Signs the Horse Gives of Wanting to Join with You

After the horse has ruled out "outside" escape pressure options, the horse will start showing tentative, exploratory follower thoughts/signs of submission, wanting to consider connecting up with you at liberty, to experiment inside themselves to see if that might be the right answer to receive the pressure release. And here are those early horse body language signs, often in this order, but not always (so stay perceptive and mentally list them all – or most all – off in your mind as you see them!). You will want to release pressure when you see all those signs! Release the pressure off the horse instantly by going very limply soft, slower, in your body language, then turning your shoulder to the horse, taking your eye contact completely off of the horse after you see all these signs:

1) The horse's inside ear starts remaining pointed in on you at all times, no longer pivoting away to the front, or to the outside of the pen. If it remains pointing forward or to the outside, or even briefly flits back and forth away from you, that simply means the horse is still looking for/thinking about other potential outlets to that pressure rather than joining with you.

Here in both above photos the horse's inside ear is focused more forward, as the

horse considers other flight outlets to pressure, rather than connecting to you.

 

Turn the horse often so that the horse starts instinctively paying closer attention to you and you alone, and the inside ear will begin to remain on you at all times. This is important to notice. A horse's ears will show what the brain is thinking by where they are pointed: at you or away from you. Pointed toward you at all times, and remaining there permanently simply means: the horse is really starting to get there in realizing you are the leader they need to pay closest attention to and focus in on for further directions to follow.

     

In both above photos (first from far away, then same photo close up), the horse's inside

ear is remaining on me at all times, indicating the horse is focusing only on me now.

 

 

Here is a horse's-eye-view showing that the inside ear (closest to me) is fully turned and

focused on me, indicating that the horse is paying complete attention to my directions.

 

2) The horse begins to make smaller circles around you, not sticking as close to the round pen fence line. That is horse body language for seriously thinking of joining together with you, experimenting with that thought tentatively.

 

The horse experiments with making smaller circles around me to see if this is the way out of pressure. At this, I allow my body not to turn and follow shoulders-squared-facing-horse as usual during this smaller-circle tentative pass. This communicates to the horse preliminarily that this closer spot to me indeed is the release of pressure spot. It's like telling the horse with my body language, "You're getting warm here! Closer to me is safer, less pressure. You're almost there!"

3) The horse works the mouth/licks the lips – that's horse body language for: submission, "I understand," "You're the leader, I'm the follower." Another way of understanding what that crucial mouth-working body language means is this: When horses are working their mouth, they are digesting your thoughts. That's a good catchphrase to remember, and something you are going to need to be aware of in the round pen and out, when teaching the horse anything. Watch for it: it's important!



The horse works the mouth/licks the lips, a sign of understanding and submission

4) The horse drops its head while on the move (even if for just a few seconds) and appears to be "mowing the ground" with the nose as the horse moves along. That, too, is submissive, follower body language that we want to reward with the release of pressure.

At this final sign (or even some of the earlier signs if needed, to shorten the process with a horse who might potentially take too long at this, over-exerting themselves, which is why you have to stay VERY PERCEPTIVE to catch these signs happening!), release the pressure on the horse instantly. Go very limply soft, slower, in your body language, and turn your shoulder to the horse, taking your eye contact completely off of the horse. The horse generally will either slow down or stop altogether at that point. Horses are far more perceptive to mirroring our body language than we usually initially realize.

When the horse lowers the head like this suddenly, it is a sign of submission. I immediately remove the pressure with my eyes off and shoulder to the horse; my body goes completely passive. Pressure is now off the horse. The horse stops moving at the release of pressure and I give the horse time to think about that. Through thinking, the horse learns what is working to release the pressure.

At that stop, at that pressure release, if the horse turns its head to face you and/or pivots to face you (reward all baby-step tries!), instantly (quick timing is everything here!) turn your shoulder even more or back completely to the horse (the retreat/release of pressure), your eyes remaining off the horse, arms down softly to your side. Again, no eye-to-eye contact, and reward the horse with complete pressure off with that "right answer" response to facing you with the head (but reward baby-step head-turn tries! Reward for the smallest try, the slightest change and you'll get there faster). With some fear-issue horses, bending over and lowering your body stature at this time, as well, helps the horse to perceive you as not a threat.

As the horse drops the head, I remove all pressure by not facing the horse

and going passive in my own body language.

 

 

When the horse stops and turns the head to face me, my body language retreats with my head & eyes turned farther away and my arms dropping down, not asking more of the horse. I do often leave one arm out which is the beginning of the cue to come to me, so the horse can become accustomed to it. View that arm out as an invisible lead rope.

Give the horse a moment to think, your back remaining to the horse, your head and eyes off the horse, so the horse can digest what they just did there successfully to reap your pressure release response to turning and looking at or facing you. Just stand there softly, quietly, back to the horse, no movement or sound on your part, and allow the horse the rest break. It is: the peaceful spot. The nice spot for the horse. We now want the horse to memorize this get-along spot, where all pressure is off of them, so give them some time to think about it! Through the thinking process, the horse learns.

Signs the Horse Gives of Wanting to Join with You (Continued)

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