The Horse/Human Connection

Majestic, noble, proud, magical, mystical, powerful, naturally beautiful,

living-breathing art, the embodiment of grace athleticism and strength.
These are just a few of the ways humans describe horses. We also attribute
to the horse some of the qualities we humans strive for in ourselves.
Qualities such as loyalty, integrity and honesty are part of the
horsesnatural being. A horse always gives us an honest response to what is
presented to it. It does not have an ego to cloud its perception.

Horses and humans have been joined since the first newborn foal was taken
from its deceased mother mare and raised by its captors. Before that and
since many horses have been food for humans and been their prey. But as
soon as we had the knowledge and ability to raise a horse from infancy we
had to make a very important choice. The decision is whether to lead this
young creature into the rest of its life, as a domesticated animal, through
force (i.e. fear-based control) or to lead it through trust, respect,
knowledge and mutual agreement (i.e. love). One way produces a slave, a
being whose actions are motivated by fear of punishment, a captive. The
other way produces a willing partner, a loyal and trusted friend. It builds a
relationship with respect and trust at its core.

The question becomes, how do we lead this wild, magnificent creature who
is more powerful and bigger than we are, without using the force that
produces a slave. The first part of the answer comes through learning
about the horse and it's language. This is done by observation of the animal
in its natural state, in the wild. How it communicates with other herd
members. The dynamics of it's social structure and how older horses teach
and discipline the younger ones (who is the boss and why). Understanding
the behavior we observe is just as important as seeing it. In the case of
horses, they are a herding-prey animal. This means they are naturally
flighty and fearful. Always sensitive to any aggressive energy. The highest
ranking female (mare) dictates the movements of the herd. When and
where to stop for food and water, and, in fact, all major decisions
concerning the herd are made and directed by this "alpha" mare. She is
assisted by subordinate mares who help carry out her wishes. The
dominant male (stallion) guards the flanks. He protects his breeding mates
from being stolen by would-be rivals and protects the herd from predators
attacking from the rear.

Some of the earliest memories young horses have is of how their mothers
and other older herd members communicated with them. This was done
through body language, touch and sound, along with other sensory
stimulation. We must learn this language in order to communicate with the
horse in such a way as not to produce fear but rather to promote feelings of
safety and security in the horse. When the horse has all the assurance it
needs to know it is safe, it will want to "join" with us in kind of a
communion of spirits. After all, we are not separate from nature. Like the
horse, we need to feel safe within ourselves in order for our lives to
flourish. The horse is always ready to be our willing and loyal partner but
only to the degree we are willing to extend peace, respect and love to this
most magnificent creature.

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Through interaction with horses we can learn to know ourselves better.
They show us who we are by reflecting ourselves back to us whenever we
enter their space. Either calm, peaceful and confident or nervous and
fearful will be their response depending on which we bring to them. This is
all done in the moment, on the spot, when its happening. We need to learn
Equus, the language of the horse. When you begin to learn this language,
not only will you gain insight into the nature of horses, but into your being
as well. You'll discover that some of the basic needs and concerns of horses
are the same as ours. This gives us a different perspective for dealing with
these issues in our own lives. We experience horses as not so different and
separate from us. Through horse "whispering" you'll come to know the
kindred spirit that is Equus. You will reawaken and remember your
connection with all life and receive the great benefits that this wisdom
brings.

Beyond Natural Horsemanship

The next step to successful horse training

through Compassion, Wisdom, Skill and Trust

I must admit I am a huge fan of gentle, effective methods of being with and
training horses. In many places these techniques are called Natural
Horsemanship. However, there is truly little that is really natural about the
way we humans are keeping and training our horses. Domesticated horses
do not live a natural life in any way. From natural supplements, to natural
training techniques, on and on, the term ‘natural’ is used to market
products and methods that are in no way natural. Perhaps they are trying
to replicate a natural way of doing something, but they mostly do not take
into serious consideration and account, the un-natural way and un-natural
environments these horses are living out their lives in. While natural
horsemanship, made popular by good trainers such as Monty Roberts and
Pat Parelli, have certainly helped immensely to improve how we are
keeping and interacting with our horses worldwide (I teach in about six
different countries a year and have seen many good changes come about),
unfortunately our self-serving human egos still tend to guide how we
ultimately handle challenges with our horses. When things go smoothly it is
easy to be kind, gentle and ‘natural.’ But when we encounter problems with
our horses I have seen the tendency to still become angry, frustrated and
immediately move into force, blame, extreme and inappropriate methods of
treatment, as well as more pressure towards our horses to make them
submit and obey. Humans still tend rush to judge a horse as bad, stubborn
and deliberately trying to go against their wishes. How sad a commentary it
is on us that the horse, always innately innocent, is so often to be
misunderstood and erroneously judged in a negative manner. It is true
there are more enlightened humans interacting with horses now than ever
before. But, there are still not enough. There is still too much abuse and
misunderstanding of the true nature of horses. It is for these reasons I am

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striving to move beyond so-called natural horsemanship paradigms (of
which there is great misconception) and into compassionate, wisdom and
trust based philosophies and methods about training, caring for and simply
being with our horses.

Let's first have a look at compassion as an element in successful training

and interaction with horses. The following is reprinted in its exact form
from the online Wikipedia Encyclopedia;

Compassion is a profound human emotion prompted by the pain of others.

More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active
desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the
key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. In
ethical terms, the various expressions down the ages of the so-called
Golden Rule embody by implication the principle of compassion: Do to
others as you would have done to you. Ranked a great virtue in numerous
philosophies, compassion is considered in all the major religious traditions
as among the greatest of virtues.Wikipedia

Well, without going into Buddhist philosophies which have compassion as a

major component, or other religions which also expound on compassion, it
is easily seen that a desire to help others is a major element of compassion.
As horses are a prey animal, eaten by a variety of predators and prone to
fearful flight or fight, fear is a major ingredient in the life of a horse. I
think, and absolutely believe, that fear is a form of suffering and pain.
Additionally, I truly feel that the pain and suffering inherent in fear are at
the root of most all the incredible and inhuman acts of terrorism we see in
the world today. But rather than attempt to understand the underlying
causes of this ever present fear (generally fear of survival, injury, poverty,
disempowerment, on and on), we tend to rush to judgement of others as
being evil and without any redeeming qualities. We are the honorable and
just ones and they are all dishonorable, bad and beyond redemption. They
deserve to be punished and destroyed and we are righteous, good and
deserve to thrive. When both sides of a disagreement hold this paradigm,
mutual destruction cannot help but come about. But, I digress a bit as this
is about horses and humans and not the politics of national foreign policies.

For a little while, lets pretend that all horses are children under the age of
8. On a rare occasion one of these children causes the death or serious
injury of another individual, of any age. The question then becomes how to
deal with the child that caused the catastrophe? Should he/she be tried as
an adult with the possibility of facing the death penalty? Should he/she be
deemed as impossible to rehabilitate and never to be able to rejoin society
and locked away forever? Perhaps they should be starved, tortured,
whipped, or have some other sort of punishment be dished out to teach
them a lesson? Is that 8 year old to be judged as a “bad seed” and
inherently evil? I simply cannot accept that way of dealing with a tragic
incident caused by a child. Nor can I accept that way of dealing with a horse
who is displaying behavior that is dangerous, aggressive, or any behavior
we humans would rather not have from that horse. To me, all behavior we
do not want from a horse is a symptom of fear and fear is a cause of
suffering. Fear, I believe, is the basis of all unwanted behavior from a
horse. I truly hold the paradigm that all horses are as innocent as children
and do not deserve punishment. What they do deserve is, first and

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foremost our compassion. This means our willingness to attempt to
alleviate their suffering, their pain, their fear. If we humans can approach
all horses with this willingness to help their end suffering through
understanding, knowledge and kindness, perhaps all training and
interaction with horses could be become opportunities to assist in the
elimination of their fear and replace it with feelings of confidence in their
own survival. Additionally, this would instill in the horse the trust that the
humans with them has the real intention to offer kindness and help.
Furthermore, and very importantly, that we are worthy of their trust and
worthy to be accepted as their trusted and good leaders.

