North Canterbury News: August 20, 2020
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EQUESTRIAN<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>August</strong> <strong>20</strong>, <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
27<br />
Good horsemanship ... ‘‘There is asolidconnection between the feetand the mindofahorse.”<br />
It’sessentialtoget<br />
thefoundation right<br />
Ben Longwell, who runs True WestHorsemanship,discusses the<br />
languageofthe horse and how to use it.<br />
Working with horses, as with anything,<br />
gainsbetterresults throughbetter<br />
understanding.<br />
True horsemanship,which is applicable<br />
no matter what your equinediscipline, is<br />
aboutworking in asafe manner by<br />
building trustand respectand studying the<br />
way horses think and behave. It requires<br />
comprehending many principles fromthe<br />
perspective of the horse.<br />
Theirown personal safety is ahorse’s<br />
main priority, ranking higher even than<br />
eating. Everythingabout theirphysical<br />
makeup is created for survival, from sharp<br />
eyesight and hearing to their flightinstinct<br />
that can be triggeredinafractionofa<br />
second.Because safety is their first<br />
priority and flight is the primarydefence<br />
mechanism,there is asolid connection<br />
between the feet and the mindofahorse.<br />
In order to haveaworkingrelationship<br />
builtontrust, we mustunderstand this<br />
feet/mind connection and its relationship<br />
to the equine’s need for leadership.<br />
Horses communicate through body<br />
language, and the hierarchyofthe herd is<br />
determined through this medium. This can<br />
be as subtle as the twitch of an ear or as<br />
forceful as adoublebarrelled kick—<br />
whatever it takes to get the point across.<br />
Humans can takeasignificantamount of<br />
time and focus to learn how to<br />
intentionallycommunicate this way. Many<br />
people shortcut the process anduse tools<br />
(flags,sticksorleadrope twirling) rather<br />
than actual bodylanguage, and in this way<br />
neverreally grasp how effective it can be.<br />
The terms Iuse to teach and describe<br />
the conceptofbody language are Position,<br />
Life and Space. Thesecan be difficult to<br />
visualise through print,but Iwill offer a<br />
shortdefinition here.<br />
Theseprinciples are applicable both in<br />
our groundworkand under saddle, the<br />
main difference being the big changein<br />
our position from ground to saddle.<br />
Position has to do withwhere we are in<br />
relation to the horse, takinginto account<br />
where the balance pointisalongthe<br />
shoulder that is natural to all herd<br />
animals. On amore subtlenote, it includes<br />
the directionweface when we are<br />
consistent with wherewedirect our<br />
intention.Itcan become an effectivepart<br />
of ourcommunication.<br />
Life,orenergy, couldbesummed up by<br />
noise or movement thatwouldcause the<br />
horse to want to make achangeinwhat he<br />
is doing,whether that is to go or stop, move<br />
left or right,orforward or back. It can<br />
include verbal cues that are effectivewhen<br />
used consistently. There is also tempo to<br />
our Life,just as horses move withrhythm,<br />
which can be asubtle and effectivepart of<br />
our communication.<br />
Space is primarily dealt with in our<br />
groundwork and refers to our personal<br />
space and how we use it to directthe horse<br />
and stay safe ourselves. It works in<br />
conjunction with Lifetohelp ahorse be<br />
more awareofusand move away when<br />
asked.Itisimportant to not eliminate our<br />
space when asking the horse to move away.<br />
We onlyhave so much Spacesoitiscrucial<br />
we use it sparinglybut effectively.<br />
As we becomemore fluent, we candirect<br />
ahorse’s feetinspecific ways, using<br />
pressure and releasewith the proper<br />
timingtoengage theirminds.<br />
If we take the time and are willingto<br />
changeour focus,wecan begintointeract<br />
more with the mind, setting things up and<br />
letting them find it, and the feet will follow.<br />
This is abig piece of the puzzle that<br />
shows them that theycan trustuswith<br />
their mobility, which is the same as putting<br />
their lives in our hands.<br />
This foundational connection is vital to<br />
all further training if you want ahorse to<br />
be safe on the ground and under saddle.<br />
Is your horse sore but you<br />
can’t pinpoint the problem?<br />
Undertracking, stiff and not<br />
reaching its full potential?<br />
Then Equus Laser<br />
Therapy isfor you...<br />
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give healthy, happy, painfree horses.<br />
Equus Laser Therapy can be used to treat<br />
all muscular skeletal injuries including:<br />
muscle strain, sore backs, tendon and ligament injuries,<br />
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haematomas, splints, wounds, scars and much more.<br />
Contact: Caroline Parker<br />
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