For those of you who DON’T think that trying to
communicate with a horse in his language is “bullshit”, you might
be interested in the excellent EQUUS article this month entitled “Cavalia”
by Bobbie Lieberman, with great photos by Lynne Glaser.
“Cavalia” is appearing in Scottsdale, AZ
through February 20th, but I understand tickets are scarce. I
hope future dates will be close enough for me to attend.
There is also an excellent article/interview by Kenneth
LaFave of “The Arizona Republic” at:
"To truly work with a horse, you have to know him and
try to understand him. It's not you trying to teach him French, it's him
teaching you horse language. Horse language is a precise bodily communication.
You turn your head or move your body a little, and this is an indication to
them. Even the movement of your tongue in your mouth will express something
specific."
This is the point I was trying to make in my earlier post.
If your only interaction with you horse is to groom him, feed him, and ride
him, you are missing much of the truly remarkable relationship possible between
man and horse. Pignon emphasizes the importance of “play time”
involving both horse and rider.
