5 Ways to Improve your Horsemanship

As folks are learning with their horse or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting, they can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, posture, energy, and movement. 

 Often a person who is trying to mentally understand and physically offer a new way of communicating with their horse can also be simultaneously and unintentionally conveying mixed signals to their horse. This adds confusion between horse and human as an attempt to change old patterns of interaction.

The following is a checklist of 5 Physical Assessments you can make of yourself any time you work with your horse, but especially when you are out of your "comfort zone."

 

Are you breathing? 

When learning something new, many people are so mentally involved that they tend to also hold their breath. A great way to address this is to talk. Talk your horse through what you are doing. Sing to him. Anything! Yes, I'm not kidding. If you are speaking, you are breathing. 

Breath is one of the most underrated aspects of interacting with our horse. It affects the softness and specificity in our aids, our mental clarity, our muscle endurance, and the effectiveness of our timing when we communicate. 

What are you looking at?

Literally. As folks are learning both the mechanics of communication and the finesse of "feeling" the horse's movement, they tend to fixate their focus. Learn to "scroll" across your horse's body, rather than zooming in on one body part. It will help you learn to associate what you are feeling and what the physical behavior looks like, especially when the horse is offering unwanted responses.

Are you gripping?

Without trying to be "strong" people tend to grip or clench their hand on the lead rope or the rein. Society often tells us to "hang on" or physically power through scenarios. Unfortunately when it comes to our horses, gripping makes us become an anchor for our horse to lean on, and a scenario of tug-of-war ensues. 

I suggest having "piano" fingers. Notice if you can open and close your fourth, middle, index fingers on the lead rope or rein as if you were playing the piano. The pliability in your fingers can release tension in your neck, shoulder, rib cage, elbow, bicep, forearm, and hand.

How are your feet?

When standing, notice if your feet are at a comfortable distance, with your weight distributed evenly or if you are physically in an awkward or unbalanced. Notice if you stand with a slight bend in your knee or do you rigidly lock your legs, or put more of your weight onto your toes when interacting with your horse.

When in the saddle remind yourself every once in a while to lift the bottom of your foot slightly off the stirrup. This will help you recognize if you are pushing down and bracing or locking your ankle and leveraging against the stirrup. If you are, this will cause you to be rigid in the saddle and "move" against the horse's momentum. For riders who have horses that hang on the reins, this response in their physical posture is often an unintentional coping mechanism.

Are you smiling?

This is not a joke. When the human smiles their demeanor, energy, breathing, emotion, and intensity are affected. Often when I teach, I'll say something funny, when the human student smiles, their entire posture can change. This offers an "invitation" towards the horse to try and address what is being asked of him in a supportive rather than critical manner. It also diffuses the human ego of "making" a horse comply.

Though there are many contributors to improving the equine partnership, just starting with these basic suggestions can be the beginning of the long-term change in the timing, feeling, and effectiveness of your communication with the horse. Would you like input on how to improve the relationship with your horse? Click HERE to learn more about the variety of options offered through my Remote Horse Coach programs.