in real time.
Second, horses are prey animals, making them highly sensitive to human intentions, body language, and nonverbal communication. They respond to what a person communicates—not just through words, but through posture, energy, focus, and presence.
Finally, horses are highly attuned to human emotions and often mirror the feelings and energy of the person working with them. This provides participants with immediate insight into how their emotional state can influence others and impact their effectiveness as a leader.
Through these interactions, participants gain a deeper understanding of themselves and discover practical ways to lead with greater confidence, clarity, authenticity, and connection.