| y"> | | | | advance. They perceive the signs of the impending |
| The Horse Whisperer. Both history and the pop culture | | | | explosion and can prevent it from happening. |
| notion of natural horsemanship paint an image of the | | | | The horse trainer in this scenario is listening to the |
| silent, mystical horseman whose mere presence calms | | | | horse more sensitively and more completely than the |
| the wildest equine outlaw. By using skills invisible to the | | | | novice. The pro can see the look of concern growing |
| average human, the horse whisperer inspires the most | | | | in the horses eyes, can hear the speed of the |
| savage horse to willingly submit and perform any feat. | | | | hoofbeats slightly increase, can feel the horse's tension |
| People attributed this ability to "whispering" after the | | | | mounting. The pro can immediately redirect the horse |
| sensational 19th century "horse tamer," John Rarey. | | | | to defuse the situation before it gets worse. |
| Among other things (primarily immobilizing the horse | | | | The novice, whose "listening" is still rudimentary, doesn't |
| with a leg strap), Rarey would gently blow into a | | | | notice these details. She continues on. As the horse's |
| horses nostrils or ears. With this, a myth was born that | | | | tension and confusion increases, so does the "volume" |
| grew along with the development of natural | | | | of his nonverbal communication. If the novice still |
| horsemanship as we know it. | | | | doesn't "hear" the horse's concern, the horse starts |
| But ask the successful modern day "horse whisperer" | | | | "yelling:" bucking, rearing, bolting, kicking. The horse's |
| her or his secret. The key to success with horses (just | | | | training backtracks and someone could get hurt, simply |
| as with people) begins with LISTENING. | | | | because the human wouldn't, or couldn't, listen. |
| The effective horse trainer "listens" with every sense | | | | Natural horsemanship and classical dressage training |
| available. The more acute the trainer's awareness, the | | | | share the tenet of starting in lightness. When you apply |
| more accurate the understanding of the horse which | | | | an aid, begin with the lightest suggestion, increasing in |
| emerges. Natural horsemanship is based on using the | | | | strength until the horse responds. The horse learns to |
| horse's nature to make the right thing easy. To | | | | listen for the whisper of communication, knowing that it |
| understand the horse's nature, we need to listen. | | | | will increase to a "shout" if ignored. No one likes to get |
| I once read an insightful forum post by a backyard | | | | yelled at. |
| horseman. In convincing a novice to send a young | | | | The effective horse trainer "listens" the same way she |
| horse to a professional horse trainer, she pointed out | | | | "speaks." Listen for the horse's lightest whisper. |
| that the pros can see a wreck coming well in | | | | Horses are generally happy to listen back. |