The Horsey Language 2

Pretty Vegas is my pride and joy (not to sound sappy). I have worked with Vegas to build a relationship with him and develop a true connection. Every time I am on him it feels so right. I feel like I know exactly what he's thinking and I believe he feels the same about me. This is why we mesh so well together. I am sure every horse chick (and guy) has found that one horse that completes them at least once in their life. I have been fortunate enough to have many horses come into my life and have developed good relationships with them.

I believe to fully understand a horse and to develop that relationship with a horse one must know their language as well as how their own bodies reflect the attitudes and connection one has with their equine pal. Humans are predators and horses are prey. We sometimes are not aware how being a predator greatly affects how a horse perceives us.

 
Most people take their natural "inheritance" by acting as the predator without necessarily knowing it. One thing to be aware of is how you approach your horse. As a predator most people have no problem walking head on towards their horse and raising their arm up to them. There are many well-trained horses that are very accustomed to humans and our ways. It is especially important to be aware of our natural predator body stance and understand how our horses will react. This will help in young horses and those in training specifically.

I love ground work. It is the foundation to having good rides and a sane, well-behaved horse. Ground work ultimately reflects what you do in the saddle. I love sending my horse out to do basically what I would consider a leg yield against the wall and work on moving away from pressure without thinking forward all the the time. This is especially useful when working with a forward moving horse. Exercises like these on the ground are helpful in focusing a horse on tasks and getting the left brain working. The left brain is the thinking part of the brain versus the right brain which is the flight aspect.

The belly button is the driving force that you give to a horse. It puts pressure on the horse. When you approach a horse especially one that may favour flight, look at your own body first. Is your belly button driving the horse forward? Your belly button from the girth area of the horse towards its head is the most pressure you can put on your horse. To approach a horse work on keeping your belly button pointing away from your horse; this could be as simple as turning the angle of your body.

I also really like doing my "Jack Daniels" practice approach in the arena. I will stagger to either side of my horse so that he/she gets used to different movements and approaches. As you work with your horse and learn his ways you will get an easy to catch horse, have better communication and establish a healthy relationship with your horse. I love being greeted by my horse as he walks to the gate to meet me. This is especially nice when the pastures are muddy! :)