In the years that I have been involved with horses I have concluded that there are many, many horselovers in the equine circle but few 'horsemen'. A horseman can be defined as one who sees the world through the eyes of a horse; who, in essence, becomes a horse and is able to clearly and fairly communicate positively with a horse. .
Riding is an art.
Horsemanship is a way of life.
Riding is a skill.
Horsemanship is a state of being.
There are many riders who excel in the art and skill of jumping, dressage, eventing, hunting, roping, penning or the various other seats yet have miles and miles to go in the saddle before being able to truly communicate with the wondrous beast underneath the saddle. In order to become one with another kind, true communion begins with looking inside. One who values the showmanship aspect of riding above all else cannot wholly interact with his mount. One who intrinsically involves himself with the horse becomes as a horse.
Learning as much as humanly possible about Equus caballus will enable the student to excel beyond expectation within the area of riding/training/handling as well as communicating wholly with the horse; Any horse. Understanding the INSTINCTS of the horse allows safe interaction. If one discards or ignores the basic instincts, one is in danger of being either severely injured/killed or seriously injuring/killing the horse. Let us examine, briefly, what is the most important aspect in handling horses. That is, becoming the leader.
Horses are programmed from their ancestry to react to their flight or fight instinct. They are animals of prey; not predators. Therefore, in order to survive, their instincts tell them to run away from what they perceive as danger. And anything which is strange or foreign to them is perceived as threatening. This is why horses 'bolt' and otherwise react to strange circumstances. In a herd of horses there is always a 'top dog' ... the head mare; the alpha mare ... the leader mare. This mare is the one who tells the herd to run, stay, be calm, be afraid, etc. etc. Our initial position as handler MUST be that of the head mare. We then must establish a relationship of MUTUAL RESPECT and trust with the horse. This is one level above the position as "lead" mare. If a horse views you as the dominant mare it will follow you anywhere; stop when you do, turn when you do, run when you run and fear when you fear. However, the horse generally will not CHOOSE to be with you. Taking this one step further establishes you as, what Mark Rashid calls, a "passive leader." This passive leader mare is the leading mare in a smaller sub-group of horses. This mare is assertive without aggressiveness. She is the one the others look to first for their security and peace. Establishing that passive leader position with a horse also allows for the horse to respect you and your space. Ever watch a horse which invades an alpha mare's space? The invader gets kicked out of the space - literally. While we can't safely kick our horse when it invades our space, we can let it know in no uncertain terms that it doesn't belong that close to us! Loud voices, shaking the lead rope, and otherwise letting it know it needs to move out, now, will teach the horse to respect YOUR space. Not reacting violently will help prevent a reciprocal violent defensive behavior from the horse as well as let the horse know, in no uncertain terms, that you are the leader. Something else to remember while establishing the passive leader position is that each horse is an individual...each with its own personality, likes, dislikes, etc. Because we are the reasoning creature, we can clearly learn what the personality is and work with it in a safe and empathetic manner, non-pressuring, and so we should.
Establishing a holistic relationship takes time, work and patience. It is not something which is going to happen over night. Once established however, the rewards are tremendous! Our equine friends are naturally peacemakers. They are not aggressive animals. Aggressive behavior in a horse is a learned behavior which should NEVER be tolerated around humans. It is the result of abusive handling in some manner and is generally born of fear or pain. As humans we must learn to control our own aggressive actions and reactions. In doing so, we then are able to communicate assertiveness without threatening the horse's perceived safety.
This writing is just a brief introduction on how to become a horseman. We must learn to look through the eyes of our horse if we wish a relationship with it which crosses all barriers. Learn to quietly observe horses ... how they communicate, how they react, how they interact with one another and put what you learn to practice. Look through the eyes of the horse; feel through the horse; listen with the ears of a horse; learn what makes it tick ... only then will you be a complete horseman.
--Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate (c) 1997
Revised 1999.
