How we behave towards our horses affects how they respond to us, and vice versa!

Not being horses makes it difficult, but not entirely impossible for us to communicate with them and share a mutually fulfilling relationship. Horses remember people and how they have been treated by them, and they will respond to those people accordingly.

By spending time with your horse, simply observing his behaviour whilst also learning about what his various expressions mean, you will have already begun building a relationship. By continuing to do this you will become more adept at reading and respnding to his body language.

Gaining an understanding of learning theory and then applying that to training your horse will then enable you begin communicating with him, as he will learn what your signals mean and how he should respond to them. Provided you do this sensitively you will be able to modify what you do in response to your horse’s reactions as you will be able to feel them more easily. Your horse will appreciate this and will become more confident in how to behave around you making it easier for both of you to enjoy what you are doing together.