This is just a short story about the sensitivity of horses
to changes the pattern of activities that affect their lives.
Anyone who has studied the nature of horses and observed
their behaviour will know that their observation of their environment and
everything in it is extremely refined.
Their ability to read body language is extraordinary and it is one of
their primary means of communication.
The way pattern changes affect them became very clear to me during a
recent experience with my horse Kai.
For the past two years I have had a medical condition which
has made it impossible for me to ride. I
spend time with Kai doing ground work exercises and just wandering around the
paddock with him. He enjoys spending
time like this and is always offering to do things for me, (putting his feet on
objects, bowing, or picking things up that I accidentally drop).
A few weeks ago my daughter came for a visit. My wife, Val, and my daughter decided to go
for a short trail ride. Tracy rode Kai.
It was the first time he had been
saddled in almost 2 years. Everything
went well and although Tracy is a novice rider they got along well together and
he seemed to enjoy the experience.
The following weekend my granddaughter and her boyfriend
visited. Both Taryn and Ryan are novice riders.
Taryn rode Val`s horse, Bob, and Ryan rode Kai. Taryn and Bob got along well but Kai was a bit
less willing. He didn`t want to move
much and when he did he would come right back to me.
The following day when I went to the paddock Kai was acting
kind of depressed. He came to gate and gave a soft knicker that sounded a lot
like a whimper. When I went in to see him he came over and tucked his head
under my arm. I thought he might be feeling sick. The next day he did the same
thing. Then I realized that this horse had been moved a half dozen times in his
lifetime. Since I hadn`t been riding him and because new people were showing up
and riding him he recognized a pattern. That was the pattern that preceded
being moved again. He clearly was not happy with that idea.
During the following week I spent more time with him and
reassured him that we are still partners. Basically it is just reinforcing the
normal pattern that he has been used to over the past few years. The worry is starting to go away. Horses never forget what happens to them, but
it was surprising to me to see how he picked up these events and related them
to experiences that were several years in his past. It is a lesson that I will not forget and
something that I will watch for in behaviours in the future. To a horse, nothing
means nothing and everything means something.
When I look at this picture I see a horse with a
lot of worry. His ears and the eyes are
asking me what is going to happen to me.
I thought we were partners. We
have re-established the partnership but I will need to be more careful in the
future.
