ABSTRACT
Although much of the author's works is in the fields of education, psychoanalysis, or writing, he was once duty-bound to conduct a weekly observation at a livery for horses. It was during this time that the author was able to apply both psychoanalytic and psychological theory to group dynamics and leadership, which had been his main reason for attending. However, an unexpected byproduct of the visits was a wealth of insights about equine–human interdependencies, and the psychology of human interactions with horses. A by-product of the by-product has been some thoughts about how we might learn from this observed environment. We might contend that the group at the Stable follows the theory that S. Freud posited in Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego: that groups are "a number of individuals who have put one and the same object in the place of their ego ideal and have consequently identified themselves with one another in their ego.".
