Month: January 2011
Blocking Earns Respect
If a horse is pushy with his head and is intruding into your space, pushing his head away will only send him a “game on” message. Simply put your hand/arm up so that it aligns with the corners of the horse’s mouth (where the bit would go) to create a block or boundary. Do not push the horse’s head. The horse may try and push at your hand/arm to come into your space, however stand your ground with your block. Pushing back at the horse’s head is a “bully” approach. Establishing a simple, non threatening block will create respect and build trust.
The Draw
Why does pushing and/or pulling on the head of a horse create stress for this animal? Horses are prey animals and in the wild, they are fair game to meat eating predators that tend to strike in the vulnerable throat area. So in horse language, a push or a pull on the head area sends a predator type message. The question then arises, how should a person be, move, when working around the head of the horse? One uses what is called a drawing position with our body when we are at the horses head/neck area. This position is accomplished by simply folding our core (belly) backward slightly. Try the following exercise.
Stand up straight with good posture; now bend over slightly as if to bow to someone. Notice when you bow, your core and hips draw back slightly. Now stand up straight again and this time draw your core and hips backward slightly without bowing with the head and shoulders. This is the drawing or inviting position. When facing your horse’s head, try this drawing position, inviting the horse to come toward you with his head. You can even walk backwards a few steps as you draw with your core. Your horse will love you for this! You will no longer be sending a predator message to his head! In other words, you will no longer be “in his face”.
Pushing Energy
From the ground, we can send a pushing energy with our body by standing up straight and directing our core (belly button) toward the horse’s shoulder or hips to move laterally, or at the flank area to move forward. From the saddle, our pushing energy is transmitted to the horse by various types of pressure from our leg and seat aids.
Proper Alignment
Horses will become stressed if we send any pushing energy toward their head/neck area. Any pushing energy must be directed at the horse’s hind end through to the shoulders, depending on which type of push we need to give, lateral or forward. It all has to do with proper alignment between human and horse.
The “Go” Button
A horse’s power begins in the hind end and travels forward through the body into the front. Since leadership is determined by who pushes whom the best, we must send our pushing energy toward the hind end to have the horse move forward. The exact “go” button is located at the flank area of the horse.
Three Energies
There are three main energies that we use in our body language when we are with a horse. These are pushing energy, blocking energy and drawing energy. The horses are well aware of this body language because it is their language and they are reading our body language from the moment they can see us. Are you sending your horse correct messages?
The Horse-Human Herd
Horses determine who is to be the leader of the herd by who pushes whom the best. The leader is then revered as the one who will always lead the herd to safety. In the human-horse herd, it is vital for the human leader to communicate with appropriate body language so the horse can gain the trust it needs to feel safe.