Subtle Stuff
Honey subtly communicating with the cock of her head
I took a brief break from the pressure of a publishing deadline to go see a friend work with her horse. When she had described what she was doing over the phone, it seemed almost counterintuitive, so it was clear to both of us that an in-person demo was needed. We started by watching a short video of my friend’s instructor using the technique then we went out to see my friend use it on her horse. My brief observation of the technique was not enough to fully grasp the power of the method, but I did take away a few things. It’s pretty subtle stuff.
What most caught my attention was the focus on brace in the horse: how to see it and how to modify our handling of a lead rope, for instance, to keep our horse from bracing against us in the first place. The example was a simple one. When we have our horse on a lead rope standing still and then we move to a walk, typically we let the rope tighten between us until the horse begins to move with us. If that rope tightens and the horse doesn’t move, it’s because they have braced their body against the tension. Instead, this technique involves giving the horse more rope as we move away and encouraging them to follow by the use of our gaze, our posture, the energy we send down the lead rope, and if needed, the strategic movement of a whip.
It was the bit about posture that most resonated with me. The idea seemed to be that rather than just move from a stop to a walk, we should shift our posture in a consistent way, for instance by straightening up and squaring our shoulders, before we move off. This gives our equines a choice to prepare to move off with us rather than brace. I’ll be handling a lead rope differently next time I’m with a pony. Subtle stuff!
Earlier in the day, I was working with my seven-year-old mare on ridden work. I set the session up to be really simple so I could try to use the most subtle cues I could to tell Honey what I wanted. It was a thrill to experience how little it took. After the first few cues and responses, Honey did something I didn’t ask for. However, I knew she was responding to something she’d sensed from me, so I scanned my body quickly to figure out what she’d reacted to. Then I realized it was a thought I’d had. I’ve had that happen before with my ponies; it’s flattering but it’s humbling, too, because I don’t control my thoughts as well as I could to fully utilize this sort of connection. Subtle stuff!
I have said it before, and today I felt it again strongly. One lifetime won’t be enough with my ponies. While our relationships are already rich, days like today with the demonstrations of the really subtle communication that is possible make me wonder just how much more rich our already fulfilling relationships could grow to be.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020