“Take it to the horse…” is something echoed by Celeste Lazaris throughout her amazing courses. Hearing this repeatedly made me stop and think about the work I am doing and how the many horses I have known on my equestrian journey have shaped the way I interact with equines today. They taught me so many valuable lessons, some very hard learned and others soft and comparatively easy. I would not be the horsewoman I am today without them. Of course, there were also many great equestrians who I owe more than I can ever repay that contributed to my equine education, but I will save that for another day.
Reflecting on how our attitude and actions affect the horse as a sentient being has pushed me to dig deeper into understanding the subtle cues and signs they use to communicate, signs that I may have missed previously. I began to tune in more closely to things like the slow sinking of the head, breathing patterns, a flick of the tail, fidgeting, etc… and how it correlated to what I was doing at that exact moment. There are many different ways of “taking it to the horse”. What is most important here is that we allow the horse to guide us in our work with them and do our best to listen. It isn’t always straight forward and most of the time I feel like I’m putting a puzzle together without all the pieces.
The best way to really get to know horses in my opinion is to observe them. Take a chair or blanket out to the barn and watch them in their turn out. See how they interact with the other horses and animals through out their day. Learn how they respond when they are annoyed, stressed, or relaxed. Watch for their expressions and body language. Once you can discern their general mental state, watch their movement and posture. Do they always point one hoof forward? Is their gait even and smooth or more ridged? See how it changes when they are tense vs relaxed.
Next, watch different people with horses and see how they interact together. Is the handler ignoring them or misunderstanding? Does the horse seem to be shut down or is their unique personality still shining through? Watching others interact with horses and thinking about how the horse was communicating with its handler and how they responded will help guide you in your interactions with horses.
When you find yourself unsure of what a horse is communicating or why they are acting a certain way, it helps to ask yourself out loud about the situation and if you can't figure it out right then, move on. Your subconscious will continue working on it and provide you an answer at some point. Perhaps reflect on it and ask the question once a day until you get an idea of what could be going on.
Always trust your intuition, it is a powerful tool. Let yourself be guided by feel and science combined. The two need to be blended when working with any living being as there is an exception to almost every rule. If the horse seems to be leading you down a path, follow it and see where they take you. This could be a gut feeling or overwhelming emotion, a fleeting thought, an uneasiness or leaning toward a specific path. I urge you to explore it responsibly and see where it leads you. More times than not those gut feelings are valid.
Of course no-one knows all there is to know and learning is a life long endeavor. The more I learn the more I realize there is so much more I still don’t know and I am thankful for the horses and people who will continue the process with me. Always take it to the horse and let them be your guide on this amazing journey. Observe, ask yourself the hard questions, experiment(responsibly), follow your gut, and reflect. putting these into practice will help you grow in your horsemanship exponentially.
Finally, I’d like to pay homage to some of the many horses that I’ve had the privilege to learn from over the years. The more significant ones will have a photo, and in time a link to the story of my time with them.
Cracker Jack - a stout POA with foundation lines including the great quarter horse Poco Bueno. He was a great all around pony who taught me to listen.
Mighty Go Quest - My Heart horse! He gave me the confidence in myself to become an equine professional. A halter and western pleasure bred Appaloosa with a heart of gold and worth 10x his weight in it. I learned all aspects of horse care from quest as he was the first horse I had to provide 100% of the care for before and after school, no matter the weather or if I was sick or well.
Irish Mist - a lovely thoroughbred mare who never raced. She was bred instead to be a hunter and did very well. She was a great lesson horse for me.
Callie - My Dutch Warmblood. The only horse I have owned from conception onward and who is going to be 24 this May. I have learned so much from her and she is still teaching me! She will also have her own blog.
Daisy - a haflinger mare that was given to me shortly after being removed from a severe hoarding and neglect situation. She will also have a dedicated blog.
Billy - A grade gelding who was given to me in 2022. He had a mechanical hoof failure within the first 2 weeks of being with me and has been a rehab project since. we are just getting to start work again this week. (rehab blog to come)
I would also like to acknowledge the following horses: Cleona, Hunter, Agee Whiz, Josua, Immi, Highland, Madman, Murry, Patunia, Notes, Deacon, Lison, Taz, Shy, Legs, Wilma, Howie, Ani, Aurora, Summer, Jake, Mazie, Winter, Scooter, Dusty, Chips, Splashy, Georgia, Goodie, Shoot, Bo, MJ, Shane, Jet, Barney, Missy, Scarlet, Darling, Cutie, Manny, Poppy, Pepper, Strawberry, Huckleberry, Shady, Bear, Julian, Casey, and Wildfire.