Body Language--What's my horse reading: my thoughts or my body?

Julie asked if I would post this here. I re-wrote and added to it to
eliminate the comments I was replying to, so hopefully it makes sense
on it own.

In the course of a discussion on another list, someone commented that
they didn't agree with the concept of horses reading our "intent"
because in their opinion, it sounded as if it meant that horses were
reading our minds. Additionally, the argument was raised that one
could (purposely) fool a horse by thinking one thing, but displaying a
"cue" that a horse is already familiar with. I'm assuming that this
comment was to bolster the argument that horses don't read minds.

Well, maybe they are (reading minds), maybe they aren't, I don't know.
What I do know is, that if I form an intent, the thought itself
results in a change in my physical self. My horse reads this. It's not
telepathy...it's just an ability to observe, interpret, and respond to
minute changes in the demeanor of another being.

I like the word intent, because it indicates a conscious awareness of
the connection between a thought and the physiological manifestation
of that thought. I don't think that horses read minds....I think
rather that they are amazingly gifted observers and interpreters of
body language. The very best trainers know exactly how the horse is
interpreting their body language. They know that the formation of a
intention forms a physical reaction that a horse can read. By being
aware of the connection between intent and the physiological response
that results from it, one can choose to control the physical (outward)
response as subtly or overtly as the situation calls for. They have
mastered the display of their physiological responses. They know how/
when/where to direct energy, they know how much energy is needed or
exactly when to turn it all off. They are also incredibly consistent
in their actions so a horse learns to trust what a trainer is telling
them through the body language.

I've spent a lot of time paying close attention to what body language
I display, and trying to fine tune it. Tamarack is a great sounding
board for all of this. Especially at liberty, something as small as
adjusting the pitch of my shoulders in relation to him by an inch can
block or allow his movement as well as affect the quality of that
movement. What part of his body I look at matters (and he knows where
I'm looking), an arm slightly raised, a shoulder tipped lower than the
other, tensing the muscles in the back of my neck or across my
shoulders...hundreds of combinations, all form virtual sentences that
Tam can read and respond
to. And they are, for the most part, natural reactions that he
displayed, that I took note of and capitalized on. It all means as
much on the ground as it does in the saddle. It begins to LOOK like
the horse is reading your mind if you are very consistent in your
delivery. Your horse begins to respond almost before you ask. They see
or feel everything. By being very conscious of my own body language,
being as consistent as I can in thought and action, then I can observe
consistent responses in my horse and mentally catalogue it. I then
know if I do a certain thing, that Tam responds a particular way.

I never attempt to disguise intent, because that would create a muddy
picture or "muffled words" or otherwise cause a confusion in my horse.
Clarity is key. If I cannot remain focused and clear and in the moment
with my horse, then I do nothing instead. It's like trying to have a
discussion with someone who always mumbles....it's frustrating and
eventually you just give up listening because you can't really
understand them.

Since horses can read the smallest body language signals in us, I feel
it's important that we are aware of it ourselves. I think I've only
scratched the surface with what my horse is capable of understanding.
Discovering the potential in the subtlety of it all is fascinating.

Karen

Photos courtesy of http://www.heartinyourhand.com/ colt starting clinic.