Next, lets explore wisdom. That same Wikipedia Encyclopedia defines

wisdom this way:

Wisdom is knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive

understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards
finding solutions to problems. It is the judicious and purposeful application
of knowledge that is valued in society. To some extent the terms wisdom
and intelligence have similar and overlapping meanings. The status of
wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and
religious sources.Wikipedia

The problem in applying this definition of wisdom to equines is that we still

do not know that much about horses. Much of the psyche, mind, intuitive
aspects, emotional lives and overall makeup of the horse remains a
mystery to humans. I suppose this is part of the mystique and attraction
they have held for us humans throughout time. They remain as yet, still
wild and unknown. So, while this may be part of their attraction, it can,
likewise, be part of the problem in dealing with them. Within the natural
horsemanship movement there are those who advocate little or no human
involvement with horses. “Let's keep them as they have always been in
nature.” But they are not in nature anymore. At best they are fenced into
large areas and their movements are severely restricted even on bigger
tracts of land. They will still require human intervention by way of health
care, hoof care, nutrition and more. This shows little wisdom as to caring
for horses in this “modern” world.

One way of gaining at least some practical knowledge and understanding of

horses is through observation of horse herds and of their interactions with
each other. A very good friend of mine and one of the best trainers I have
ever come across, Carolyn Resnick www.carolynresnickblog.com, grew up
observing local, wild horse herds at a watering hole near her backyard in
California. As a child Carolyn was encouraged by her mother to learn about
the horses. She eventually became a professional trainer and author on the
subject of horses and, through those early childhood observations and her
professional life as a trainer, has developed what she calls the “Waterhole
Rituals.” Carolyn teaches humans how to replicate these rituals to enhance
and improve their communication and understanding with their horses.
Unfortunately, not many of us today with our busy lives have any
opportunity to attempt to observe horses in a somewhat natural
environment. However, simply standing quietly and watching a group of
horses anywhere can provide great insight into at least some of their
natural herd (group) interaction. Leaders can be distinguished from bullies.
The gentle interaction between herd members, mares and foals and the

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caring aspects of herd life can be easily seen and learned about. Simple
learning through observing can be had with horses if we humans are willing
to take a bit of time to do so. Just being in the vicinity of horses has a
claiming effect on humans and this has been clinically documented.

Gaining knowledge though experience only happens over time. Wisdom is

acquired over time through living life. There is no shortcut. So many people
I come across want it all so fast. They want everything now and without
much effort. I offer a free help center within my website
www.WayoftheHorse.org. There are hundreds of archived questions
containing lots and lots of answers and information easily available for free
if folks would use the simple, special search engine feature of the help
center. They don't. Mostly I am asked the same questions over and over.
They will not make the simple effort to find the answers themselves
(finding out something for yourself assists in learning it, even if it is written
information). This is the way it is for many people seeking information and
knowledge. They want a magic pill that will quickly provide what they want.
It just does not work that way with acquiring knowledge and wisdom of
horses. There is no substitute for first hand experience over time. This goes
for learning about horses in schools as well. Until very recently the only
information provided in formalized education was about maintenance of
horses, saddling and equestrian skills. There was absolutely no information
provided about the horse itself. Even Pony Clubs in the US and Europe, as
based on British Horse Society traditional teachings, did not teach anything
about horses. They only addressed the human aspect of maintaining and
riding horses. If a horse balked at a jump the traditional approach to
dealing with that obviously fearful reaction in the horse was to “make him
do it.” In other words, make the horse more afraid of the human than the
jump. This is what was taught to children. Thanks to the natural
horsemanship craze, some things are just now beginning to change, but
just a little. So much more needs to be done. So much more beyond so-
called natural horsemanship and guru worship of a few trainers, needs to
happen. I suggest to young people who want to learn about horses to
volunteer at barns, stables, therapeutic riding centers, anywhere they will
be allowed to be around horses. Mucking stalls is a good beginning and is
an activity involving horses that will continue throughout a person's life
with horses. So, I tell them to “get used to it” and, hopefully, “learn to
enjoy it.” One would be surprised as to how much wisdom and knowledge
can be gained about horses by being in a stable a lot, mucking stalls.

Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about skill:

“A skill is the learned capacity or talent to carry out pre-determined results

often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be
divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the
domain of work, some general skills would include time management,
teamwork and leadership, self motivation and others, whereas domain-
specific skills would be useful only for a certain job. Skill usually requires a
certain environmental stimuli and situation to assess the level of skill being
shown and used.”

I certainly agree that a ‘skill is a learned capacity’ & and is learned over
time through first being taught the skill and then practicing it. I think a
talent may also be a natural aptitude for something. Such as having a

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talent for music or dancing or even riding. A talent can also be considered a
natural or inherent gift of abilities in a specific area. But the concept of
learned skills, I think is very applicable to horsemanship and more of the
concept of “skill” I am referring to. While experiential learning is extremely
important and helps develop skill, formal education and teaching of a skill
(piano lessons and riding lessons for instance) will assist in developing that
skill faster and more efficiently. Along with regular practice of the skill,
learning from a very good teacher is a huge help in developing good skills.
What sets one clinician, trainer, group leader, horsemanship teacher or the
like, apart from another is their ability to communicate, their knowledge
base, their beliefs and personal paradigms, their life experience and their
ability to inspire those who they seek to teach to learn more and to reach
higher in attaining knowledge, wisdom and skills. I always advocate
education about horses. Even learning the traditional British Horse Society
ways of equine education will help. Taking as many riding lessons as
possible and attending as many training clinics as possible will always
assist in gaining knowledge and learning skills. Watching as many trainers
as are available (and training DVDs and reading training books and any
other books on horses) will speed up the education process and assist in
learning skills with horses. Learning methods and techniques that we
wouldn't want to use, or do, is also beneficial. Finding out what works and
what doesn't work is always helpful. These are some of the more formal
ways of gaining skills with horses. But, the hard truth is, there will never be
a substitute for what is called; “time in the saddle.” Time spent with and
around horses is the best, most effective, most efficient and overall best
way to gain the skills required to become successful with horses. I always
suggest to folks that they be wary of individuals who claim or want to
appear to be the most knowledgeable and skillful with horses of anyone.
Any really true horse person understands that learning about horses and
acquiring skill with them is a lifelong process. A true horse person is always
learning from the horse and other horsemen and women. It never ends as it
is the journey that contains the life with horses, and it is the life with
horses that is the real reward. It is the acquired wisdom and then the
developed skills that gives us the opportunities to communicate with them.

The final element to be put in place in what is beyond natural

horsemanship is trust. Here is a definition that comes up for trust online
(Wikipedia did not offer a dictionary type of definition for trust, but
www.thefreedictionery.com did). I am taking the liberty of not including
legal definitions of the word “trust”:

TRUST

n.

1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or

thing.
2. Custody; care.
3. Something committed into the care of another; charge.
4. The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in
one.
5. One in which confidence is placed.

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 6. Reliance on something in the future; hope.

v. intr.

