05/22/2021
Resonates with me.. enjoy.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲?
Written by Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connectiona
Here is how Manolo Mendez explains how a well horse feels 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 does it 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.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆.
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 fifty 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:
💠 Soothe
💠 Calm
💠 Reassure
💠 Encourage
💠 Welcome
💠 Shelter
but also:
💠 Reward
💠 Vitalize
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.
By the same token, when you touch your horse carefully and pay attention to how the muscles feel under your hand:
💠 Soft
💠 Knotty
💠 Stringy
💠 Hot
💠 Cold
💠 Clammy
💠 Jelly-like
💠 Wood-like
💠 Alive/Present
💠 Dead/Dull
you get all kinds of clues about how his body and mind feels.
💠 Does your horse flinch?
💠 Pin his ears?
💠 Turn to look at you with curiosity?
💠 Lean into or away from you?
💠 Does his eye soften, dulls or winces?
💠 Does his breath catch or deepen
💠 Does he refuse the bit and move away from the saddle?
💠 Does he move around the mounting block even after years of training?
💠 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?
💠 His poll for example or girth area?
💠 Is there a leg he wont give you?
💠 Does his back drop sharply to his ribs or is it lined with plump long and round muscles?
💠 Does he let you lift and move his tail around or clamps it down sharply?
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁?
What does how much or little he/she allows you to handle him/her mean?
𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱.
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.
© Manolo Mendez Dressage 2013
