Speaking the language of horses
The new book Horses in Translation shows how the Horse Speak system can lead to happier and more productive equestrian partnerships.
Horse Speak is both a science and an art. There is a science to the mechanics of moving your body in specific ways to communicate. The art of Horse Speak develops when a person becomes fluent enough to respond to nuance.
For horses to believe our body language, we must match our insides with our outsides. Trying to hide an emotion---like fear, for example---will never work, because horses are uniquely clued in to the inner state of a predator species (that would be us). You cannot lie to a horse. It is, therefore, more useful to simply acknowledge and label the emotion you might be experiencing than to try to hide it or ignore it. Your horse does not care if you are feeling a particular emotion---he only cares that you are honest. Many of my students have found that by arriving at the barn and immediately telling the horses all about their daily stress, they feel better---and achieving congruency inside and out instantly calls the horses to them.
The “leader” of the herd is the horse with the calmest nerves, the most
attuned senses and the sharpest mind. Horses do not thrive on stress; in fact, it wears them down. For a herd to be healthy, its members need to stay in that state of mind I call Zero. Because people have so many attachments to labels, words and meanings, telling someone to “stay calm” may have the opposite effect. I use the word Zero to simply mean being in a state of inner calm; that is the kind of leadership your horse is looking for.
Lead like a “Mom”
Leadership is not the same thing as dominance. No animal claims total dominion over another animal as a rule of thumb, except for humans. Within a herd, pack or flock, members all form links in a chain, and the strength of the community is the most important part of the whole. The most important element is not, as some believe, the “alpha role”---whatever that is. The man who coined the phrase “alpha wolf,” David Mech, later recanted that idea. As his studies of wolves progressed, he came to understand that the behavior and roles in a pack were more nuanced and subtle.
In the wild, the strongest male is
The new book Horses in Translation shows how the Horse Speak system can lead to happier and more productive equestrian partnerships. By Sharon Wilsie
usually the one who earns breeding rights, which ensures good genes for the babies. Other than during mating season, however, large males are not necessarily the leaders. Most often packs, herds and other large groups have strong female leadership or are entirely made up of females, as you find in elephant herds. The group focus is on mutual safety, camaraderie and community. The daily life of most animal groups is concerned with getting enough food, shelter and water and watching out for each other. Wild animals do not want to waste precious energy bickering, and social groups have a wide variety of systems to ensure the peace and quiet that supports the health and vitality of the group and avoids attracting predators.
Our domestic horses live in box stalls and fields or paddocks that are surrounded by fences. There is a limited amount of experience young horses get out in the wide world. That is where we come in. If a horse has never been on a trail ride, his first one may be completely overwhelming. Mom never got to teach him how to handle the woods, or the rocks, or the fallen logs.
Horses map their surroundings in their heads; it is one of their survival skills. If Mom gets turned out in a new pasture with her baby, she scans the horizon, sniffs the fence line and tours the area to see what is what. If she tenses up for any reason during this exploration, her baby is supposed to freeze and wait for her to say, “All clear!” or “RUN!”
The leadership role that is the easiest for humans to pick up and emulate is that of the mother. Note that this is not to be confused with treating your horse like a baby; in fact, “babyish” horses (like the 18-year-old Thoroughbred who acts like a yearling) will begin to “grow up” if you become “Mom.” Taking on the leadership role that Mom left behind means you begin to finish fulfilling the horse’s need to follow the most important being in his life. You will be able to influence boundaries, bonding and decisionmaking. You will be able to use the same kind of leadership his mother did to help him make new maps of the world, learn better, and feel calmer and more centered (that all-important Zero).
With the wide variety of activities in which we usually ask our horses to participate, offering the role of leadership that encapsulates clear, calm, assertiveness is a good idea.
The horse’s zero
Many horses have lost their Zero due to long-term stress. Horses cannot find this state of inner calm for themselves once they’ve reached this point, but when we make Zero our goal for ourselves in every situation, the horses find their way back, too.
Since he cannot usually either fight or flee from people, the domestic horse sometimes responds by freezing in depression, confusion or anxiety. He might also act out: Stomping, nipping, fidgeting, head-tossing and rubbing on you are always indicative of a horse losing his Zero. A healthy, well-balanced horse does not need to “de-stress himself” by acting out.
Rather than starting by addressing each little issue with a horse (crowding, pawing, pacing the stall), I aim straight for returning him to Zero. I find problem behaviors often literally melt away as inner calm is returned to the horse. A calm horse is one who can pay attention, learn and perform as a partner. He
When a horse is calm, he is happy. If you help your horse feel happy, he will seek to please you and will offer so much in return.
will offer to be with us in exchange for feeling this good in our presence.
