04/02/2022
I know I've said this lot's of times before and I'm going to say it again, the importance of "looking & seeing" The one message I always try to get across, to the participants at an EAUK clinic, is the importance of positioning yourself, at an obstacle you are introducing your Equine to for the first time, so that you can look and see his face. The nuances of equine communication can be so small that if you are not looking, you will miss half the conversation he is trying to have with you. Good timing and feel are equally important when responding to the answer to your "ask" but you first have to "seen" that answer. We were once told that "looking away" takes the pressure of a request, looking with soft eyes can do the same, but those soft eyes need to be the result of a soft and relaxed body. Position yourself (safely) in front and to the side, breathe, mindfully ask, wait and "look & see" for the equines response. Get good at seeing the "try" and reward it with a long outbreath, a sigh. Your aim is to work at relaxing your equine so that you can ask from a calm and quiet place, lots of patience is needed, but the reward for that will be an understanding, trusting and confident agility partner.
