Body language was a frustrating thing for me playing with my horses. Really think about it, they have huge ears that mean something. They have a tail that means something. They have four legs so lifting one up is really easy and it means something.
I spent a lot of time observing my herd of three. Ears were the easiest to see at first. They can flick an ear fast and the other horses move. Head swinging was reinforcement to the ear flicks and if that didn't work, was usually followed by teeth.
I can see a tail swish or a leg lift and know exactly what it meant. At the same time, swinging a head or swishing a tail for a fly meant nothing to the other horses so it wasn't entirely about the movement. It was the energy behind the movement. This I could work with!
I thought about being a mountain lion and the massive energy they would have, and I filled up and walked with that energy. The horses moved out of my way. It was fun and felt empowering and it also felt like I could keep myself safe.
The ears and tail were more challenging. I put a blue flag on the end of a dressage whip and held it down by my feet to act as my ears or my tail. Then, if I would pin my ears or swish my tail with meaning, I just used the flag. I also waved it around like I was swishing flies and didn't put the energy behind it. It worked exactly like their ears and tail. They moved when the energy was behind it and they just stayed relaxed if I was just swishing flies.
I encourage you to play with body language with your horses. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more when it comes to using body language as communication.
What is your favorite body language technique with your horse?
There are times when I am not able to ride. We get a lot of rain here in Kentucky and it is very slippery. I really don't feel safe riding when it is slippery. This has led me to get creative in how to play with my horses for connection. It is different for every horse if I really pay attention to what they think of as play, not just imposing my idea of play.
Taika is laid back, bottom of the pecking order and really up for anything that we get to do together without the other two herd mates. I have been playing with energy with her. She loves to be scratched so I have used that to play an energy game. I hold my hands up and let her come to me and put her body by my hands where she itches. Then if I have an itch, I point and feel itchy in that spot and her her scratch me.
Binky is really shut down in a lot of ways from her past. I love playing body language with her. I mirror her or match her to the best of my ability until she notices. I can breath in rhythm with her, move with her, look where she is looking. Just letting her know I see her. I am listening to her had helped her relax and want to hang out with me. She even lets me trim her feet at liberty now.
Michelle is a quiet observer in the middle of the herd. She is up for anything and just wants me to do stuff with her. She loves playing movement games. I love playing over, under, around, and through with her. Go over a log, under a tree branch, around a plant, and through a narrow path between vines or trees. This has been a really fun game to keep her attention on me and building her trust in me.
With your horses, which of these do you think your horse would enjoy the most? Taika - Scratching, Binky - Mirroring, or Michelle - Over, Under, Around, Through?
It is fun to do all the games with all of them but they definitely have their favorites.
It was a beautiful day for a ride and I decided to just push through my fear and ride anyway. It was one of those days where things shift inside of you and something wakes up. I got on, shaking and sweaty palms determined to ride and my horse was good but I could feel tension building in her as she was feeling me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was fair to her to have to carry my fear!
Horses being prey animals depend on feeling the energy around them. It is instinctual for them to stay alive. I was not honoring my horse by putting all the fearful energy on her back. I got off of her. I knew I had to do more work so that she would not have to carry that weight and fear. I had to reduce my fear and here are 3 tips for doing just that:
1. Prepraration - Once I really looked at my preparation, safety equipment, mindset, physical fitness and the horse's preparation - are they calm grooming, quiet, relaxed, no tension or swishing tail, my confidence shot up. I could now see before getting on if it was a good day for both of us.
2. Become your favorite trainer - In my mind, I become one of my favorite trainers as soon as I get to the barn. What would they do? How would they feel? They would not let the horse walk over them; they would expect the horse to be quiet with them. They would be clear asking the horse for something. This really helps my courage. I just leave me at home for a bit.
3. Focus in the moment - The more you can focus in the moment you are in, what are you doing, how are you feeling and what is your horse doing, how is your horse feeling, in that moment you will start to understand the subtitles before something happens. The days to ride and the days to play instead of riding. You will notice tension in the neck or flank, or you will notice deep quiet breathing and relaxed muscles. The more you are in the moment, the lower your anxiety and fear will be.
