Have you ever just sat in your horse’s paddock and just soaked in the atmosphere? Being with your horse in the closest to natural state possible can become nourishing for the soul. Cherishing your horse in their raw form, just hanging out in the paddock together as if part of the same herd.
Wild horses like Australian Brumbies roam the rugged terrain of the Outback and Snowy Mountains, and have each other’s companionship to get them through. Just as Brumbies or even domesticated horses paddocked together like to scratch each other’s withers as a true sign of mateship; wither scratches are a great way for people to bond with their horses by using their language. Utilising the way that horses interact with each other in the Wild has been used in connecting and breaking horses in for centuries. The reason being is that it gives the person attempting to make that connection the upper hand of already using a language and way of life that the horse is familiar with.
Working at liberty with horses is a great example of how connections can be made with horses to an extent that tricks and performances can be created; sometimes without any physical contact with the horse. Double Dan Horsemanship and The Wilson Sisters are two modern day public figures that are reknowned for their amazing displays that they can achieve from liberty work. The Double Dans are probably more known for all the crazy tricks that they can make their horses perform to entertain a crowd, and the Wilson Sisters (Vikki, Amanda and Kelly) are known for their ability to put in the hard yards with wild or troubled horses with natural horsemanship groundwork to produce successful mounts in various disciplines. Both use principles of natural horsemanship to achieve both their goals, and the goals for a particular horse.
One key principle used in the very beginning of their conversations is eye contact. Getting the right balance of eye contact with a horse in those very first moments of the conversation can be crucial to whether that horse wants to create a connection or not. Using a little bit at first to get their interest, but then looking away and awaiting their approach for a sniff may seem so common to our catching routine, but this truly is the horsie hello. The Wilson Sisters have spents days at a time with their wild horses just sitting in their yard or paddock with them and allowing the horse to make the call in their time when they feel ready to approach them. Vikki Wilson has even taken a book out into the freezing temperatures of Winter, and sat in yard with a wild Kainmanawa several days in a row until that horse felt that it was safe to begin connecting with her.
Sometimes keeping the way we train and bond with our horses as close to natural horsemanship as possible is the best way to gain a truly deep and meaningful partnership. Greater understandings of each other can be achieved, and quite often greater dreams can be realised too.
Feature Image courtesy of Pinterest and The Wilson Sisters
– Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management