TRAINING & SHOWING
PHYSICS in movement
and
SOCIAL
interaction
If we observe a
group of horses, for
example a breeding
unit, or a group
of bachelors, they
relate to each other
about things that
are natural for
horses, in terms of
movement, which is
a part of an individual’s
behavior.
Domestic horses
have successfully
adapted to living
in a very different
situation.
Some of the biggest changes have been to feed on dried
forage, separate from other horses, and relate mainly to people.
In the relationship with human beings, the actions are
often about things that horses do not naturally understand,
like most of what happens in the practice of the equestrian
disciplines. Even with all the changes horses made in order to
survive, the details in their communication are still expressed
by movement, definitely never by articulated sounds.
The interaction
between human
and horse is
dynamic
A very strong point became apparent to me
when I began focusing on the physics of behavior
and communication. I shifted my attention,
from training a horse for an action to
deepening the details about the content of
my communication through movement. This
led me to formulate Human Horse Sensing,
a method that works equally for human and h
orse in any spontaneous circumstance, during
groundwork, as well as while riding. I have
applied the same system from starting to comevident
peting with horses, and have formulated a protocol to
evaluate the ability of a horse to interact with human beings.
The theory behind this method has been taught in
clinics or online, and does not require a long series of exercises
to obtain a certain behavior from the horse. The
method works with parameters that are independent
from the action happening in performance and can be
applied, and suit the needs of any equestrian discipline
of choice. The interaction between human and horse
is dynamic, modulated in time, by our movement, and
considering that both human and horse perceive it by the
senses. It is like “talking horse”, which is what people often
comment when they watch the process happening.
In a natural herd of horses there is not just one “leader”.
Most important, it is not always the same one. A lead horse
is an individual whose actions are intended to benefit the
whole group to which the individual belongs. His behavior
can influence others in an immediate way, where the most
erate and attention. The kind of relationship that Human
Horse Sensing establishes is intended to enable each individual
to be a leader, or a conscious follower. A horse can
execute without being submissive, and the leader can
be a leader of leaders. Most importantly we leave coercion
out of the interaction, and a true leader appears to
be such from the way he behaves. The leader is in charge
of the way communication happens its quality, and complexity,
and can foresee the future, and how it will affect
the relationship between him and the other individuals.
62 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
fact is that a leader’s request
always obtains a response. The lead horse
behavior can also influence others in a
more lasting way, by teaching them about
a specific circumstance. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Horsemanship can be structured as a
social relationship, where humans and
horses interact by the way of behavior,
and about social values such as coexistence,
trust, respect, willingness to coop
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com