1. To have or place reliance; depend: Trust in the Lord. Trust to destiny.

2. To be confident; hope.

v. tr.

1. To have or place confidence in; depend on.

2. To expect with assurance; assume: I trust that I will be safe.
3. To believe in a person, place or thing: I trust what you say. I trust I
am OK here.
4. To place outcome in the care of another; entrust.
5. To grant discretion to confidently: Can I trust them with my safety?

So we can readily see that trust can and does involve a sort of faith that we
will be all right (safe or fee from harm) or that things will work out as we
wish them to. In the case of horses that faith is in safety, essentially
survival. The most important thing to a horse, more important than food,
shelter, water, companions or anything, is its feelings of safety, its trust
that it is safe and that it will survive. Safety does not really exist in the
world outside of our feelings. We either feel safe enough to get on an
airplane or we do not. We either feel safe enough to drive a car, ride a
horse, take a chance on something new or unknown or we simply do not.
One thing is no safer than another in the physical world. It is all about how
we feel about it. This is exactly how it is for the horse. So, how do horses
develop these all important feelings of safety? The answer is they get these
feelings of safety from their herd leaders. Those lead mares (and head
mare) know instinctively when to move the herd. They know from
experience and their intuition where good food and water is. They can
intuit if danger is present. They have to be able to do this in order to
survive and to ensure the survival of the herd (and the specie). If humans
can have as their underlying and overall goal with any horse the instilling
of feelings of safety, that horse will follow that human anywhere and jump
through hoops of fire for that human. The horse thinks its survival depends
on that human and this is why that horse will attempt to comply with any
request that human makes. The lead horse (mare) in the equine herd does
not coerce the other members of the herd to follow her. She does not force
their compliance, nor bribe them for it. She does not plead nor beg. She
does not push them along nor cajole them. She simply goes where she
needs to, when she needs to and they follow. It's that simple and that is the
kind of inspired leadership we humans need to offer our horses.

We humans have an easier time of it than that lead mare in the wild horse
herd. The leader of the herd controls the resources of the herd. We control
the food and when feeding time occurs. Food is a big resource. The lead
mare also eats and drinks before any other members of the herd as she is
their source of survival and she needs to be protected and her needs must
be met before the others. She also controls the environment and spatial
aspects of the herd. In other words, if she wants to walk through the body
of the herd, the other horses simply give way (like the Red Sea parting). It
is a given that they yield to her out of respect and trust, never fear. She

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will intuit if the weather is changing and the herd needs to find shelter.
That lead mare is not alpha, biggest, strongest or most dominant. She is,
however, the smartest with the highest and most richly developed intuitive
sense of all the others. Her acquired knowledge and intuitive skill keep the
herd alive. Therefore, she controls all spatial aspects and movement of the
herd members simply by going where she feels she should and when she
wants to.

What it means for humans to control the environment of the herd is to

provide clean shelter, decent blankets (rugs) when appropriate and
continuous access to good water. What it means for humans to control the
spatial aspects of the herd is really quite simple in theory. It means
consciously directing all action, each and every step a horse takes when
with us. Every stop, every go and every transition whether a directional or
speed transition, any and all movement should be a conscious, clear,
appropriately asked request by us, the leaders. All spatial boundaries
should be kept at all times. If this sort of leadership is in place and
consistently (the importance of consistency in our leadership cannot be
underestimated or over stated), it will only take look from us to assure a
horse keeps our personal boundaries intact. Our horses would never even
think of moving over us, dragging us somewhere, rubbing on us, bumping
into us, biting, kicking or striking us in any way ever. They would willingly
try to comply with every request we made of them as long as the request
was made appropriately and that it is a reasonable request. We would be as
the great herd leader of the wild horse herd on the range. We would rule
totally and completely. We would rule from compassion, through wisdom,
with learned, acquired skill and because we have earned the total trust of
our equines. This is what is beyond natural horsemanship. This is true
success with horses.

The Story of Pete

By Franklin Levinson

When I first was invited to Colorado to work on a ranch I kept hearing the
other cowboys talk about an "outlaw" horse that was there. They were full
of stories about how dangerous and aggressive he was: he couldn’t be
caught, wouldn’t be loaded, reared and split his owner’s head open, pulled
back so hard when he was tied that he’d taken the shed with him, and
dragged a guy who’d roped him all around a rocky field.

I heard the horse was going to be put down and sold for dog food because
the owner didn't feel he was safe enough to sell to anybody. Since I know
that a “mean horse” is often just a very scared horse, I was anxious to see
this animal. So I immediately headed out the corral for a look.

Way over in a corner of the corral, I saw a really cute quarter horse, and I
could tell by the way he was acting - nervously looking around, swishing his

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tail, twitching his ears and wide eyed - that he was terrified of everything
and anything. My heart went out to him and I wanted to give him a chance.
So I asked his owner if I could work with him a bit.

The owner said, "I take no responsibility for what this horse does to you,
how badly he hurts you or your hospital bills. Fine with me if you want to
get yourself banged up. But don't say I didn't warn ya."

The next day, I got up early and went on down to the round corral they had
Pete confined in. I didn't really have a specific plan for the horse. But I
knew I needed to somehow gain his trust that he would be safe with me
and that I would never hurt him.

The first thing I did was nothing. I simply observed the horse. I observed
him for about two hours watching how his movements were: whether quick
and nervous, lazy, agitated, anything I could notice. And also his overall
attitude; like if he showed any interest in anything and would move
towards it or if he jumped away from little things he perceived as scary like
noises or shadows.

What I believed I saw in this horse was the most fear I had seen in any
horse I had come across in my life. The slightest movement near him would
send him running around the round corral looking for escape. Any little
noise prompted the same reaction. My heart went out to this fearful
animal. I felt so much compassion for him that my heart became a lump my
throat.

What could have happened to this horse to make him so afraid? I could only
imagine, and then I wanted to stop imagining it.

That first day I only stayed by the corral gate on the outside. I left the
corral feeling thoughtful and yet excited at the possibilities of somehow
turning this great fear I was seeing into great trust. I had worked with a lot
of horses in my life, but none so fearful as this one.

The next day, I got up early and went down to the corral gate. Pete
(actually his name at the time was Pistol Pete, but I did not like the
reference to a gun) saw me and was actually looking at me with a tiny bit of
curiosity. As is my way, I remained very quiet and calm and went inside the
enclosure. I did not focus any attention on the horse other than a polite
initial, verbal greeting. I never really looked at the horse's face or head at
all.

My intention was to have a completely neutral presence. Just being quiet in

a small area with a horse can maybe prompt some interest or, at least a
little curiosity. I walked around the corral and just looked at different
areas, without putting any attention to Pete. Well, this went on for about
20 minutes and darned if that horse didn't start to follow me around the
corral. He kept what he thought was a safe distance, but he sure did come
along. After a bit of time doing that, I began to praise him when I stopped
by saying, "good boy."

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The following day, Pete was actually at the gate waiting for me and it was
then that I could see that he was going to make it. I continued on with what
I had done the previous day and Pete got closer and closer as he followed
me around the corral. Eventually he would walk right with me and be quite
close, and he would stop and go when I did. I continued speaking to him in
a calm and reassuring voice.

Towards the end of that second day, when Pete and I had stopped walking,
I gave him a first little scratch on the withers and a "good boy." Just at that
time Pete's owner happened to come by the corral to check things out. He
saw this "outlaw" horse, which nobody could get near, standing about a
foot to my right receiving quiet praise and a gentle scratch. And then he
saw the horse following me around the corral, moving as I moved, changing
directions and stopping when I did.

