EE Human
Horse Sensing
from the
Ground
Dominant horses turn around and face us, while submissive
horses tend to run away. Lead horses can let
us lead them from behind, only if our mind and body
are coherent, and we do it by making sure the horse
sees us, and we stop when he tries to get away.
Being behind a horse’s head is where we are while
riding. This should tell us how important it is to be able
to assume such a position and have the horse execute
our directions. Working with horses in freedom
of movement can be a way to establish a social
relationship, or a fitness routine.
Free movement can also be used for training a horse
for strength, or to simply allow him to move in a way
that they cannot do under saddle, or in hand. Working
a horse in freedom of movement allows him to
exercise some of the muscles that would otherwise
undergo atrophic changes, because of how we
keep the horse confined in small spaces, and of how
we exercise him under saddle.
Movement is what individuals perceive through the
senses. Sight perceives movement in space, Hearing
perceives sound waves, Feel perceives pressure. It is
all about motion, and if we analyze its component
parts, we will be able to finely modulate it, and make
sense to our horse in a much more immediate manner
than having to train the horse to respond through
conditioning.
to the
saddle.
In researching equestrian physics one finds a lot
about biomechanics applied to riding, often given
without even mentioning the voluntary control of the
movement, and the importance of the surrounding
circumstance on an individual’s state of mind. Physics
is considered when talking about horses spooking
and when deciding to get the rider out of the
saddle. Physics is also considered when a rider is
hurting a horse’s back or mouth by sitting, or by using
his hands poorly. Another very abundant, and indeed
very precise equestrian physics topic is pressure
assessments and a comparison of halters (rope/nylon/
leather/dually), riding postures, cinches, girths,
and saddle pads. There is an ongoing project about
building the first and only equine saddletree database
to help match horse’s back profiles to the most
appropriate saddletree. Exciting stuff, but outside
of the round penning techniques, I did not find any
details about the physics involved in the dialogue
through movement, which is how communication
happens naturally between horses.
Trying to apply the laws of physics, that work on
inanimate objects, does not work, but what can be
very useful is to borrow from physics some schemes
to describe the mechanics of the dialogue through
movement, that can be established immediately,
with any horse, from the first moment we are in his
presence. Applying physics concepts in horsemanship
can be efficient. After all, this is what happens in
nature, where horses are free to move and communicate.
We must simply consider the most important
element: the fact that human beings and horses are
live creatures with individual, and social personalities
who are in control of their own actions.
Horses and people have a natural, instinctual response
to movement. When something approaches
us, we tend to move away from it. This is even more
true if we are surprised by it. When something moves
away from us, we tend to follow it, by moving in its
direction, or just following it with our eyes.
The natural way horses lead other horses is by herding
them from behind.. Practicing this kind of interaction
with a horse can tell us a lot about their personality.
60 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com