What are your Experiences with Communication with your Horse - Verbally, Telepathically, etc?

The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours,
they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear......Henry Beston. Quote courtesy of Lauren Bode

How do you communicating with your horse? Verbally? Through body language? Telepathically?

What types of things do you say - and how do you know he/she is listening? How do your conversations with your horse influence other aspects of your life? What do you learn from them?

Tell us anything you like about your conversations with your horse!

Tags: Bode, Lauren, animal, communication, contest, horse communication

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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on January 20, 2009 at 4:05pm

I'll start the ball rolling...

I speak to my horse constantly and I'm sure he understands not only every word I say, but my facial expressions as well. Our conversations are better than any anti-anxiety drug could ever be! He knows when I'm going to get him his carrots by the look on my face and the tone in my voice - and I know when he is asking for more carrots by the look on his face! I spend a lot of time grooming him and even when I brush him, we are going back and forth in a conversation.

MY favourite time is when I am brushing slowly around his feet or along his shoulder and he falls fast asleep. I could be completely stressed when I enter the barn, but once we get into our grooming conversation, I am 100%stress-free, with not a care in the word. If there is any therapy better than this, I don't know what it could be.

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Permalink Reply by ride on on January 20, 2009 at 4:20pm

When my horse was living at an unsafe place for him a couple of years ago, I kept getting pictures in my head all day long of him standing in the field, standing by the fence, standing in mud and never happy ones.

Once I moved him I was very surprised to find that I could go for hours at work without thinking of him, that's when I knew for sure we were "in touch." He was trying to get my attention to get him out of there, showing me how unhappy he was.

Now when I think of him, I draw a blank because he's busy doing something else with all of his new buddies. :)

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Permalink Reply by Ecliptic on January 20, 2009 at 4:44pm

Ohhhh boy!

I think I'd be sort of afraid to hear what my horse had to say about me. ;) Just kidding...

Really, I love my horse and I feel we're VERY connected to each other. I bought him on September 2nd and things were shaky for the first bit and I used to cry and cry and get so unbelievably frustrated with myself for buying a horse I couldn't ride. I felt like the whole world was starring at me... and laughing. I couldnt understand for the life of me, which seems pretty silly now, why his previous owner of 8 years could ride him and make him look like living gold and I rode him and he looked like a scared, inexperienced 2 year old again, right off the track...

One day I had enough and sat down in front of his stall, crying, and I just look up at him and simply asked, "What about me don't you like... why can't I figure you out?!" A few days later it was like a miracle had happend. I was riding him outside with a friend and he looked GORGEOUS! We just clicked! I pulled to the center of the arena and cried and cried! But this time the tears were happy! =)

I talk to my horse A LOT and personally find that he responds MUCH better to verbal conversation than physical. He doesn't care much for patting and petting and under saddle people look at me weird when Im having full conversations with my horse around a 3 foot jumper course but he LISTENS!! He looks to my voice for comfort and he shows it too. His ears and eyes are always on me.

I have learned to be gentle and soft with my horse, ALWAYS. Getting angry and frustrated is only scary for my horse and its not helpful at all. My horse listens to my voice and responds to it as well. But best of all, being gentle and soft in my every day life has helped me out even more. I've always seen myself as a positive person, but when I'm nice and happy, no matter the situation (or I try my best), than life becomes A LOT less stressful for everyone you're involved with!

I would absolutely LOVE to know what he thought of me... sometimes I'm scared that he hates me, or that Im doing something wrong. It would be nice if he could just say it all back to me!! But alas, he cannot. =(

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Permalink Reply by V on January 20, 2009 at 5:01pm

I talk to three of my horses as they are especially interested in any attention. They like giving impish looks when they are about to do something they shouldn't like hold a shank in their mouth. One is very nervous and needs to be reassured that he is okay constantly. He says his mother was too mean to him.

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Permalink Reply by horsylover on January 20, 2009 at 5:05pm

I have friends that just had readings done
i have 4 top show horses and would love to know more about reading for them
kimpetrusev@sympatico.ca

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Permalink Reply by Lalaith on January 20, 2009 at 5:14pm

My horse's name is Bob. We have never spoken BECAUSE HE IS A HORSE. But if I win, I promise to use Lauren's amazing powers only for good and to determine Bob's favourite colour and food preference.

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Permalink Reply by Go Jasper on January 20, 2009 at 8:14pm

Once I started to verbally communicate with the horses I rode in lessons, I found that they would try to help me accomplish my goal. If I was trying to get a smoother canter, or to be calmer, in my lesson I would simply ask them to give me a good ride because I was trying to gain confidence. And I made sure to give them compliments when I was tacking them up, sympathizing if they were not quite in the mood, and praising them for the last ride that I had. I found my lessons improved a lot.

