Equine Communication

Horses can communicate with people in very slight ways. They can detect anything from expressing emotions through body language to a person leaning back while riding. For example, if you lean back in your seat, the horse will take that as a queue to slow down or stop, depending on the field of riding you're in. And in horse sports where you are meant to go fast, you will sit forwards in your seat and lift yourself out of the saddle and over the horses withers, a signal to go. In the book How to Think Like a Horse by Cherry Hill, there are a few written examples of why this happens. Hill writes "Since horses begin reading your body language the instant they see you, be aware of how you move and act around them. Your body language consists of where you are in relation to your horse, your overall stance, and your movements. You posture and movements can indicate, among other states of mind, confidence and strength or insecurity or aggressiveness...Your body stance and movements will tell a horse whether he should be afraid, attentive, or relaxed" (Hill 123). This gives proof that horses will react based on the riders appearance around them. 

While riding, you want to keep your hands soft and not pulling at the bit because the hands direct the horse, and legs should be resting behind the shoulders on the horses' ribs. You should also sit back in your seat to keep the horse at a slower more relaxed pace, and example given in the riding below.

For the rider, Hill says that the body is essential for communication, and during ground work your body position and activity can help give the horse an idea for when to stop, turn, and go faster. It takes a lot to practice proper choreography when working on the ground with a horse (Hill 123). More proof is given by Hill when she says artificial aids are important to extend arms. These include longe lines, whips, crops, halters, chains, and lead ropes. They intensify the movements of our hands and help direct the horse (Hill 124). To try this, I longed Leo on the ground, using a longe line and a flag, which is like a softer version of a crop. 

From the information I learned from the book I am able to use correct body language around a horse, and know how to correctly longe. The video above is from me longing Leo a long time ago, and now I am able to find differences and things I can improve on in both riding and longing. Now I can correctly deal with my horse while riding and doing ground work. 

Hill, Cherry. "How to Communicate with Your Horse." How to Think like a Horse: The Essential Handbook for Understanding Why Horses Do What They Do. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., 2006. 123+. Print.

How do you think a horse would react if you jumped at it while longing them? Do you know any reasons that a horse would react differently if you distributed your weight farther forwards or backwards? Would a horse react differently if you used a crop for longing instead of a whip or flag?