The Red Pony

[blitzen_]

so i went out to beej early in the day yesterday for a ride. i don't normally go in the morning (well, 10.30) because... well, if i go in the evening i feed dinner etc. morning is awkward cos then i either have to drive out again (50km round trip) or get someone to feed. but we had a party in suburb close to where beej is last night, so it was easy

Comments

[k7point5]

So are you 100% satisfied with your choice to keep him? :)

[blitzen_]

oh definitely. AND i feel really proud of both of us for working thru all the shit.

so far, touchwood and all that.

[beybladesabre]

I *always* talk to my horses, it's almost automatic. I think some of them don't care really, but some are really sensitive to it. Like, if something scary is gonna happen, if I let Sabre know about it beforehand, he doesn't lose his mind. But if I don't let him know, he'll FREAK on various levels, depending on what it is! So weird. Plus he's almost completely trained off of voice commands which SUCKS cuz you can't use your voice in dressage, and he's SO much better off just voice commands!

I think it depends on the horse/person/relationship, I don't think you can say that "voice shouldn't be used with any horses", I think that's kind of close minded actually:P

[glenatron]

I do the talking thing too, it helps me stay clear on what I'm trying to get done at any time. Also gives me a chance to say "please" and "thank you" which probably mean nothing to Zorro but I do like to be polite.

[penella22]

I was thinking about this yesterday actually. Because there are various methods that sort of say 'no talking, that's silly stuff' and parelli says its all nonverbal...but I've seen Pat give Casper a 'verbal warning' in one of their clips together when Casper leaves him during liberty circling game...and Casper comes right back. And...snapping your fingers before you lift their hoof is an audial cue, which enables you to later on be 20 ft away and snap your fingers (in time to the music in front of a crowd say) and the horse is receiving a cue, even though most people would not realize it. Voice cues would have the same ability to be used at distance like that, although clearly they would be more obvious to an audience.

I think Animal Communicators, Linda Kohanov, and many others really advocate talking to your horse. More than anything, I think it allows us to sort our energy out, and/or project it more clearly. Some of us focus our energy better in silence, some while talking. To the horse, I don't think it matters as long as they

[z111]

I think horses are very oriented to sound. I don't understand why we humans don't use it as a more primary communication tool.

Besides, my horses like when I talk or sing to them...even if I'm off key. ;-)