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Horse INKlings
Volume 2 Issue 2
Wednesday February 21, 2001
Welcome to the
second issue of
Horse INKlings for 2001. Its aim is to provide interesting, entertaining and useful information about
the horses with whom we share our lives. Please let me know what you think.
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
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"Far back, far back in our dark soul the horse prances....The horse, the horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement,
of action, in man."
-- DH Lawrence
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FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
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One of the most interesting and most difficult aspects of horsemanship is learning to understand our horses and relate to
them on horse terms. It always fascinates me that people consider themselves superior to animals and yet expect animals to learn our
language rather than the other way around. Horses and dogs both learn to respond to complicated human demands but people often
misinterpret basic horse and dog communication.
As prey animals, horses have a very strong sense of self-preservation. Their instincts are to run quickly from any threat and to stay within
the security of the herd. With good training and positive experiences behind him and a confident rider sitting on top, a mature horse will
follow directions instead of instinct to a large extent. But we have to realize that the flight and herd instincts are just below the surface. It's
our responsibility to build the trust that keeps instinct in check and the horse manageable.
Trust between people or between people and animals is built on a history of positive interaction. In order to trust someone, we have to
believe they will respond consistently and appropriately in a given situation and that they will follow through with what they say. The
same goes for horses. To build trust, we must respond appropriately and consistently to their behaviour or anticipated behaviour and once
started on a course of action, follow through.
Consistency and follow-through are simply a matter of self-discipline on our part, but appropriate response is only possible if we understand
what we are responding to. In other words, we have to learn to understand what our horses are saying. After all, why should a horse
trust a person who responds angrily to her fear on the one hand, or sheepishly to her
bravado on the other?
Because people are verbal, we tend to dismiss other forms of communication. Horses don't use words. They don't even use sounds
to any great extent. But watch horses as they interact with one another and with people. Their ears, eyes, muzzles, tails and body
posture are all communicating. Next time we'll look at some specific communication signals and what they mean.
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GROANER TIME
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Q) What breeds of horses can jump higher than a house?
A) All breeds. Houses don't jump!
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HORSE TRIVIA
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The blood of hot-blooded horses is actually different from the blood of cold or warm bloods. The average hot-blooded horse
(e.g. Thoroughbred or Arabian) has 9.75 million red blood cells per cubic millimetre of blood. Other horses have 7.5 million.
SOURCE: The Illustrated Veterinary Encyclopedia for Horsemen
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THIS MONTH'S FEATURED BOOK
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When you're learning to ride, it often helps to be able to read about what you've been working on in a lesson. Two excellent books for
beginning riders are The Horse Illustrated Guide to English Riding
by Lesley Ward and The Young Equestrian by Caroline Davis.
The Young Equestrian is very similar in content to The Less-Than-Perfect
Rider (see January's Horse INKlings)
a book that Davis co-wrote with Lesley Bayley. This book assumes, though, that the
reader hasn't started riding yet, while the other is directed more to adults who are currently riding and looking to improve. Despite its title,
The Young Equestrian is a book for novices of any age although all
its photographs are of children.
Both books are clearly written and well-illustrated with lots of photographs and diagrams. You can read them first from
beginning to end to get an overview and then go back to relevant sections as you
progress in your riding. Either book would be a good start to a beginning rider's library, but I found
English Riding to be a little better
organized and thus a better reference book.
For more information on these books, click
here. To buy a copy for yourself or as a gift, click on one of the links below and add
it to your shopping basket.
The Horse
Illustrated Guide to English Riding
amazon.ca
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
The Young
Equestrian
amazon.ca
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
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