Well, the owner, who was a well-meaning fellow, said he couldn't believe
his eyes. It was only a few days ago that he was considering putting Pete
down because he was so dangerous to be near and he felt he would never
be safe for anyone.

"Dang it! If that don't beat all! How'd you get that 'ol horse to do that?"

"Well, Sir," I said, "I just let him get used to me being around him without
asking anything from him. I gave him bit of praise and space enough for
him to not think I was going to try anything funny with him. I was patient
and kind in my thoughts and actions. I knew he was just afraid and that all
that dangerous behavior was the only way that he thought he could protect
himself. He was like a little kid with a set of 6-shooters strapped to his hip.
If you make him afraid he might just up and shoot you. So I made certain I
did nothing that would make the horse think he needed to be afraid of me.
If I had more time with him, I think he could turn out to be a pretty decent
horse."

"Well, Franklin, I sure am liking what I have seen here with you and this
horse. I never would have believed this horse would have settled down so
fast with any human. Tell you what. I'll sell him to you for what he would
have brought me if I had him put down at the killers."

So Pete became my horse and partner. He taught me even more about the
importance of the roles of compassion and kindness, patience, calm and
good leadership with horses. Pete took plenty of time to fully come around,
but that was OK with me.

We still had our share of interesting challenges like when it came to trailer
loading. I had managed to somehow load him up for the haul to the
trailhead for a mountain ride. After the three hour ride and we got back to
the trailhead I could not get him back into the trailer. I had to ride him the
three additional hours it took to get back to the ranch, most of it along a
busy roadway. I decided then and there that he needed to go to trailer
loading school. It took me four long, hard hours to get him to trust that the
trailer wasn’t going to swallow him whole and for him to walk in.

Now if he and I are near an open trailer door he wants to hop right in.
Seems he has also developed a taste for adventure with me. We go off into

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the mountain wilderness together a lot. We have encountered bears, large
herds of deer and elk and other wild animals. Pete - I now call him Sweet
Pete - has never tried to dump me because he was so afraid of something
or pull away from me out of fear. He may make a little jump if something
startles him, but he never wants to leave my side. He watches my every
move when I am anywhere he can see me. We share our emotions (horses
are very empathetic) and we have a bond that will last all our lives.

These days Pete and I teach kids how to be kinder to animals and how to
become a great leader for a horse in order to develop trust and respect
with them. Because of the way I was able to help Pete, folks around the
area began to ask me to help them with their problem horses. So 'Sweet
Pete' and I have built a fine life together and we’re still carrying our
message of trust and love to as many people as we can.

Ten Secrets To Becoming Highly Successful With Horses

1. Attitude is everything.

The quality of our lives is dictated by our thoughts and beliefs. We see our
world not as it is but as our judgments and paradigms (beliefs) dictate. If
we judge our horse is bad, then we may think it deserves punishment.
Perhaps we think the horse made us look like poor riders or simply made us
look foolish. Actually, a horse is never doing anything to us personally. All
unwanted behavior from a horse is a fear based reaction to something.
Either pain (or the anticipation of pain), misunderstanding of a request, too
much input at once, never being rewarded for efforts at compliance,
frustration and more, can cause a fearful reaction from a horse. Notice I
said reaction rather than response. They are two different things. A
reaction is instinctual and without thought. A response tends to be
somewhat thought out and more appropriate given the actual
circumstances of the situation. As horses are prey animals their fearful
reactions can be well understood as a survival mechanism and should not
be punished. What needs to be established within the horse are feelings of
safety and trust that it will be safe (survive). Safety does not live in the
outside world. Safety is a feeling only. We either feel safe enough to take
that plane ride or we do not. It is the same for a horse. It either feels safe
and trusting enough to try to comply with requests made by a human (load
into a float for example) or it does not. Therefore, it is easily understood
that the development of trust between horse and human is essential,
paramount and basic to any successful endeavor, or relationship, with a
horse. The development of trust between horse and human is actually quite
easy. It revolves around the human's abilities to consistently lead and
guide simple movement by the horse, support the horse is being calm,
as well as to always show compassion, kindness and skill when interacting

11
with a horse. Having as the bottom line and overall agenda of maintaining
the animal's feelings of safety, rather than other short term goals (i.e
getting him into a float or over a jump) will assure the development of trust
and a willingness by the horse to try to comply with the requests made by a
human. This approach will definitely provide greater opportunities for
success with a horse in all endeavors. Every instant we are with a horse is
an opportunity to develop a deeper level of trust. Every step we ask a horse
to take is a chance to earn that animal's trust even more. Success with
horses help humans to develop these essential life skills and wonderful
attributes: compassion and kindness to others, skillful and accurate
communication techniques, self-awareness and enhanced awareness of our
surroundings, connectedness to nature and the world around us,
consistency in thought and action, becoming less judgmental and,
therefore, less stressed, improved and more positive attitudes towards
ourselves and others. These are only a few of the positive benefits of
conscious and appropriate interaction with horses.

2. 'Trust' is the key to unlock the treasure trove of great endeavors with
horses.

Without mutual trust we have nothing going with our horses. A slave may
be obedient to their master. But, given the opportunity, that slave might
kill that master, run away or somehow sabotage the master and his
undertakings. Many humans think a horse should be their obedient slave.
They immediately want to punish what they see as the animal being
disobedient. Whipping a horse to get it to jump a fence is punishment.
Beating a horse to get it into a float is the same thing. Scaring a horse to
make it do anything is fostering fear and not trust. Unfortunately, this is a
common occurrence around the world. Even many well meaning horse
owners will go to using force on their horses quickly if a problem arises.
This is due to mistaken thinking, erroneous judgments, inaccurate
information and incredibly inappropriate beliefs about their horses. It is the
nature of a horse to want to follow and cooperate with a good leader. In the
wild horse herd there are bullies and their are leaders. A bully can look like
a leader, but it is not and observation will bear that out. An alpha horse is
not necessarily the leader either. It may just be a more aggressive member
of the herd. Leadership contains wisdom. The herd leader develops trust
within the herd by knowing when it is safe for the herd to move, where it is
safe to go, where to find food and water (as well as when to stop and eat
and drink), when it is safe to rest and when escape is called for. The other
members of the herd learn to trust that head/lead mare for their survival. It
is the same for a human leader of a horse. That human has to have the
knowledge and skills to assist the horse in feeling it will survive by:
controlling the food resources (feeding on time), providing adequate
shelter and some protective environment (controlling environmental
aspects), setting and keeping boundaries (developing mutual spatial
respect with the horse), appropriately and precisely requesting movement
and immediately rewarding the horse for attempts at compliance. The
reward is a simple rest (break from all pressure of a request) and maybe a
Good Boy. That is it. In the wild horse herd, the lead mare will reward
another horse for compliance by simply ignoring it and/or allowing that
horse to come a bit closer (not too close) and do homage to that leader
through a particular posturing. Leering to reward good effort is a wonderful
habit for all humans to get into with their children, employees, friends and
their horses.

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3. Successful completion of a horse's and rider's basic training will foster
more winning in competition and more success in all activities with horses.

