In the Laboratory of the Horse/Human Connection
Lately I’ve been wondering exactly why riding “works.” When we ride, we use non-verbal cues that allow us to move forward in harmony (usually) with our horse. In a ground work clinic, I began to understand how these messages get sent and received.

Cathie Hatrick-Anderson’s farm is tucked away in a woodsy hollow in Upton, Massachusetts. Her round pen is in the middle, with paddocks for her horses, and her client’s horses, surrounding the pen. Using her horses, Ruger, Kachina, and Jasper, Cathie covered tying, backing, walking, turning, moving through gates, and some client problems, such as applying fly spray and de-worming.
There was no note taking! We were too busy practicing with Cathie’s horses. Here’s what stuck, and some thoughts about why Cathie’s exercises work.
Body Language
Horses are incredibly sensitive to body language. Learning the basics is fun and directly applicable to riding. Energy “up” when asking. Energy “down” when the horse responds. All of us who ride have had the experience of communicating with horses without words. This mostly works through non-verbal communication.
In her chapter “Toward a Privileging of the Nonverbal: Communication, Corporeal Synchrony, and Transcendence in Humans and Horses,” Gala Argent of Eastern Kentucky University outlines the components of non-verbal communication.
- Kinesics is the study of body movement and position, including facial expressions. In its largest scale, according to Argent, kinesics is about posture and gestures. The other end of the scale is facial expression.
- Haptics is the study of tactile communication.
- Proxemics is about the dynamics of “personal space.”
Equine Instinct
A frightened horse will flee first and think later. When leading, resist the impulse to control a nervous horse by restraining him/her. This could be gripping the reins close to the bit (I’ve done this) especially when the horse is distracted or upset. Control the mind, not the body.
Horses are wired for survival. As a friend says, “If they don’t think you will take care of them, they will take care of themselves.” In The Nature of Horses, Stephen Budiansky writes: “Watching a good trainer or rider at work, it is clear that human dominance is asserted and maintained largely through confidence and assurance, a language that horses through long evolutionary adaptation are well-equipped to understand.” Constraining a horse with a rope or a bit on the ground will always be a losing battle owing to the differences in the respective weights of human and horse!
Leadership and “Training”
There is a fine line between establishing leadership and frightening a horse, especially a young or sensitive one. Ask, reward, and correct, but don’t keep asking after you get what you want. If fear is overwhelming the horse’s ability to think, stop. In my very limited experience, it appears that horse training follows the theories I learned in college Psychology 101. Stephen Budiansky reviews this for us in The Nature of Horses.
Classical Conditioning
- Stimulus – Sound of feed poured in to bucket
- Voluntary response – Approach, investigate
- Positive reinforcement (food)
Operant Conditioning (positive stimulus)
- Stimulus – Sound of feed poured in to bucket
- Voluntary response – Approach, investigate
- Positive reinforcement (food)
Operant Conditioning (negative stimulus)
- Stimulus – (reins tightened)
- Voluntary response (step backward)
- Negative reinforcement (reins released).
Horses react, but they can also think. We know that horses make associations; for their welfare, and ours, we want them to make the right ones. Ask once, then again. If there is no response, ask louder. Do it with your equipment (rope, whip) and body language not your voice. Watch the feet. Moving the feet is the first step (no pun intended) to engaging the brain.
There are many scientific studies about social hierarchies, dominance and the role of proxemics in horse society. Occasionally, you need to use a stronger “aid” but its use is never about punishment. It’s an extension of the three parts of non-verbal language (body stance, haptics, and proximity).
Using her body language for the horses, and words for the humans, Cathie was able to demonstrate these things in three hours. It left me with a better understanding of the communication channel that opens up when we start working with horses. Understanding the nature of the horse, and the elements of non-verbal communication is a big part of why riding “works.”
References
- Smith, J., & Mitchell, R. (Eds.). (2012). Experiencing Animal Minds: An Anthology of Animal-Human Encounters. Columbia University Press. Retrieved from Researchgate.
- Budiansky, Stephen. (1997). The Nature of Horses: Exploring Equine Evolution, Intelligence and Behavior. New York: The Free Press.