Thinking Like a Horse: Body Language

I'm sure most of you have heard of Cherry Hill, the famous horse trainer and best-selling author.  I thought I'd make a post about her book, How to Think Like a Horse.  In this book, Hill skillfully describes what a horse needs and wants, how they respond and what those responses look like.  This knowledge is very useful.  It can be used to adjust your training according to your horse. 

In Mark Rashid's book, Considering the Horse, Walter Pruit asks Rashid, "How do you suppose the horse feels about all this?"  This is a very important question to consider throughout your horse experiences.  What does the horse think?  From that, you can more easily infer how the horse would react. 

It's easy to imagine what the horse might be thinking.  But it is more reliable to look at their body language to know what they really are feeling.  It's very important to understand what your horse is thinking.  I recommend every rider does some research about a horse's body language and how they can respond.  Hill's book is very useful for this purpose!

After exams I'll make a post discussing what different movements mean in a horse. See you soon and be sure to share this blog!