This is a lesson which goes hand-in-hand with expecting nothing. When Pip came to me, her experience of humans had been dictated by their demands and expectations of her. Instead of being allowed to live like a horse, she was confined to a stable with the exception of a few hours a day and her behaviour was dictated by force or the threat of force with the aid of equipment which would not be out of place in some despot’s torture chamber.
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Over time Pip came to realise that, not only am I not a threat to her and actually a fun person to be with, but also a human who helps her live like a horse, who rushes to her assistance whenever she comes down with an injury or ailment, and who provides her with care and security. More importantly though, Pip has shown me that, if I trust myself to the extent that I no longer need to try and prove myself with her, I am a human who is trustworthy.
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(Taken from the book, When Horses Speak and Humans Listen. For more information see http://www.horsesandhumans.com/mainsite/whsahl.htm.)
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Trimming Pip at liberty in a herd of close to forty horses
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My experience is that when horses know you to be reliable, dependable and a source of security, they are also so aware of this that, when you try to help them, they are more than willing to co-operate, so much so that, in most cases you do not require a lead and, if you do, it may usually remain slack without any driving being involved. Indeed, in some cases our horses actually come to us seeking assistance, even to the point of asking to be slapped. Well, actually they want us to slap the horse flies on their body.
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Trust is of course the bond that binds us. Yet, in the absence of any trust in myself, I would not dare to do what I do with horses at liberty as is evident in the pictures on this page.
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Doing Equine Touch with Anaïs at liberty while Pip looks on
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