Language that is! Last week I shared with you about rebuilding my dressage seat and refining the connection between my horse and me. Just think of the implications of that. We absolutely do not speak the same language. In fact, if we consider nature, my horse and I should not even have a working relationship.
Horses are prey animals. That is, they are food for other animals. Think mountain lions, cougars, wolves, etc. That list also includes humans, although few of us in this country consider horses as a food source. The horse knows instinctually that it is a prey animal and its best defense is to run, and quickly, in the other direction when threatened.
Humans are predators. We stalk, capture and kill our prey. You and I do not perform this task; we have others that do it for us. But that is the fact, plain and simple – we are the hunters and the horse the hunted.
There is a unique behavior that humans use with animals – anthropomorphism. That is, attributing human characteristics to the animals in our lives. You see this with people and their dogs; my husband and I do the same with our cats and I also do it with my horse. However I am doing it to a lesser extent than previously with my horse. Heck, we have a new riding seat to learn. It might be easier if I communicated with him as a horse rather than operating on the basics of human characteristics, of which he has none!
So I am using natural horsemanship techniques to help strengthen our bond and clarify my instructions to my horse. Yes, I have to be in charge in this relationship. Otherwise 1,200 pounds of horse is going to decide that grazing now or leaving the arena now is the best thing to do.
The changes are noticeable and have been easy to implement. All I needed was the awareness of the relationship (prey/predator) and the knowledge of a new language to speak. We are not finished…I have much more to learn and implement. Yet improving our communication has only improved our relationship.