What I experience most often with horses and their humans that have
trouble in the show ring is incomplete training in the most basic of
fundamental equestrian skills. One step at a time mastered before moving
on to the next step is what is essential. It may sound too simple to be
believed, but it is true. Appropriate use of aids is a skill that is lacking quite
a bit. Light and gently responsive hands are essential to success as is a
developed balanced and centered seat. There are teaching techniques that
assist all this and more. Perhaps the greatest hindrance to success in the
show ring is rider error and not something done or not done by the horse.
Unfortunately, many riders who compete in shows, are unwilling to take
responsibility for the outcome of the competition. They prefer to pass on
responsibility to their 'unruly, uncooperative, spiteful, willful, stubborn and
'out to make them look bad' horse. How unfortunate and unfair this. The
truth is that most problems occurring in the show ring can be resolved
through one-step-at-a-time training, going back to the basics and not
moving forward until a previous step is mastered, patience, consistency
and a more developed sense of timing between horse and human. Again,
developed trust will come into play as an essential part of any and all
training.

4. Developing a confident horse will help ensure probable success in all

equine matters.

As with children and adults as well, confidence is tied into self-esteem,

courage, developing new skills, trying new things, taking calculated risks,
approaching scary things, accepting differences and living a more
expanded life. Confidence is developed over time through appropriately
being exposed to new and different circumstances in a thoughtful and safe
way. Often this is accomplished with the assistance of a good leader or
guide. In the case of a horse developing confidence, it is exactly the same
thing. Over time, the horse needs to be exposed to potentially scary things
and new circumstances. It should not be expected that a horse will
completely accept something it is afraid of when first being introduced to
it. This is where a human's ability to 'read' (understand) a horse's reactions
becomes very important. Not taking the animal too close to its fear limit is
important to developing confidence and trust in its leader and itself.
Knowing when to stop and reward a horse for even taking one step towards
a scary object is extremely important. For my training methods I will
reward even a small step a horse takes towards something it is afraid of.
Being able to recognize a horse 'trying' to comply is an important skill and
not to be taken lightly. It is paramount to highly successful training.
Knowing when and how to end a session with a horse on a positive note
goes a long way to that horse looking forward to the next session with that
human. It also supports the horse learning and retaining the lesson from
that session. The hallmarks of good training are: consistency, clarity, calm,
skill and, of course, compassion and kindness.

5. Develop good habits and ways of being when around horses.

Bad (old and outmoded) habits are difficult to modify even for humans. "Old
ways die hard" is a very common expression. It is the same with horses.
Equines habituate very quickly to behavior stemming from environmental

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stimulus such as: humans correctly handling or mishandling them, poor
behavior from herd mates, barn and housing inadequacies in routine and
more. The younger a horse is the easier it is to modify its behavior, even
stable vices. Unwanted and potentially dangerous behaviors like biting,
rearing, striking, bucking and more, if caught early on when the horse is
merely showing a tendency to begin the behavior, are relatively easy to
change. I prefer to provide a consequence for unwanted equine behavior
rather than a punishment. We tend to want to punish what we think is 'bad'
behavior. Punishment is often provided with the energy of anger behind it.
Wanting retribution (revenge) for a perceived wrong is common amongst
humans. This is inappropriate and unfair when applied to horses. Horses
are never doing anything to us personally, despite what we may think. They
are simply horses, reacting as horses do to the stimulus presented to them.
All equine reaction is based either on fear of demise or trust in survival.
Thus a horse is always innocent, but should be shown respect as to its size
and power. Keeping ourselves safe should be as important to us as it is to
the horse. Modifying behavior in horses begins with providing the
opportunity for the horse to comply with a simple request; the horse
immediate receives a reward for its attempts at compliance and then
receives another request. This sets up a winning cycle of request, tries at
compliance and immediate reward. The horse will habituate rather quickly
to this pattern of behavior. The result will, over time, be the dropping away
of unwanted habitual behavior and the initiating of desirable behavior in its
place.

6. Providing an appropriate consequence for unwanted behavior can go a

long way to modifying it.

A good consequence for unwanted equine behavior is movement (work). All

motion or movement is work to a horse. Therefore, if a human is able to
request simple, repetitive movement from a horse the instant it does
something unwanted, the horse will quickly begin to associate the added
work as a consequence of its behavior. This allows a learning situation to
be instituted as opposed to the animal being punished. Punishment creates
resentment, fear, frustration and a host of other negative reactions.
Providing a consequence sets up a learning situation where the wrong doer
receives an opportunity to take responsibility for its actions and learn what
to do to avoid the consequence. Some good consequences for unwanted
behavior from horses are small circles, hind-quarter yields and backing a
substantial distance.

7. The common successful language humans can have with horses is the
language of kindness, compassion, precision and respect.

Horses communicate in various ways such as; body language (posturing),

verbal sounds, shared mental images, shared feelings (empathy)
and intuitive cognizance, to name the main methods of equine
communication. We humans need to tune into our intuition, feelings, visual
impressions, sound recognitions and interpretations, telepathically
received images and more to be really effective communicators with our
horses. Most often humans 'project' false interpretations of equine
behavior onto their horses. They make a personal issue of unwanted
behavior, not understanding the animal is simply showing fear. A clear,
calm mind goes a long way to assist the possibility of good mutual
communication with horses. Releasing all judgment about the horse’s

14
behavior can open the mind even further. This involves never taking
anything personally a horse does. When I am working with a horse and the
animal kicks out a bit or shows any resistance to movement (work), my job
is to ignore the resistance (assuming it is a minor occurrence) and keep
myself and the horse focused on simply moving forward. If the action of the
horse detracts me from keeping the animal moving forward, the horse has
won that round, so to speak. As rest (stopping all movement) is what the
animal wants, if it can stop me from my requesting forward movement, it
will learn quickly that a little resistance can bring about the ceasing of any
work. Skill is absolutely required to be able to ignore minor resistance and
keep communicating in such a way as to not show anger, but simply firm
resolve to be the good leader of the dance with the horse.

8. How to always have a successful session (training or any experience)

with a horse in theory is simple.

Let’s say a human is attempting to teach a horse a new thing such as

loading into a float (trailer). The session goes on and on and never quite
hits the mark with the horse fully loading. Perhaps it will go up to the ramp,
but not into the trailer. Rather than getting angry and frustrated and then
putting the horse away with that mind set, the human needs to be able to
set aside their agenda of loading the horse that session. What should then
happen is the human changing the action (the request) to something that
human knows the horse can do easily and correctly. Something as simple as
leading forward and stopping, the horse complies with the request and gets
rewarded with a Good Boy and a brief rest (place of peace). What the
human has created by going to a simple request the horse will readily
comply with, is re-establishing the trusted leadership the horse is looking
for to begin with. If the horse is then put away for the day, the session has
ended on a positive note and the horse will look forward to seeing that
human the next time. Steps can then be taken by the human to modify how
the animal is being trained to load and have it be more successful. Putting
a horse away when the human is angry and frustrated is like going to sleep
with your partner or mate while angry at them. That anger (frustration) is
generally still present in the morning and not a good start to the day.

9. ‘Reading’ a horse and developing a good (accurate) understanding of

what the animal is trying to convey begins with the beliefs of the human
about horses.

If we believe the horse is out to get us, we will never correctly understand
what it is trying to convey. Again, never take anything a horse does
personally. We must approach any interpretation of equine communication
from a place of compassion. This way a human can more accurately
determine what the horse is trying to ‘say.’ By letting go of any judgment
about the horse, other than its innocence, we can step back and receive the
entire communication without viewing it through a cloudy lens of prejudice
or preconceived notions. As horses convey their feelings readily as part of
their communication, humans must become more empathetic with the
horse to be able to receive that emotional content of the communication.
Intuition also plays an important role in successful equine communication.
As the horse responds to its intuition about any situation, humans must
allow their intuition to come into play during any attempts at equine
communication. Human intuition is largely misunderstood and downplayed
during our daily encounters in deference to an analytical approach to daily

15
interactions. Horses do not analyze what is going on. Horses feel what is
happening and humans need to do the same thing to be successful
communicators with horses.

