Are you a Good Listener?

You want to communicate but your horse looks away - what’s going on at this moment?

Looking away IS communicating! Your horse may be saying, 'I don't know what you mean' or 'I find your request very challenging' or 'I can’t do that' or 'It hurts!'

A successful communicator is plugged in to every sign the horse offers. When your horse looks away you should allow this.

Acknowledge your partner, this is the road to successful communications. When the horse understands that they have the freedom to express themselves, we open ourselves up to a spiritual connection beyond even our wildest dreams.

Here’s Belinda on the subject:
“Always wait, because in this moment you are able to acknowledge your horse. This is the opportunity for a very beautiful communication to evolve with your horse where he says, ‘I need a moment, I need to realign myself.’

For rehabilitation horses it might be ‘that feeling I got was really intense. I need to recompose myself.’

We must wait for the moment when they look back before continuing. A horse will immediately respond to this, they will feel that they are acknowledged in their insecurity or their fear and they will be committed to working together with us.

When we work with a rehabilitation horse, it can take four or five minutes before they look towards us after looking away. But it will come, and after that first time it will happen much more quickly.

In some severe cases, the horse will look away as soon as you come into the arena. They will look away because they are overwhelmed. You will need to just wait. Stand there. Open your heart and wait, don’t be tempted to push them into following you.

It is important to wait for the moment they choose to follow – they will decide to face you eventually, ‘OK, I am ready.' 

If you recognise this from your horse and encourage this communication, they will use it again and again. This is your reward for being a good listener.”