Many horse trainers focus on training the horse to behave in a certain way in response to “human” signals. I keep my techniques close to how I believe horses relate to each other. The difference that makes a difference, for me, is to talk in the horse’s language and not in our own language.
I want to be able to communicate effectively with the horse so that we have a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. One of the keys to this, I believe, is to be able to put ourselves into his shoes, view the world from his perspective, and understand what is going on for him. As the horse doesn’t speak “human” and can’t verbalise his feelings, emotions, wants and desires, the onus is on us to read his body language to interpret how he is.
In short, my approach towards the horse is one of awareness and curiosity; looking for a win / win outcome; it is an intention to get sufficient rapport with the horse that he trusts me enough that he feels safe, and consequently has more fun. So it is not about showmanship, and not about dominance and invitation, it is about establishing ground rules and boundaries (through consistently noticing the little things) and communicating constantly.