10. Developing an overall approach to horsemanship that advances and

supports the highest level of equestrian activities, equine relationship,
training efficiency and winning strategies is accomplished first by the
human embracing the paradigm of compassion and kindness towards the
horse always.

The second thing that should be in place for overall success with horses is
knowledge about the psychology of horses. Unfortunately, these two things
remain as the main blocks to wonderfully successful relationships with
horses. I find this a tragic occurrence for horses and humans which leads to
frustration, anger, and abuse of horses by humans. Learning about horses,
their language and their ‘ways’ is a life long journey. The most advanced
horse people I know always say they are continuously learning more and
new information from and about their horses. For a human to pass on an
easy opportunity to advance their knowledge of horses is unfair to their
horses and limiting to themselves in ways that go beyond their relationship
with their horse. Success with horses is a life enriching process that brings
benefits to humans beyond their equine relationships and into many areas
of their lives.

Five Tips for Getting That New Horse to Love You

by Franklin Levinson
Reprinted from Trailblazer Magazine

People oftentimes start out on the wrong foot with a new horse, which
quickly escalates into a major battle that the horse usually wins by
employing scare and evasion tactics. Here is a brief discussion on this topic
and five or more ways you can bond with your new animal so he "runs to
greet you, rather than away from you"

When I greet a horse for the first time, any horse of any age, gender or
stage of training, I connect from a polite distance before I get within the
horse's ‘personal space’ or range. I direct some 'thoughtful, kind' energy
towards the horse verbally and with my body language (I don't square off
to the horse, I let him experience my side or profile). I make certain I am
centered and focused and that my breathing is relaxed. I endeavor to be in
a calm but very aware state of mind. Horses greet us consciously and
expect us to do the same. Also, a degree of confidence within the human
helps the horse begin to feel confident about the human. As feelings of
safety and peace are so very important to a prey animal like the horse, it is
important to try to help the animal maintain those positive feelings. My
only agenda is for the horse to feel safe and confident that it will be safe
with me.

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Beginning a relationship with a new horse is a lot like beginning a new
relationship with a human. A few basic ingredients will help to insure a
positive experience for all. First of all show courtesy, respect,
thoughtfulness and kindness. Do not enter the horse's personal space
unless invited to by the horse's welcoming attitude. Don't put your hand on
the horse's face or crowd his head. Stand by his shoulder as to not make
him feel any more claustrophobic than he already naturally is. Speak in a
soothing and confident tone. Keep your hands down. It’s thoughtful and
respectful to learn something about his language before you attempt to
communicate with him. Gain an understanding that the horse wants to
connect with you and how to do it. Don't just wing it. Do a bit of homework
first; read up on horses or watch an educational film. It will help you and
the horse to understand and feel good about each other easier and faster.
Once invited to come closer to the horse by it's attitude and body language,
do so but only for a few seconds and then retreat or back away from the
horse. Wait a bit and then go closer, after a few moments and maybe
a little scratching gently on the horse's shoulder, back away again. You will
see the horse begin to watch you as you move back and forth and follow
you intently with his gaze and head. This advance and retreat behavior you
do around the horse actually helps the horse feel safer with you and rather
curious about you at the same time. It is very unpredator like. Horses like
that.

Frequently humans over-input a horse even though we think we are just

showing affection. Think about how horses greet each other in the wild.
They share breath and then generally give each other some room. Horses
being affectionate scratch each other with their teeth usually for only a
short period of time. I have seen humans endlessly patting, rubbing
and scratching a horse and the horse is actually leaning away from the
human and would move away if it could (usually the horse is tied), but the
human ignores the horse's response to the constant touching and keeps it
up. Humans are usually very thoughtful about how they touch another
human's body, but not so when touching a horse's body. They just do it and
usually right on the horse's nose (a very sensitive and private body part).
You never see horse's scratching each other's noses. Sometime a horse will
love to be scratched for quite a long while or touched a certain way for an
extended period of time, but we humans need to be sensitive to the horse’s
responses just like we are with each other and wait to be invited to extend
physical contact and then pay attention to the response of the animal as to
whether or not our touch is appreciated.

I met my Colorado horse, "Sweet Pete", when his name was "Pistol Pete". I
was told the horse was uncatchable, couldn’t be ridden safely without
rearing, unloadable, dangerous, vicious, not to be trusted and, as one
person who saw the horse hurt another person put it, "was a candidate for
the firing squad". When I heard that, I couldn't wait to meet him. What I
saw was one of the most fearful animals I had ever seen. He was 9 years
old, beautiful, but so full of fear of humans he couldn't get far enough
away, fast enough. Someone must have really hurt him badly over time.
Anyway, I got him herded into a round pen where I promised him I would
not approach him unless he invited me to or he came to me first. I sat down
in the center of the ring and waited. Sometimes I walked around, I talked to
him a lot, always reassuringly. I never squared my body to him. I sat again
for a while, I walked for a while. Sometimes I moved around him, never

17
right at him. I wanted him to feel free with me, that doing anything I
wanted had to be his desire also. I continued this process for two days. At
the end of the second day, Pete was following me around. He just started
doing it, I never asked him to. I never pushed him around the round pen.
Eventually, he invited me to touch him which I did on the shoulder and
briefly. We had begun our relationship in ernest. When we got to the trailer
loading sessions, he gave me the longest trailer loading session I have ever
had, four hours before he got in. Now he leaps into the trailer when I point
to it. When he is with me at a program I am presenting he is loose by my
side all the time. He'll go and stand somewhere if I ask him, but he rather
be right by my side. He finds me, he catches me, he is free to make this
choice himself and he does. If you do your homework first, then show
respect to the horse, kindness, thoughtfulness and the leadership of a
great parent, you will be rewarded with one of the greatest relationships
that exist in Nature.

So what are the five things to get any horse to love you quickly?
Besides apples, carrots!

1. Kindnes
2. Compassion
3. Respect
4. Patience
5. Great Leadership

Horse Love and How to Get It

Never take anything personally a horse does or does not do. Never say he
doesn't love you or he only loves you sometimes. Your responsibility is to
love your horse and be the great leader all the time. Do not worry whether
he loves you or not. Like any relationship, you cannot make someone love
you. You give that up and only seek to offer your love. You must be your
best, give your best, offer love (in appropriate form, which for horses
means skillful, compassionate leadership every second you are with the
horse) and never, never be disgruntled, offended, feel slighted or anything
like that.

Your horse will deeply bond with (love) the one who spends the most time
with it and successfully guides the motion, direction, action, etc. of the
horse. Give lots and lots of praise for the horse complying with a request
for movement or for requested non-movement (standing patiently). Allow
the horse the satisfaction of earning praise and treats. Ask for something
(movement), when you get it offer a “Whoa!” (a short break) allow/wait
for the horse to lick and chew or eat it's cookie and then do something else.
Consistently handling your horse this way, over time, will provide you with

18
the deepest bond (love) that is possible with your horse. Love is
accomplished over time with horses. It is not quick or a ‘given’. Trust is
earned over time with great leadership being offered consistently (every
moment).

Attitude is Everything with Horses and Humans

I receive a daily inspirational message from a good friend who is an author

on spiritual topics and a motivational speaker named Alan Cohen. The
quote for today is:

“We see the world not as it is, but as we are.”

