This study is evidence that subtle gestures we may or may not be aware of can influence our horse.  Heart rate is one of them to consider.  If we are leading or riding a horse who is fearful, we must always remember to be calm, no matter what the situation may be.  Calmness can prevent situations from arising, and if they do arise, it can prevent them from escalating.  We also have to remember that if we are fearful when riding or when leading a horse, the horse will pick up on that.  The most helpful thing we can do is learn how to center when being around horses.  Horses are herd animals, and it’s only natural for them to pick up on our nervousness and wonder if there is a reason to be nervous.

The next time you’re with a horse, consciously think of being centered and calm.  Take deep breaths from your diaphragm.  Let all of the stress that you may be experiencing, all of the thoughts of things you “have to do” leave your mind.  When you’re with your horse, your focus should be on the relationship the two of you have.  Being with horses is a wonderful way for us to be more balanced, centered, and connected.  The natural world does not multitask; it is centered and focused.  We can learn a lot from that way of being.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are many other factors that influence our relationship with horses that we may not consciously think about.  While this study focused on the factor of heart rate, think about others that might be creating communication between you and your horse without you even thinking about it.  When you lead a horse near a potential scary situation, do you breathe faster, perhaps grip the leadline tighter?  When you’re riding, and you are worried something might spook your horse, do you hold your breath or breath very shallowly, sit up straighter and become more tense, close your fingers around the reins so that you’re putting pressure on the reins without realizing it?

What this study shows us and what it allows us to begin to consider are all of the tiny ways in which we influence and communicate with our horses all of the time.  It also allows us to realize that we can have a much more subtle and sensitive relationship with our horses.  And if that is true, if we have been relying too much on heavy handiness with our horses, what else have we been missing with our horses that may lead to a better relationship?

What might our horses be communicating to us in a subtle manner that we are missing?

Take some time and watch horses in a field.  They don’t constantly whinny.  They aren’t constantly running around.  If they want another horse to move, they often move their ears and that is enough to let the other horse know that they need to find another place to be.  Watch what happens when a fly lands on a horse’s skin.  The horse will simply twitch a muscle to flick off the fly.  If the fly continues to land or if it bites extremely hard before moving, the horse will swish her tail or bite at the fly.  But first, there is the twitch of muscle.  What do we do when a fly lands on us?  A lot more than just twitching a muscle.

Do you ever ride bareback?  Many people don’t because it takes them out of their comfort zone, which was discussed in the last entry.  Riding bareback is a wonderful way to feel the subtlety of your horse and to learn how to be subtle yourself.  Like most people, I was taught that the main way to stop a horse is with rein pressure.  It was my Quarter Horse Cisco and our two Mustangs, Flint and Sugarfoot, who have taught me to gently use my thighs for a perfect stop.  Cisco is a horse I brought with me cross-country from Massachusetts.  He’s a wonderful teacher horse, who has taught me a lot and who is now teaching others.  One of the most important things Cisco has taught me is subtlety.  His preferred way to be ridden is bareback, with a halter and reins or leadline, on the trail (no actual trail is needed, however, just land to ride on).  Try pulling back on the reins, with or without a bit, and you’ll find he stops but not nearly as quickly, quietly, and nicely as he does if you just sit.  It’s that simple…and not.  We are so accustomed to pulling and making big gestures, that Cisco will teach you that you have to sit just right for him to stop.  It’s a gentle squeeze with the thighs that gets him to stop perfectly.  Once you learn it, you have it.  But until then, you have to avoid the impulse to pull and instead, just gently squeeze.

In the process of riding our two gentled Mustangs, Flint and Sugarfoot, I found that they, too, will stop on a dime.  Again, it’s a matter of a feather-light squeeze of the thighs.  Too hard, and they don’t like it.  But just a gentle squeeze, and they stop right then and there.  Cisco, Flint, and Sugarfoot all respond to the same cue.  All three horses were trained by different people, used in different ways, and yet, they all understand the same cue.  And not all of them were ridden bareback.  So, who is really teaching whom?  We pull to stop when all we need to do is just sit and gently squeeze.  And since these 3 different horses all know the same cue, it is clearly something universal.  How and why these horses all understand this cue are questions we may never know the answer to.  And that’s OK.

What is most important to realize is that horses can teach us what cues to use and that we can be very subtle when riding.  There is no need to be any more severe or loud than that.  Ride with subtlety, and you’ll begin to understand what riding naturally is all about.  More on that topic in future posts.