Have you ever heard the term 'horse whisperer'? People use it to describe someone that can communicate with horses well; it's usually considered a rare gift. However, anyone can do it! You only need to learn the 'language'.
1Learn 'horse talk'. Horses communicate in two ways: by body language, and by vocalizations. These 'languages' are a bit harder and more detailed to understand than words that form sentences. When an equine uses body language, he may lay his ears flat back on his head. In horse talk, this usually means "leave me alone or I might kick!" Another horse may put her head up when she sees something interesting. The ears will go forward and she will have an alert eye and if the ears are back the horse is either relaxed or listening backwards or if you are riding him he is listening to you. The tail 'speaks' too. When a horse lashes her tail side to side, she's probably very irritated, either by you or by horseflies. Horses speak vocally as well. For instance, a low nicker shows care and compassion. Loud, continual grunts or groans signal distress, while high-pitched squeals mean extreme annoyance.Ad
2Learn how to communicate back to the horse. Many horse handlers, whether it be a rider or coach, have all learned how to talk to their horses. When riding you use your legs, body and voice to communicate to the horse what you want them to do. When on the ground, you can use your posture, voice, and body motion to communicate. This is especially helpful when lunging a horse or doing round pen training.
3Be confident and know that you are in charge (especially in the saddle), a horse can pick up on nerves. Before you begin to learn the basic steps of Horse Talk, you must be confident in both yourself, your abilities, and your goal. If you are worried that your horse will walk all over you then he will, but if you think you are the boss and you are going to do this or that, then you will.Ad
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- Observe horses interacting with one another in a field. What would a horse do if another one grazed too close to it? How do mothers react when a foal gets too rambunctious? Do some horses only groom certain others? This is the best way to learn horse talk.
- Being relaxed helps when planning to talk to your horse. If you are tense or nervous, this will upset your horse as well.
- Never walk behind or right In front of a horse these are its blind spots.
- When approaching your horse, walk towards him at a 45 degree angle. This will ensure that he/she can see you clearly.
- Horses outweigh you ten to one, are much stronger than you are, and are sometimes scared easily. When working with them, always stay alert. This can greatly reduce the chance of injury.