Relating this attitude is everything theory to training and communicating

with horses produces immediate results of success or failure. First off, if we
think horses do not understand us or do not have the cognitive skills for
two-way communication with a human, then we will never have that sort of
connection with any horse. If we think it is a possibility then, with some
coaching or training, it can become a reality. As the horse is a prey animal,
which means other animals eat it, it has big antennas that are constantly
scanning its environment for predators. For a horse there is only fear or
trust. It either trusts it is safe or it is fearful it is not.

Once this is truly understood about horses, it becomes obvious that if a

human can help a horse to feel safe and trust it is safe, then the horse will
accept the human as its herd leader just as it does the herd leader in the
wild. I have become a successful communicator with horses because I have
as my attitude that I want to become a peace bringer to the horse first and
foremost. I have come to understand that if I can promote feelings of peace
and safety within a horse, I become like a magnet for them, attracting them
to me. Once they experience feelings of peace and safety (i.e. trust) they
just want to stay around where these feelings originate (with me). This is
the key to all bonding, connection and successful communication with
horses and humans as well.

Feelings of safety are more important to the horse than food, water or
shelter. The horse's sense of safety (survival) is first and foremost in it's
mind. If it is feeling safe and peaceful it is not worried about survival and it
can focus on what is happening in its environment and whatever is being
requested of it without fearful thoughts entering its mind and distracting it.
When we humans have an attitude of fear or paranoia, it can distract us so
much that we become dysfunctional. Imagine what it might be to always be
fearful of dying. That is what can happen for a horse that is never
supported in, or able to find those all-important feelings of peace, trust and
safety.

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Peace, trust and safety, do not exist in the outside, physical world. They
are internal feelings we all can have. We either feel them or we don't. It is
the same for the horse. It feels safe and trusts that it will be safe or it does
not. Resistance from a horse is always brought on by fearful feelings. Every
time you hear someone say a horse is stubborn, willful, bad, mean, vicious
or any other negative thing, it is an improper projection of the human's
attitude on to the horse and an inaccurate interpretation of the horse's
actions. For the horse's behavior is only a symptom of fear. It is like a child
who is fearful and acting out (being stubborn, willful or some such negative
behavior) because of its fearful feelings about something new, unknown or
scary.

I practice being my best through bringing my best to the horse whenever I

interact with them. If the interaction is successful for both the horse and
me, then I have immediate feedback that I have, in fact, brought my best
forward.

Horses will not eat, sleep, drink or anything else if they are fearful a
predator is lurking nearby. They proactively seek feelings of peace and
safety by running in a direction that their leader guides them to. Once a
place of safety is felt (generally about a half-mile) they stop running and
then, perhaps, backtrack to see what they were running from, or return to
the normal routine of eating, playing and sleeping.

Humans see a horse's fearful feelings and the reactions they cause, as the
horse being bad. We judge horses and humans all the time erroneously. We
frequently make horses bad and wrong so we have an excuse to punish and
dominate another being. How sad a commentary it is on the human
condition that we sometimes feel so small and inferior that we have to hurt
innocent animals and others in order for us to feel good about ourselves.

I propose a moratorium on negative attitudes. I suggest seeking a

successful outcome for all through the extension of compassion, kindness
and tolerance. We could choose peace over conflict if we are willing to
suspend judgment. So, I do think attitude is everything as it relates to
horses and humans. How you think something is, is what it is for you. Your
children, spouse, career, your horse and your life are what you think they
are.

Gaining confidence with horses

This is a big issue for people beginning their lives with horses and some
who have been with horses ‘forever’ but never really learned anything
about their real nature. The subject of ‘confidence’ is just as big for the

20
horse as for the human (both need to have confidence). Confidence for the
horse translates to ‘trust’. The horse is always asking whoever is around it;
“Can I trust you? Do you know what to do to help me to feel safe? Can I
have confidence that I am safe if you lead me? Can I have confidence if I do
as you request that I will not be hurt and will continue to be safe?” The
horse has to have confidence in whoever is leading it, be they horse or
human. If it does not have confidence it will be safe, the horse will
instinctively begin to fend and look out for itself.

For the human, confidence means having the knowledge that you know
what to do in most all circumstances that will help the horse to trust and be
confident it is safe. Developing this confidence is something that really
does take place over time. There is no magic pill you can take that will give
you the knowledge and confidence that experience over time will. However,
there are a few things people can do that will accelerate their development,
learning and confidence with horses. One of these things is to read books,
look at videos and attend seminars on the topic of horse training (not
riding) as much as possible. Forget about becoming a great rider for now
and focus on the horse itself. If a ‘ gentle horse trainer’ (not a riding
instructor) is in your area, call them and see if its possible to spend some
time with them watching what they do. Being able to see the process is a
huge help in acquiring the knowledge that is desirable. Videos are also
great for that. Most horse magazines have numerous videos advertised in
them. So the first thing I would suggest is for interested people to find
learning aids that can be view and trainers to watch.

Being “patient” with the horse is extremely important. If one can really
develop ‘great patience’ in the face of a confused, fearful horse, they will
gain immediate confidence in their ability to stay with the process of
bringing the horse back to feelings of safety, whatever that process is.
Patience just by itself is a huge plus in anyone’s life. If you can stay calm
and understand the goal and overall agenda of the horse’s sense of safety
as being paramount and patiently work towards that always, your
confidence will be increased right away.

Learning to move appropriately around a horse is not that hard but very
important. First of all, always be thoughtful and respect the horse’s
personal space. The horse will tell you by its demeanor, it’s posture,
movements and attitude if it is comfortable with someone entering its
personal space. Not unlike a human having an appropriate boundary, the
horse needs you to respect it’s boundaries. Most people do not respect the
horses right to personal space and invade the animal’s boundaries
constantly (reaching into a horse’s face to pet its nose is a perfect example
of this). Always connect first by talking to the horse before you get too
close. You’ll know (intuit, observe) if the horse is OK with you approaching
it. If it is not, respect that and talk to it some more and move around the
horse at a safe distance until the horse feels OK about you approaching it
and invites you closer with its responses. You’ll keep yourself a lot safer
also. Do not stand directly in front of the horse. Horses are by nature
claustrophobic. They also want to be able to look ahead and around for
possible danger. Standing by the left or right shoulder is always the safest
place to stand, for the horse as well as the human. Most horses have been
handled mainly on the left side, so they are most comfortable with the
human standing on their left side (by the shoulder). Also, you are much less
likely to be bitten or kicked in that position by the horse. Horses kick those

21
behind them if they are surprised. So, if you want to walk behind a horse
talk to him and keep one hand on his rump as you move around him so he
knows where you are and your intention to move around him. When
grooming the tail stand a bit to the side, not directly behind the horse.
There is a kick zone to avoid if possible. That zone is the place where the
horse can obviously ‘nail’ you with a kick if it were inclined. Kicking is
mostly a defense mechanism. As is any kind of seemingly aggressive
behavior. The horse is protecting itself. This behavior does not deserve
punishment; it deserves compassion, understanding and leadership to
bring the horse back to a ‘safe place’ in its mind and feelings.

As far as a horse lunging or kicking at a human when bridling, that is not

typical behavior. Only if the horse is made very uncomfortable by how the
human is trying to put the bridle on, will he move towards the human or
away. There is an appropriate way to ask a horse to accept the bridle (and
saddle). It is somewhat detailed and will be addressed in another essay. If
you make the horse nervous by inappropriately trying to get him to accept
the bridle or saddle, it will set up a situation where he has no confidence in
the human’s ability to ask him to accept new things. It will get harder and
harder to bridle or saddle him. Horses get habitual (take on habits) very
fast and habits are hard to change. When bridling a horse it is best to first
get the horse comfortable with lowering his head when asked to. When
introducing a blanket and saddle it is best to ‘sack the horse out’ first
extensively. This means getting him used to the blanket and things
flapping around and on him.

