Listen to your Horse

LISTEN TO YOUR HORSE

John O'Leary
Horseman
© 2006

Do you know that horses talk? They do but not necessarily with their voice. The important stuff they try to tell us Humans is via their body language, moods, subtle faces and most of all, evasions.

Not many people do 'listen to their horses' because I watch them all day long and every day. Probably 100,000 by now. Sad really as they have missed out on such an important thing in their life with horses.

What is more sad is the detrimental affect that not 'listening to horses' has on the poor horses. It generally always causes negative results to the horse, gets them hurt, adds discomfort to their lives, injures them and even can take their lives......and yet we love them so much.

Of course it is not our fault as no education system teaches such things and such systems are therefore responsible for most of what I have been explaining. So that is why Horsemen sometimes attempt to pass on some knowledge of such things before they go to the 'big Round Pen in the Sky', perhaps as a legacy to horses.

So rather than go on and get emotional, I will simply relate some instances of horses attempting to communicate to owners who haven't listened and some that do. You can then have a think about this article and take what you like out of it. If one horse has an improved life from it, I am a happy Man:

There was a Standard Bred horse being ridden around on an adjoining property. Hooning by a Man in a 'Slim Dusty Hat' For weeks. The horse was uneasy about being saddled. Some time later I had to take the horse to the abattoirs. A piece of steel had cut through between two vertebrae.
Horses that suddenly don't want to go into a float are often telling you that the driver stinks.
A perfect rugging horse starts walking off at rugging time. It is often telling you that it is too hot in that selection of rugs.
A horse shows irritation about being rugged. The type of rug is causing static electricity throughout the day and night.
A young horse here recently, followed me up and down the fence a lot. It was telling me it wanted to be broken in and have fun like the others on the place.
The horse that kicks up and bounces on the back legs during flying changes or has trouble doing walk pirouettes or canter pirouettes is telling you it has stifle problems.
A horse that objects violently to having it's head put down and round and starts swishing the tail aggressively can be telling you that it has sacroiliac problems.
The horse that tilts it's head whilst being ridden or lunged is often telling you it has teeth problems and even if they were done recently like one by a Vet here last week, that the job was appalling.
A horse that can't balance on the back legs for shoeing or snatches the front legs can have anything from arthritis to rear and problems, pulled shoulder muscles and the like.
A horse here recently would not enter the arena and changed personality drastically. Cause? Sacroiliac problems.
A horse starts leaving it's hay all of a sudden. Mice, chooks in haystack of Farmer, mould????
My own horse, got poisoned in his water trough and nearly died, killing the kangaroos and the pigeons. Would not drink from a trough again.
Worried about Men? Guess why?
Mrs. HP jumps off a problem horse because she dropped her whip. The horse scooted sideways violently, telling her that the previous owner used to get off to bash him.
The so called Breaker opens his mouth like he is at the Dentist when first presented with a bit. He tells us that he has worn a bridle plenty and the owner is a liar.
The unbroken horse goes into a frame when lunged. It tells us that it has been lunged with side reins on and plenty.

and the list could go on.

So if you really love your horse, try to start listening to it. You will make it very happy.

"Ride with your heart in your hands

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