To illustrate this, think about being a kid in school and getting called up to the front of the class to answer a question. The stress of being put on the spot might cause you to freeze; maybe you can’t even remember the question. Standing there, sweating, panicking, and feeling worse by the moment is not a good association with the lesson. Now imagine the teacher starts yelling at you or belittling you for not knowing the answer!
Most of us, however, had at least one teacher in school who was calm and understanding. That teacher might be fondly remembered, her image basked in a warm glow in your mind as you feel gratitude for the time you spent with her. Her own inner state of calm engendered the same in you, and this made it possible for you to not only learn more, but also eager to please and capable of performing better in the classroom.
When a horse is calm, he is happy. If you help your horse feel happy, he will seek to please you and will offer so much in return.
How Horse Speak influences training
I consider “training” whatever it is that you enjoy about horsemanship. Whether you like driving or trail riding or jumping or dressage, training is the “work” you ask your horse to perform with you.
Most of us work with other people, and we know there is a time to be busy and focused on your job, and there are also moments to “hang out at the water cooler” and talk. In addition, we know that when there is a work-related question, you of course must communicate with others to ask it as well as be prepared to receive and understand the answer. With Horse Speak, you should begin to be able to not only “hang out at the water cooler” and talk to your horse, but also decode what work-related questions your horse may have for you, then effectively communicate your answers back to him.
Although Horse Speak may cause you to re-evaluate what you are doing with your horse or how you are doing it, it doesn’t necessarily need to be considered an alternative to the kind of training you prefer or enjoy. This education can supplement your riding, driving or groundwork, allowing you to gain clarity and insight into how to help your horse develop into the potential you feel he really has. Horse Speak will also help you become the person your horse needs you to be.
I have successfully applied Horse Speak in conjunction with a wide variety of training modalities. Frequently, riders gain a completely new perspective when it comes to their work with their horses.
When a horse senses that you are really trying to understand him, he is frequently so grateful that he seeks connection with you in new and surprising ways.
Dreams and reality
Horse Speak can help you and your horse reach the potential that you each have within you to become the best versions of yourselves. However, Horse Speak cannot magically turn your horse into a different horse.
If you want a German Shepherd, don’t buy a Poodle. Horses are who and what they are. As you grow together with your horse, you may need
If you want a German Shepherd, don’t buy a Poodle. Horses are who and what they are.
to re-assess what motivates you to be a horseperson. We all have a dream in the back of our mind, but we are still living in the here and now. Some dreams can come true, and some dreams are just the flashing light, pointing you in a direction you needed to go. But they are not the goal itself.
Of all the dreams I have ever heard people talking about, eventually most people realize that all they really want is to feel at home inside themselves and with their horses. Big goals are fun, and dreams that come true can be fun, too. But horses don’t know about the picture in the back of your mind that they are supposed to live up to. By double-checking your agenda, you clear the path to be able to take a long walk with your horse with as much gusto as winning the grand prize. Maybe taking the long walk is your grand prize.
Too often, we see a performance of one sort or another, and we are looking at the power, beauty or level of training of a horse. We are “looking at the pony,” feeling the
“wow” factor, but perhaps not in tune to what is underneath. Taking the time to understand and use Horse Speak means you will start to see through any Wizard-of-Oz cleverness: Who is really behind the curtain? Is there a feeling of joy or stress? What does a happy horse really look like?
Excitement does not inherently mean happiness. Excitement can appear fun, but one can be excited and scared, as well. Happiness for a naturally intense animal like a horse means that his nervous system is not all fired up; it means he is deeply relaxed.
When I play rousing liberty games with my horse Dakota, she may enjoy rearing or trotting a half-pass or rolling a big ball. Her face may look almost fierce, with backward-facing, concentrating ears and an arched, high poll. However, as soon as the intensity is over, it is over: if I hold my palm toward her forehead and nod my head downward, blowing out a deep breath, she lowers her head, and blows out, too. We never lost Zero just because we became exuberant. Her happy place is to stand very still, breathing deeply with me and maybe licking my palm.
When a horse has his Zero, then any other kind of performance you seek to enjoy with him is truly a shared experience because both horse and human are deeply connected on the inside, not just doing something together on the outside. This is where it all begins.
About the author: Sharon Wilsie is a professional animal trainer and rehabilitation expert who regularly works with horses for private clients and at equine rescues. She develops and teaches equine-assisted learning programs at the high school and college level. Wilsie is also a Reiki Master/Teacher. Her book Horse Speak: The Equine-Human Translation Guide is an international bestseller. She runs Wilsie Way Horsemanship from her base in Westminster, Vermont.
By double-checking your agenda, you clear the path to be able to take a long walk with your horse with as much gusto as winning the grand prize. Maybe taking the long walk is your grand prize.