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fig. 3.3
3.3 Ricky is pushing into me with his shoulder as he attempts to move away from the flags. It is easy for a handler to get run over or squashed in a narrow space when horses do this.
fig. 3.4
3.4 Ricky is stiff throughout his body, braced to run if he could. Note how he is completely rigid in the poll.
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The easiest way to learn to see this is to watch a dog cock his leg at a lamp post! It actually allows you to see the dynamics of a horse kicking, but in slow motion. The dog, after inspecting the post, stands beside it, rolls his ribs towards it, and lifts his leg high up so that he doesn’t wet the inside of his leg. If he swung his ribs the other way away from the post, he’d be in danger of wetting his inside leg.
You can try it yourself: Stand up and roll your rib cage out to the right. Now try and cock your left leg out sideways. Pretty difficult, isn’t it? Now roll your ribs to the left and lift your left leg again. See how much higher you can get it? If you were a horse it would make for a much more efficient kick.
So before a horse kicks at you, he will roll his rib cage towards you; it may happen too quickly for you to see in the beginning, but that’s what he does!
Bear in mind that a horse can also do something else commonly called a “cow kick.” With the ribs bent away from you, he makes a low circular movement of the hind leg forward. However, a horse only resorts to kicking when all else fails, so watch for other signs that he’s not happy that might lead to it.
Head Position
Stiff in the Poll
The horse’s head hinges at the vertebrae behind the ears, an area called the poll. This area should be loose and free-moving. It is often where the horse gets stiff and sore, just as humans get a stiff neck. (I’ll talk more about freeing up the horse’s poll on p. 61.) If this area looks stiff when the horse is working, it means he is unhappy with what is going on, which can be caused by pain, fear or overwork (fig. 3.4).
When moving horses around on a lead rope you often put a lot of pressure on the poll area—be aware from the moment you put the halter on your horse that the weight of the rope swinging on his head can contribute to this pressure and results in stiffness.
Looking Back Over the Shoulder
When you ask a horse to do something, and he looks away from you and back over his shoulder, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is watching some distraction. He could be losing confidence in the work and checking out his escape route—prior to leaving (fig. 3.5).
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fig. 3.5
3.5 Ricky’s ear and eye tell me he’s thinking of turning his head over his right shoulder—and then “leaving” me and what we are doing.
fig. 3.6
3.6 Fudge drops his head, not only to look at the downward slant of the ramp, but to help balance himself.
Lowering and Turning Sideways
Because of the position of the eyes on the horse’s head, the horse cannot see clearly directly in front of or behind him. A horse naturally lowers his head to see the ground properly when the footing is uneven or there are obstacles on it that he must negotiate (fig. 3.6). A jumping horse may turn his head slightly sideways so that he can judge the distance and height of the jump. Horses can also see better when they stand still and adjust their head carriage to inspect a strange object, so don’t worry if the horse stops to look at a new obstacle. He’s not necessarily refusing to negotiate it, he’s trying to work out how to do it. He may look at you and the obstacles you present to him in all sorts of funny ways as he lifts, drops and twists his head, but as long as he looks soft and interested, you are okay. (When I discuss catching horses as well as working them completely free, you will see that the position of the head is important in ascertaining whether the horse is thinking of leaving you or ready to be with you—see pp. 32 and 82.)
Ear Signals
The horse’s ears are an obvious indicator of mood. There are many ear positions; just watch the horse, and view them alongside other signals, to learn what they mean.
Ideally, when you interact with the horse he should give you his full attention, but when you are moving through an obstacle course he may split his attention between you and the obstacle in question, with one ear pointing at you and the other on the obstacle. In many of the pictures in this book you will see that the horse has one ear on
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fig. 3.7
3.7 Secret has one ear on me while the other points straight ahead.
fig. 3.8
3.8 Kelston’s ears are softly back, and his head is low in a relaxed, accepting posture.
the handler and the other pointing straight ahead (fig. 3.7).
In any case, “soft” ears indicate a relaxed horse. For example, don’t confuse ears that are flat back (the horse looks like a mole!) with ears that are softly back. The first means, “Get away, I’m going to defend myself,” while the second shows an acceptance of the situation that some call “submissive” (fig. 3.8).
Watching the Eyes
When studying a horse’s eyes, be sure you don’t “glare” into them—until they get used to it, most horses find it very threatening (it’s what a predator does). There are many states that the eye can be in that denote the way a horse is feeling, but I am only listing a few here that are easy to see.
Shape and Quality
All horses’ eyes are not the same. Some are large and round, while others are almond-shaped. The shape of the eye can actually change with the horse’s mood. As he relaxes and becomes sleepy, the eyelid may half close. When a horse is afraid, the eye can open very wide sometimes showing a white ring around the outside of the pupil. (Note: This is not a hard-and-fast rule. Many Appaloosas, for example, have a white-ringed eye and they are not always frightened.)
Observe your horse when he is relaxed and comfortable. What shape is the eye and what can you see in the eyeball? Is there a white ring, or does he have a “dreamy look” of contentment? When your horse is on guard or unsure of something, see how his eye changes. Does it get bigger and does the quality of the eyeball change? A very defensive horse may have an eyeball that looks almost solid in color—I call it a “rat’s eye.” When you do see a change in your horse’s eye, you can
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then decide if it’s something you need to deal with. When in doubt, look at the rest of the horse—his ears, poll and body—and piece the whole picture together to decide what the horse is feeling.
Wrinkles Above the Eye
Look at wrinkles above the eye to gauge anxiety (fig. 3.9). All horses are different so make note of how many wrinkles your horse normally has above