Here is a good procedure to practice for asking a horse to lower its head:
with a halter (preferably a rope halter) and lead rope already on the horse,
stand on the horse’s left side halfway up his neck. Hold the lead rope about
18 inches under his chin and just allow the weight of your arm to come on
to the rope. Do not try to pull the horse’s head down. Just let the weight of
your arm be there. The horse will, at some point, lower his head just a bit
to get away from the weight of your arm. The instant you feel that horse
lower his head, even a fraction of an inch, remove the weight of your arm
completely by lifting your arm just a tiny bit up or releasing the rope. Then,
do it again. You are asking the horse to lower his head by doing this. You
might also bend forward with your body just a bit to encourage him to
follow your body language down and look down at the ground (where you
want the horse’s head to go). A human should be able to get a horse to
lower his head as low as requested. He’ll just about put his nose on the
ground if asked appropriately. A horse with a lowered head is a relaxed
horse. I ask horses to lower their heads sometimes if they get a little
nervous. So it is always a good skill to have. You may want to get really
good at his one as it will help you ask the horse to accept the bridle by
lowering his head. It is important not to hit the horse’s teeth with the bit as
well. Anyway, if this procedure is practiced it will help a human gain
confidence and skill. It will also help a human to understand how to begin
to ‘read’ a horse.

‘Reading’ a horse means being able to ascertain what is going on for the
horse in any one moment. Is the horse calm, nervous, upset, anxious,
trusting, afraid, in pain or whatever? This is a very important skill to
development. It will also help to develop confidence, even if all the proper
‘moves’ are not known yet. If a human can look at a horse and begin to
‘feel’ what is going on for it, they will have a skill that is priceless. The way

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to develop this skill is through patience, kindness and the desire to help
the horse feel safe first and foremost, and not just grab him and use the
horse for something. It means moving slowly observing the horse’s
responses to whatever the human does. It means not approaching too fast
and connecting first. It means showing respect. It also means using
intuition. Intuition and ‘feel’ have similar meanings when applied to horses.
You intuit what a horse is feeling. We do this kind of thing all the time.
When we meet someone new or go to a new place or try something new, it
either feels OK or not. It can feel ‘right or wrong’. Our brains (our intellect)
may say something is OK to do, but our heart (or gut) says it is not. We
follow our intuition when we follow our hearts. Horses have a very
developed intuitive side. They intuit if something wants to ‘eat them for
dinner’. They intuit if there is a predator present long before it gets close.
They have to because it is their survival. I connect with horses a long ways
away from them. By the time I get up to them we are connected and feeling
good about each other (unless the horse has some abuse issues and is
fearful of humans in general). I can intuit that quickly and respond
accordingly to help the horse to know I am no threat to it. Developing our
intuition will help develop our confidence.

If a horse moves into my space while being led or if I am in close quarters

with it (the stall), I do not want to get physical with it to ask it to move
away. Many times pushing a horse will prompt the horse to push back and
they will always win a test of strength. Rather I have gotten very good at
shaking (snaking) the lead rope under the horse’s chin which is annoying to
the horse and will prompt the horse to move away from the shaking rope. I
will also face the horse, shake the rope and move towards the horse
confidently asking it to back a step or two. This will generally allow a
human to begin to set a boundary with the horse as to how close the horse
can be. If there is no lead rope and halter on the horse, such as in the stall,
I will wave my hand quickly right under the horse’s chin or at his nose. This
will generally get him to lift his head and take a step away. I have
developed a ‘feel’ for what is too much pressure or energy in the shaking or
waving so as to not scare the horse. I can also shake a rope at the horse as
well (or my glove).

It is important to be able to set a boundary with a horse. This one skill

alone will bring tremendous confidence, as the human will understand how
to get their boundaries respected. Setting appropriate boundaries is a good
life skill to have. Success with horses is a great way develop skills that
enrich us in all areas of our lives.

Now is the Time for Horses

Horses do not live in the past or in the future. Their only concern is how
things feel right now, in the present moment. In that present moment they
either feel a sense of peace or feel fear and anxiety. Horses learn from past

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experience and from repetition of a task. They will bring their experience,
as knowledge gained, into the present, as their survival is assured for them
only by responding in the ‘now’.

It is very important that when we are working, playing or just ‘being’ with
our horses that we bring ourselves fully into the present moment with
them. Otherwise, our horse and we miss a great opportunity to fully
connect. Not being fully present in the ‘now’, puts horse and human at a
big disadvantage. How can we fully join with another if we are not fully
present? If part of us is living in the past or the future, if even part of our
attention is somewhere other than in the present, we shortchange
ourselves and all those around us. All our interactions and communications
suffer when we are only partially present. We lose part of our strength and
our ability to function at our best. Horses are never just ‘partly’ here; they
are always totally present in the moment.

What goes on for horses in the ‘now’? This is a great question. One worth
putting our attention on. If the horse’s basic needs are met in the moment,
i.e.: food, water and safety from predators, the next thing on the horse’s
mind is relationship. By this I mean its relationships within the herd.
Everyday the hierarchy of the herd gets challenged. This ‘order’ of
leadership, this Equine board of directors undergoes a constant reshuffling
of individuals. Older leaders eventually give way to younger stronger ones.
It is a matter of survival that the younger horses constantly put a bit of
pressure on the older ones to see if they are still fit to lead. This pressure is
simply asking if the older horse is ready to yield or give way to the
younger. This is not done viciously. There is no malice or intention to hurt
the other horse. It is done with body language, gestures posturing and
positioning. Actually, it is done rather kindly. It asks the question “are you
still able to lead” as a service to the herd. It is giving something to the herd
by taking this leadership role on. It is service to the group. The horse is
egoless in this. It is not thinking “look at me I am offering to be the
leader”. It is compelled to do this because it is compelled to serve the herd.
To serve the betterment and survival of the group is the natural way of the
horse. It does this selflessly, as a natural occurrence in its life.

So, it would seem that now is the only time there is for horses and that
each moment of their lives is for giving. Actually, even running around and
playing is part of their giving. Horse can been observed playing chase
games, scratching each other with their teeth, licking and nuzzling each
other and other behaviors that strengthen their bond with their herd
mates. This is giving to the betterment of the group. It is service of a very
high order, naturally. It is giving what is needed in every moment,
appropriate for every situation.

Not only is every moment for giving for the horse, but horses forgive in
every moment. This means they do not hold grudges. They will respond
utilizing past learning, however, they do not hold grievances. If someone
abuses a horse intentionally or not, and then realizes the errors of their
ways and begins to treat the horse with respect and kindness, the horse
will soon come to trust the human again, assuming the abuse didn’t last for
too long. Even if the abuse has lasted for a long time, most horses will
forgive their abusers eventually, if the former abuser is consistent with
offering kindness.

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We can now see how every moment for the horse is for giving and
forgiving. How would it be for us if we could emulate this aspect of horses?
Perhaps more peace would come into our lives, more happiness. It works in
Nature for the herd, why not for us humans? Whenever we are not so
concerned about what we can get or what we don’t have and focus on what
we can give, a sense of peace is inevitable. A feeling of being joined with
each other and not alone, of not being separate comes to us when we look
to give as opposed to get. Consider the horse; forgiving, giving, playful,
safe, living as fully as it can, in the ‘now’. Perhaps we can take a page from
the Equine Book of Happiness and live more fully in the ‘now’ ourselves.

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