ART CONVERSATION

Observation and mirroring give you the space to read a horse’s individual personality. It is a great relief to let go of our human ways and simply be with a horse in his sense of time and his sense of relationships, emotions and thought processes. Letting go of our human agenda and ego, even for brief periods as we practice conversation, fosters deeper connections with our fellow creatures.

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Once you begin to see his language you will also start to see how the horse sometimes has ideas when he is with you. When you have established communication through Horse Speak, you can also see how interested he is in your ideas. Most of a horse’s ideas are about relationships with other horses, the negotiation of personal space and the comfort of food and water, of course. Breeding horses think about cycles, birthing and the raising of foals. It wouldn’t naturally occur to most horses that it might be fun to push a big ball around, jump a course of obstacles or “dance” with a two-legged human beside them or on board. Horses love to be praised. They take pride in their accomplishments with us and enjoy being admired. When they feel “listened to,” many horses will “claim” their performance and enjoy showing off. All horse training uses a version of shaping behavior in repetitive exercise. Schooling often involves desired movements being