D/C READING YOUR HORSE TO IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP

For a safe and healthy lifelong partnership with our horses, when we follow the natural order as they do in the wild, it's important to establish yourself as their respectful leader. This is not dominance, but leadership that they can trust. A horse in nature feels free to just be when he knows there is a leader in place keeping them safe, and who will communicate with them in ways to protect them and teach them their boundaries for further security. As animals of prey safety and having their basic needs met is their priority. Their herd leader handles that for them. As do you, in their more domestic life. In order to be the most effective leader we can be for our horse, it's up to us to learn how to 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 and improve this reading over time. This allows us to guide them in their own language, the language of the body, breath, energy, pressure and release of pressure. You can learn to read horses in general, but remember each horse will still be an individual and will require you to pay attention, as you may need to adjust the intensity (obviousness) up or down, of the body language, breath, energy, pressure depending on how the horse is communicating with you and what you are reading in him/her. Using a Clear Mental Picture (CMP) of what our goal is, helps us see when the horse steps into or out of our picture. Reading our horse + CMP allows for better quality timing of release and response.