Horse Communication Through Rubbing a Horse on the Head

Here is a really quick video talking about and showing simple horse communication to convey your intention of being friends with a horse. This concept usually works very well with horses if they are ready for it. The key here is to make sure they aren’t trying to avoid you while you do it or it won’t have the intended effect. Instead you’ll just make them uncomfortable for a bit.

I generally call something like this a horse handshake as it’s the first thing I do when I approach any of our horses and other horses. Once the horse becomes expectant of it, they will actually naturally bring their head down to accept the greeting you give. This “handshake” doesn’t need any words, just a very kind and gentle touch that feels good all around. By doing this a horse will be more likely to stick around when you approach them as they’ll be happy to receive the “handshake” and comfort of being approached by a friend.

While all that may seem a little strange, you’ll have to trust me that it works! Give it a try when you have an opportunity, but remember that it works best if they are facing you and squared up calm, otherwise you may have to work at it a little bit. After that it shouldn’t take much to make it a habit. Horse communication comes in many forms and I think this one in particular can be quite impacting on both the human and the horse as it’s simple and easy to do and doesn’t take long to do. In other words, it’s something you can do each and every time you even just walk by your horse.

See more about working with horses here: http://www.stablehorsetraining.com/training/

Graeme