Are horses more responsive than we think? Ben’s self-esteem
Picture from http://www.tvequestrian.co.uk
I don’t know how many times yet I will speak about last Wednesday’s lesson and exam at Trent Valley, but anyway, here is another story that proves horses’ responsiveness to humans in situations that have nothing to do with training, instructions and circles around the arena.
So, we all had done our stuff and we were holding the horses until the next class arrived. The next class was 20 minutes late, therefore we had to hold the horses in the arena for just as long. I was holding Ben, whose winter coat had started falling already, plus he had not been groomed, or this is how it seemed to me. So, I started rubbing him with my hand, trying mainly to remove some mud and hay from his neck and face.
While I was doing that, I said: “Ben, in the summer, without all this fur, you must be a very beautiful horse. What do you think?” He looked at me and nodded positively, like a human! No I did not move Ben’s head up and down myself!