Right now, I am hacking on a four year old Clydesdale/Thoroughbred cross, Jasper, owned by a dear friend who has encouraged me to get out there. He does not have a lot of experience but every time I go out on him, he is learning to trust me to take care of him. Even if he wants to canter after his friend, he waits for me to tell him. I always talk to him when I am grooming him, and when he has done something great I praise him. In trying to make his learning fun, I am having so much more fun than I dreamed possible. The real test will be when we start training in dressage this spring. It will take a lot of patience on both our parts, and I hope to be able to talk to him through Lauren so that he understands what we are trying to accomplish.

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Permalink Reply by Janet B on January 20, 2009 at 9:37pm

I bought a horse just over a year ago. Unfortunately she injured herself within 4 months of owning her and she was off for 6 months. I was hand walking her everyday, and she started to spook at any reason, and would bolt with me on the other end of the lead shank. I never lost her, but she is big and strong was really hurting my shoulder when she bolted. I tried everything i knew and the situation just got worse. Someone recommended a horse communicator to help me. I jumped at the opportunity and it has been a great experience ever since. He taught me about the subtle body language of the horse and"how" they think. I am now constantly conversing with my horse, thru body language, voice and a "sense" that she talks to me. She appears eager to see me when i arrive and she is now wonderful to handle on the ground! The great ground communication is carried thru under saddle. She lets me know what she likes and doesn't like when i am riding her, thru her body language and an occasional comment comes into my head, that i believe comes from her. Through my learning how to listen to her and always being fair to her, i feel we are developing a great partnership that keeps us dancing to a wonderful tune!!

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Permalink Reply by Diana on January 21, 2009 at 6:02pm

People laugh at me when they see me talking with a horse like it was a human or a child. I talk to all animals that way. Tell them when they are good, lecture them when they are bad and explain things out verbally in new and scarey situations. Consistent body language with the messages as well. For the most part it works - or at least I seem to think so. However some horses and some thoughts are just hard to communicate.

How do you ask a horse who will no longer load on a trailer, what the issue was/is and how to solve it?

How do you find out why a finicky eater has gone off all grains why she won't eat? She still eats her hay and doesn't show any of the 'normal" ulcer signs. She's not depressed just not being her usual self.

How do you get an aloof Appaloosa to become more personable? (okay so it's normal Appy-tude but enough is enough after 7 years!).

These questions and many more surface.

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Permalink Reply by Claire Sutherland on January 22, 2009 at 8:12pm

I have am lucky to be owned by three horses, who call my home theirs. It is mostly in the evening that we do our major bonding and such, when chores are over, and the daily grind is finished. It is at late night, when I go out to "tuck them in" that we do alot of our sharing.

My one boy, my heart and soul who is an orphan....well I communicate with him by thought and movement. I know him inside and out, his will to live through the loss of his mother at 9 days old, strangles and pnemonia at 2 months old, and most recently, colic surgery at 5 yrs old. He has taught more about strength then I ever thought.

My filly now 5, well technically owned by my husband....with a jealous streak, strives for his affection over mine(thinks he loves her more then me). Feeling that I was coming between her beloved (him).....and me, trying to be overbearing with her. I learned that kindness was the way with her, not firmness. This we share in the evening as she rests her head on my shoulder (and she is very hard to hold up, I might add.. as I am only 5.2 and 95lbs and she is 16.1).It does not matter that the feed has been put in her bucket, she will draw me close, with her head...as in a hug, while I stroke her neck and tell her how beautiful she is. She NEEDS to hear this. Kierra taught me that dreams can come true.

And then there is Lacey, the youngest, just turned 3, yet the boss since she was weaned.....she leads the herd, go figure. She is mine and I am hers....let no one come between....she will not allow others try to scratch and when I do, she grooms me back. My husband says that when I am not in the barn, she is a totally different horse. For many reasons, She has given me hope.

I had a bad car accident two years ago that stopped me from riding and am improving to the point to be able to ride. Not my horses yet as they are young and green, but I plan to. It is them that keeps me going.

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Permalink Reply by Melanie on January 26, 2009 at 8:52pm

Kasey came from the Maffra knackery. We picked up the lovely girl and let her know we were taking her home and she almost jumped on the float. We didn't know this girl from a bar of soap, but the moment she arrived home, my husband, who had ridden maybe 5 times in his live, threw a saddle on and rode her. We believe that she had an understanding of the situation she was in and the fact that we took her away from the situation. We let her know every day what a geogreous girl she is and how lucky we are to have found her, she repays us with her tolerance and patience, kind eyes and easy going nature.

We have no doubt she understands our chatter to her and appreciates her new life with us.

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Permalink Reply by Tess on January 27, 2009 at 10:01am

It would be nice to get chosen for the session.

I communicate with my horse both verbally and through body language, if there's anything telepathic it's without my knowledge.

I don't say too much to my horse, mostly just talk about the ride or just general horsey chat. I know he's listening because his ears follow me.

I don't know that my conversations with him influence other aspects of my life. It's not like we have deep conversations or anything but I would love to know what the possibilities are.