Learning to Read Horses
Understanding Horse Behavior and Instincts
We are pleased to announce that we have decided to incorporate an instructional program here at Hoof Steps. This is designed to help existing or future horse owners better communicate and connect with their horses. We also are pleased to announce that we will be involving some of our best equine students to aid those who do not own a horse or have the ability to transport one to our facility for lessons.
There is a level of communication MOST horse owners, riders and enthusiasts do not actually know. We want to teach a language that is understood by both the horse and the horseman. Sure there are amazing riders with awareness of where to apply a cue that both the horse and rider were taught. Rarely do they understand the foundation for which that solid cue was brought to life.
This program is more of an awareness program, design to enlighten those horsemen on the lack of communication there really is. To prove how amazing these animals are for accepting human error and still show willingness. Most horse's willingness is not necessarily "desire to please" but more in an effort to not upset the human. I state it this way because, not many riders ride the same, some use crops, some whips, some use spurs yet not all use them kindly, as a mere extension of an arm or leg, but as punishment. Not many horsemen handle horses the same, some use leather halters, and some use rope, then you have the trusty chain over the nose. Some use harsh bits, yet rarely recognize the severity of the bit they use. See where this is going?
Horses are expected to understand your slang and then another's garble or painful punishment is the result. This might seem like an extreme example, but a prisoner in a foreign land, with absolutely NO understanding of the language, is being tortured for answers to questions they just do not understand (not through lack of willingness to cooperate, but through a mere language barrier). With a human, we recognize the cruelty, yet it is completely over looked when a horse's fear is misread as disobedience and gets beat for it. Anytime an animal is hit out of anger or frustration it is being beat! There are programs to protect our children from harsh punishments, yet an entire arena full of people will see nothing wrong with someone "getting after" a horse! We hope to help people read the horse, recognize when the horse is in emotional trouble and give them the tools to "help" the horse, not abuse it.
This program is going to open your eyes, let you see just how your horse reads you and how you possibly misread your horse. It will help you become more aware of the communication you are putting out there, most likely without knowledge or intention. Horses do what they are told, you might find out much of the undesired behaviors, you get mad at them for, are actually things you are "telling" them to do. We know, there are millions of self proclaimed experts in the equine industry, we plan to show immediate results with a language both you and your horse will understand. Misread animals and abuse can be a thing of the past. We hope to change that, one horse lover at a time!
