If A Horse Could Hug A Human...

Since Essy's meeting with Margrit my mind is full of  questions; what does the touch of a human hand feel like to a horse?

I would like to know exactly how would Essy like to be touched?  How does any horse or domestic pet wish us to do this? Softly? Firmly? Is it even necessary to touch at all?

What must it feel like to be touched (as an animal), by a human?  Does the sensation differ depending on who is doing the touching?  What impact does our mood have?  Does touch calm and reward the horse, dog or cat?  We know the healing power on humans of touching pets (as used in care homes and hospitals) but does it have the same affect in return?

I have been exploring the notion of touch since attending an Aikido course in December 2012,  with Mark Rashid.  Mark has been practising Aikido for over 20 years and has discovered that some of the principles and ethos of this martial art align with his ideals about good horsemanship.  The purpose of the 3 day workshop was to give us a flavour of Aikido so that it might help to improve our horsemanship skills.

It was evident during the workshop that although Mark enjoyed my stream of questions, he had found in me a person with a long journey ahead of her when it came to understanding 'softness'.  Most of what I do in daily life is at speed, with purpose, intention and against the clock!  None of which I'm feeling proud of as I write.

To help the group discover more about our own sense of "feel" and understanding of "energy" (both so closely associated with the language of the horse) he had us work in two's practising a number of physical movements.  Each movement was focused on trying to influence the position and location of our partner.   With time we learnt to refine our 'ask' until finally it seemed we were influencing movement by simply thought alone!

We left that weekend emotionally stretched, drained and stimulated by the realisation of how much could be achieved through softness versus strength. It was inspiring to consider how easy it might be to influence the movement of our horses now,  knowing how superior their sense of awareness to softness and energy already is!

When it comes to 'how much touch' is the right amount for our horses?  I am sensing that most of the time, we are metaphorically whacking our loved ones with a thunder bolt of energy due to our lack of conscious softness, to an animal already highly sensitised to feel the smallest fly land on its back.

Another case of 'less is more'!

Essy has never been a  fan of getting 'up close and personal' to people. He does not enjoy being groomed and has no idea how to groom another horse.  He easily takes offense at any heavy handedness in his handling by people and is generally head shy.  Watching him in the clip below, move voluntarily closer to Margrit, in an act that resembled a 'mind melt',  is a precious reminder that when really connecting with our horses - touch may be spoken and thought, not even physical at all...