life—even if taught by a Japanese tutor. The only way to get really good at Japanese is to go and live in Japan.
Wild horses or herds that live free speak pure “horse,” but domestic horses speak horse with a “human accent.” The domestic horse has learned to adjust his language to communicate with humans; sometimes this is successful and sometimes not. However, because the human being is so poor at communicating and understanding the horse there is often a complete breakdown of harmony between the two due to lack of communication.
If you are to be a real expert in the language of “horse,” you need to go and live in the country of “horse” for as long as you can—just as you would to be really good at
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fig. 3.2
3.2 Watch horses and how they communicate with each other. This will help you gain an understanding of what your horse might be trying to say to you.
Japanese. This isn’t possible for most of us, but there are ways you can still learn to understand what your horse is trying to tell you and give a response that is appropriate for the situation.
Reading Specific Signals in the Horse
Horses rely mainly on body language to communicate with each other, but since this is such a vast subject, I will keep the list of signals you need to be familiar with simple and only relevant to the handling techniques needed for Horse Agility.
The Body
Because humans are such weak creatures in comparison, when the horse uses his body for control, the situation can become dangerous. When on a lead rope and the horse walks in front of his handler (for example), he is trying to take control of speed, direction and distance. The horse must learn that pushing (or pulling) a person around is unacceptable.
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In chapter 5 (see p. 40) you will learn how you the handler can take control of speed, direction and distance—not by being a bully or a boss, but by taking control as any good leader should. It’s not called leading for nothing when you walk about with your horse on the end of a piece of rope!
The Shoulder Barge
Because the shoulder is such a big flat muscular area, horses get very good at using it to move horses (and people) around without injury to themselves. The “shoulder barge” happens when a horse wants to say “Get out of my way!” (fig. 3.3). Watch a group of horses in the field with each other: The older the horse, the less likely he is to use the shoulder barge because he’s been told in no uncertain manner that it is not acceptable, but younger horses and those that play a lot will often use gentle shoulder barges with each other (rarely with much real power behind them).
However, this signal doesn’t need much energy to squash a person in a doorway, and a horse in flight mode heading for a gap in which a human is standing will often use his shoulder so he can get through. Therefore, this signal is very important to recognize (and prevent) when working with a horse around agility obstacles. I will teach you how to deal with it later (see p. 92) so don’t panic! My aim is not to scare you but to make you aware that horses are not giant cuddly toys—they can hurt you if you don’t “read” them properly.
“Presenting” the Hind End
The other part of the horse that can seriously hurt you is his back end. When a horse presents his rear to you, he may either be saying “Scratch me,” or “Go away or I’ll kick you.” I never indulge a horse that backs up to me to have his rear end scratched. I’ve seen too many people either squashed against a wall or kicked because the scratch wasn’t forthcoming. However, in situations when you initiate the scratching and stay in control, it’s okay.
I also never accept a horse’s presenting his hind end to me when I go into the stall or paddock; I always expect him to face me. When I discuss catching you will see how easy it is to get a horse to do this—and it is paramount to becoming successful at Horse Agility (p. 33).
The Rib Swing
The last body movement that’s worth knowing about is the “rib swing.” When you watch a horse (or any quadruped) walk, you will see that as each hind leg comes forward, the ribs swing away to provide a space for the leg to move into. When a horse wants to kick out, he swings his ribs towards the offending object first so that he can lift his leg high up for maximum efficiency.
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fig. 3.3
3.3 Ricky is pushing into me with his shoulder as he attempts to move away from the flags. It is easy for a handler to get run over or squashed in a narrow space when horses do this.
fig. 3.4
3.4 Ricky is stiff throughout his body, braced to run if he could. Note how he is completely rigid in the poll.
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The easiest way to learn to see this is to watch a dog cock his leg at a lamp post! It actually allows you to see the dynamics of a horse kicking, but in slow motion. The dog, after inspecting the post, stands beside it, rolls his ribs towards it, and lifts his leg high up so that he doesn’t wet the inside of his leg. If he swung his ribs the other way away from the post, he’d be in danger of wetting his inside leg.
You can try it yourself: Stand up and roll your rib cage out to the right. Now try and cock your left leg out sideways. Pretty difficult, isn’t it? Now roll your ribs to the left and lift your left leg again. See how much higher you can get it? If you were a horse it would make for a much more efficient kick.
So before a horse kicks at you, he will roll his rib cage towards you; it may happen too quickly for you to see in the beginning, but that’s what he does!
Bear in mind that a horse can also do something else commonly called a “cow kick.” With the ribs bent away from you, he makes a low circular movement of the hind leg forward. However, a horse only resorts to kicking when all else fails, so watch for other signs that he’s not happy that might lead to it.
Head Position
Stiff in the Poll
The horse’s head hinges at the vertebrae behind the ears, an area called the poll. This area should be loose and free-moving. It is often where the horse gets stiff and sore, just as humans get a stiff neck. (I’ll talk more about freeing up the horse’s poll on p. 61.) If this area looks stiff when the horse is working, it means he is unhappy with what is going on, which can be caused by pain, fear or overwork (fig. 3.4).
When moving horses around on a lead rope you often put a lot of pressure on the poll area—be aware from the moment you put the halter on your horse that the weight of the rope swinging on his head can contribute to this pressure and results in stiffness.
Looking Back Over the Shoulder
When you ask a horse to do something, and he looks away from you and back over his shoulder, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is watching some distraction. He could be losing confidence in the work and checking out his escape route—prior to leaving (fig. 3.5).
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