There are so many things we can do to overcome our fear and nerves. I talk about a few other things to help in my latest podcast (on most podcast platforms) if you would like to hear more! PODCAST
In horseback riding, our minds play a significant role in shaping our experiences, from moments of tension and fear to those of calmness and joy. One day, I had just got on my horse, and I can feel the tail swishing and her back tense. There was a sense of electric energy, a feeling of sitting on a powder keg. Get ready, you know it is coming. Just writing that made my heart race and my palms sweat. Our minds are so powerful. I am sitting on the couch, writing this blog for all of you and I caused my heart rate to increase and my palms to get sweaty, just with those thoughts.
Now, what about that ride through the bridle trails to the park. It was a beautiful day filled with spring flowers, the little bubbling creek alongside the park, the birds singing, the rhythm of the horse's feet and just a beautiful ride. Just writing this, sitting on the couch has my breathing slowing, my body relaxing, the tension flowing out.
Our minds are powerful, for the good or for the bad. The good news is, we can work through our fears to some degree sitting in our home.
There are a few different types of minds though and it is important to see which one you are so you can create relaxation techniques that fit for you.
- Visual people - These are the people that really can see things easily in pictures in their mind. This is me, but this is not everyone. If you are one of these people, visualization is a great technique for you. Visualize what you want to see, what the view is like while you ride, all the sites that will be on your rides, see that picture and put it into a calm beautiful picture.
- Auditory people - These are the people that know things, hear things, are very mind focused. For you, create the sounds that you would want to hear in a meditation format. Hear the birds, the horse's footfall, the rustle of the leather, the breathing and all the sounds that are around you while you ride.
- Kinesthetic people - These are the people that feel things. Create a meditation where you feel the mane, feel the movement of the horse, feel the light breeze on your face, feel the movement in your body as you are in rhythm of the horse. Feel how great you feel relaxing into a nice ride.
It took me a long time to realize that not everyone is visual! I think most of us can include all three of these into our ideal ride, sitting on the couch until we feel really good but try and use your primary one the most. Once you have this relaxation really good, practice it while you are riding! You will be refreshed, and your horse will feel it too.
I talk more about how to become the eye of the storm or the storm when you need it in my latest podcast: Episode 8: Mindset Mastery
For those of you that would like a little more support with getting over riding fear and anxiety, join my free support group here: Equine Courage Community
I have tall horses, all three are 16'2 hands. I am not so tall, 5'3. I have to admit, when I go to saddle up, planning on using my nice western saddle, I almost alway switch to the lighter western saddle or my english saddle because they are lighter. Like many of you, as we get older, we can lose strength, flexibility, and balance.
I believe we were made to be healthy, even as we live more and more years so I made it my mission to figure this out.
We can do a few things before we go to ride to help us out!
Stretching - this is so important so that we don't get hurt. If we are tight and inflammed, we are more prone to get hurt with soft tissue injuries and if we have to deal with an incident, it makes it even harder to contort if necessary, like when my mare swung to bite my other horse and I was between them. I was able to duck and twist and she just got the back of my sweatshirt on my arm. Here are some of my favorites and why I like them:
1. Quadriceps Stretch: Riding can tighten the quadriceps, leading to discomfort and restricted movement. Stretching this muscle group promotes flexibility and eases tension in the thighs.
2. Calf Stretch: Flexible calf muscles support proper leg position and aid in maintaining balance while riding, reducing the risk of cramps and improving overall comfort.
3. Side Stretch: Loosening the muscles along the sides of the body enhances flexibility, allowing riders to move more freely in the saddle and maintain better posture.
4. Lower Back Stretch: Stretching the lower back helps alleviate tension and discomfort caused by prolonged sitting in the saddle, promoting a more comfortable and enjoyable riding experience.
5. Shoulder Stretch: Flexible shoulders facilitate better rein control and upper body movement, enhancing communication with the horse and improving overall riding performance.
6. Neck Stretch: Releasing tension in the neck and shoulders improves comfort and range of motion, making it easier to maintain proper alignment and focus during riding activities.
I combine this with flexibility and balance which I talk about in my most recent podcast you can find here: Episode 7: 3 Exercises Before Riding
For those of you that would like a little more support with getting over riding fear and anxiety, join my free support group here: Equine Courage Community
