05/26/2023
โค๏ธ
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ?
๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฉ, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด
Here is how Dressage and In-Hand expert Manolo Mendez explained how a healthy horse felt under his hands to his students:
"A well horse's flesh looks and feel like a round and full orange with fresh pulp bursting with juice and energy. It is plump and elastic and it has a shine that comes from within, a healthy glow."
What did he mean?
If a horse's body looks and feel like an old orange, greyed and shrunken by dehydration and time, the juice long evaporated, leaving behind dried up fiber, the muscles are no longer getting good blood flow, oxygen and energy.
These muscles wont work very well, they will tire and tear more easily, and when you touch them, they will be lackluster, dull, dry, flatish or hard and the horse will avoid being touched or stand stoically, waiting for the hand to move away.
๐ฆ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ท๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ. ๐ฆ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐.
Horses want to please us and if a horse refuses to work for us, we have to consider that he may be in pain, does not understand what is asked of him, or is physically not able to deliver.
Manolo stated that he has ridden thousands of horses over sixty five + years, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the times he met a horse who truly did not want to work because of his character.
However, he could count many times over the horses who he found to be in pain, sore, or confused.
The more we work with horses the more we learn that muscles and bones do not lie and neither does the horse.
In the past, we have talked on this page about how "Touch Means You are Not Alone" and what touch communicates to our horses, how it can:
๐ Soothe
๐ Calm
๐ Reassure
๐ Encourage
๐ Welcome
๐ Shelter
but also:
๐ Reward
๐ Vitalize
๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
By the same token, when you touch your horse carefully and pay attention to how the muscles feel under your hand:
๐ Soft
๐ Knotty
๐ Stringy
๐ Hot
๐ Cold
๐ Clammy
๐ Jelly-like
๐ Wood-like
๐ Alive/Present
๐ Dead/Dull
you get all kinds of clues about how his body and mind feels.
๐ Does your horse flinch?
๐ Pin his ears?
๐ Turn to look at you with curiosity?
๐ Lean into or away from you?
๐ Does his eye soften, dulls or winces?
๐ Does his breath catch or deepen
๐ Does he refuse the bit and move away from the saddle?
๐ Does he move around the mounting block even after years of training?
๐ Does he look around with interest or is he shut down?
Do you enjoy touching him? or are you wary and worried you are about to be bitten or kicked? A part of you always on the lookout.
Are there parts of your horse that are routinely not easy for you to touch?
๐ His poll for example or girth area?
๐ Is there a leg he wont give you?
๐ Does his back drop sharply to his ribs or is it lined with plump long and round muscles?
๐ Does he let you lift and move his tail around or clamps it down sharply?
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ'๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐?
What does how much or little he/she allows you to handle him/her mean?
๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ.
To learn how to develop a well muscled, supple and balanced horse you can purchase a streaming version of Manolo Mendez three hour introduction to in-hand work DVD and start watching now.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo
PS: This handsome horse belongs to Robin and Stefan who did a phenomenal job of bringing him back into wellness and trust.
ยฉ Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections 2013