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Understanding the Horse — from the Horse’s Perspective
This video utilizes years of experience dealing with horses plus the wild horses of Shackleford Island, North Carolina, to explore the characteristics of the horse as it was designed to be — how it eats, lives, interacts, and survives. This understanding of the horse as a natural animal is then compared with some of the popular ways of keeping and dealing with horses. A more natural way of keeping horses is illustrated, one which is more in line with how horses were meant to live.
The popular image of the horse may be as a domestic animal living in a stall or pasture, but the horse is actually a naturally-occurring living being that survived on its own for untold ages before it was domesticated. Today, in the United States as well as other parts of the world, horses continue to survive on their own with no help from humans.
How do we look at the horse? Is the horse just an object to be used for our pleasure, a tool that enables us to do something we want to do? Or is the horse a living being? Do we deal with the horse as an object or do we deal with the horse as a fellow living creature? Do we consider that the horse has needs and wants which it tries to satisfy, a personality, and an emotional life? Do we realize that horses try to communicate with us and form relationships with us? Do we look at our horse as our friend, partner, and companion? Sometimes we can get so caught up in the particular discipline of riding we're interested in, and the nuts and bolts of hoof care and horse care, that we forget about the horse itself...that underneath that saddle is a living being, not a machine.
The importance of looking at the long-term consequences of how we keep our horses is emphasized, and it is stressed that many problems people have with horses are the result of the accumulation of unnatural things done over the years. Important aspects of horse feeding are discussed as well as common sense analysis of subjects like worming, vaccines, and medications. We never lose sight of the fact that horses have survived and continue to survive quite well with no human intervention.
The second section contains in-depth discussion about how horses communicate, not only with each other but also with humans. We talk about how we, sometimes without realizing it, communicate with our horses. Considerable time is spent talking about the messages we send our horse and the messages our horse sends us. The horse is considered as a reactive, living being, and our dealings with the horse are considered in the light of a mutual relationship, never in terms of the alpha or boss or master. The futility of trying to be "the boss" is illustrated. These insights will allow the horse owner to understand the causes of many common horse problems and keep and deal with horses in an empathetic manner that is more harmonious with the horse’s natural ways. The goal is to understand the horse as a horse and realize that we have to work with and deal with horses keeping that understanding in mind.
This is not a demonstration video showing work with horses, and it is not a horse training video; rather, it provides essential, foundational understanding that encourages horse owners to step back, take a few minutes, and think about their horses and their interaction with their horses. Useful for those with extensive experience with horses as well as those just beginning. An essential resource for those whose minds are not closed and who want to understand the horse as a whole and maximize their enjoyment of their horse. Not just another rehash of "natural horsemanship."
DVD or VHS format. 68 minutes.
Available as part of a set which also includes the video Understanding the Hoof--From the Horse's Perspective and the manual Maintaining a Natural Horse.
