Conversation with a "Horse Listener"

I am very fortunate to have a friend who is a very gifted "horse listener." She does energy work and communication with horses, and is spot on with her observations.  She recently spent some time with my herd (long distance, she is in California and we are in Indiana!) and I thought I'd record her conversation with them here.  The text in black is from her; the text in blue is my response to her. She knows of my horses from our long-distance friendship, but has never met them.  Her abiltity to describe their personalities, attitudes, and concerns is amazing! Thank you, M, for this gift to all of us!

The herd likes the direction you are taking with your horsemanship. They appreciate that you are learning about them and treating them as individuals. Susie-girrrrl wants you to know that she has no problem with riding. I appreciate knowing that. She has never been a big fan of having the saddle cinched, but cookies help with that a lot. I think later this summer, we will play with riding in the dry lot, either let her be totally at liberty about saddling or some sitting bareback while she grazes. While her body is hers, she is happy to share with you. She knows that riding gives you pleasure and she finds it pleasant too, mostly. ;-) Princess Sophia, while not wanting regular riding, is curious about what it would feel like to have someone sit lovingly on her, especially bareback. She gets the sense from Susie that riding could be pleasant, but she has not experienced it as a partnership where both human and horse are participating together. Sophia seems to have a lot of curiosity about our whole dynamic. The right to have an opinion is completely new.

Susie has some stiffness in her neck; it feels like it needed a slight adjustment, which we did. Susie’s neck has a strange little place, right in the middle of her neck at the base of her mane, where there is a three inch long section that stands up a bit. Until this year, her mane split at that point. Now her mane falls all to the right, but that one spot is still off. Susie’s teeth feel pretty good, but may need a look-see before winter to check on rough edges. She seems to be very slightly “calf-kneed” in that her knees are just a hair too straight. That causes a little bit of stiffness in her knees but not bad. She likes her feet. She has very sound feet, and she loves our farrier! She used to wear shoes, so I bet this is a big improvement to her. She would appreciate a massage on her back. It doesn’t feel bad or “out” but a massage would feel good. It feels like she is a little bit sloppy about getting her hind end underneath her. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “Bad banana” because it doesn’t seem that exaggerated, but she has a slight tendency to be on her forehand. Did you say you have had some cantering issues with her? If she got more over her hindquarters, those would probably go away. I feel like the forehandedness is a bad habit from maybe Western Pleasure training? Yes, she is over on the forehand, finds it very challenging to turn on the hindquarters. Overall, she feels good. She enjoys your softness; it helps her be soft. She is about 110% more sensitive than she seems. I have to be extremely conscious not to be “loud” with her. She is slightly jealous of the time you spend with the others but tends to show it by moving in between you and what you are focusing on. Snort! Too true. On Sunday, she was jealous of the fact that Sophia was getting a BATH. She stood at the gate, obviously wanting the attention.



Sophia is a little more skeptical, but she is very curious about you, your new direction, and what that means for her. She is not afraid. She would like to have a baby. I am sure this is true. She had over a dozen foals during her career as a brood mare. This will be only the 3rd year she has been retired from that. I suspect that Spring has always meant babies to her. She has a very maternal nature. She likes grazing in the pasture and likes having a sense of home. She feels like all of the pressure is off of her and that is a big release. She feels beautiful.  She IS beautiful, as I tell her constantly. When she came up next to you on the chair she was exploring physical closeness with you. She is not a snuggler, but she is moving in that direction. You sitting there and trusting her was very important to her. It was interesting that, of the whole little herd, she was the only one brave enough to come that close while I was sitting in a chair. She does not want to hurt you and she will be careful when you are sitting, but she also wants to explore that physical closeness without reins/lines/restrictions. Putting her belly next to you is a big trust issue for her. She has never had the chance to do that with a person. It allows her vulnerable side to come forward in a safe way.

From a physical sense, some of her teeth seem to feel slightly loose. They don’t feel like they are going to fly out, but they don’t feel as solidly anchored as they once did. Our vet and dentist, Dr. Sinnamon, will be out in 2 weeks. We will have her teeth checked then. She has some old, old leg injuries from racing. They seem to be fused and don’t hurt, but she probably had splints at the very least. She has a few arthritis issues, particularly in her pasterns/feet. It isn’t awful, but it is there. If she is not getting a supplement, I would consider one. I am seeing Yucca. You are seeing right—she receives this daily: Senior Flex, A unique combination of ingredients for support of the senior horse. Each ounce contains 5,000 mg glucosamine sulfate and 500 mg chondroitin sulfate for joint integrity and freer movement, 3000 mg MSM for its anti-inflammatory properties and 5500 mg yucca. Her digestive system is still not 100% but it is much, much better than when she arrived. She seems to feel it will eventually be 100%. She also receives Focus SR provides a unique spectrum of anti-oxidants, vitamins, beneficial microbes, chelated minerals, essential fatty acids and enzymes for added nutritional support for the aging horse plus a daily serving of SOURCE micronutrients to make it all work!The head of her tail itches sometimes. It doesn’t seem to be worms; it feels more like dry skin. Maybe put some oil or conditioner on it? If you do, work it in to the skin on at least the top 10 inches of her tail. I will do that. Other than that, she is happy, she feels good, and she is glad to be where she is.

Walter is eyeing me. When I say hello, he says “Hellloooooo.?” in a drawn-out way, like “What’s the catch?” He is not sure he needs to talk with me. He is never sure about that, with anyone, LOL. He is mostly content. He is aware that he is not a horse. What does he think he is? Do you get any image of his self-image from him? He does like brushing. His reluctance to come over and be close is because “Humans get too grabby.” He hasn’t always been given enough time to think and respond on his own terms. Indeed. He hates to be manhandled, but because of his size that has happened often. I feel like this is more about his history than about you, but he has seen an improvement in you when it comes to him. He would like to go for walks, but he does not want to be taken on walks. He wants to walk of his own accord and where he wants to go. It would be okay if you had a halter and lead on him for safety’s sake, but let him choose the direction, pace, and time. He seems to want to go down the driveway. I ask him if he goes out, will he be willing to come back. He says “Eventually.” I get the sense that he would like to explore a bit and see new sights – but on his terms. Thank you for that tip. He isn’t a fan of being haltered, but he does enjoy going out. We will try to have a walk about together. He is a strong character. I’d almost go so far as to say “unyielding” but I get that he will yield in his own time if he isn’t forced. It needs to feel like his decision. That is surely true!

Lots to lick and chew on....