Getting to Know Your Horse Through Touch

by Lisa Wysocky, author of My Horse, My Partner: Teamwork on the Ground © 2008 Lisa Wysocky

Many people imprint foals as soon as they are born.  Imprinting is the process of rubbing human hands over the foal to accustom him or her to human scent, sound, and touch.  If your horse is older than a newborn, he or she has had time to develop likes and dislikes, tastes and preferences, and has been influenced by both good and bad experiences.  So in addition to accustoming your equine partner to your scent, sound, and touch, by rubbing your hands over your horse you will learn some of her likes and dislikes, and get a reading of her body condition.

Start in a quiet place where your partner is comfortable.  It can be a stall, paddock, pasture, or grooming area.  If possible, put on some soft music.  And keep your equine partner in mind when choosing both tunes and volume.  Just because you like punk or heavy-metal music, doesn’t mean your partner will.  Also, know that your partner’s hearing is much better than yours.  A volume that sounds normal to you is most likely too loud for your horse.  Generally, some soft jazz, classical, or even “elevator music” is a good choice to start with.  Remember that you want to use the music to help your partner relax, not gear her up for a polo match.

You can keep your horse’s halter on, or not, whatever you are comfortable with.  If you are in a large space, such as a pasture, it will be easier to keep your equine friend from wandering off if you have a halter and lead.  If you are in a stall and feel comfortable and safe without your partner being haltered, then leave it outside the door.  If you are uncertain, inexperienced with horses, or feel safety is an issue, you will have the most control over a haltered horse in a medium-sized enclosure such as round pen.

Begin by letting your partner sniff the back of your hand.  Some horses use their sense of smell a great deal, while others prefer to explore their world by sight, sound, or taste.  So this is a good opportunity to gauge your equine friend’s use of smell.  Before you begin, be sure your hands do not smell like apples, grain, carrots, or any other equine treat.  Also be sure your hands do not carry a medicinal smell, or smell like fly spray or any other element your horse may associate with unpleasantness.

Once your partner has satisfied her curiosity by smelling your hand, gently blow into her nostril, and let her blow gently back into yours.  This tells your friend that you are interested in relating to her on her level.  If you think about it, from day one we expect our equine partners to relate to us on our terms.  Rarely do we consider that a horse is a horse, and thinks, acts, and reacts as such.  Your horse has spent her entire life watching and studying you.  She knows the instant you step into the barn whether you are in a good or bad mood, if you are sad, or whether you are nervous or joyfully happy.  But how many of us can say we have the same recognition of our equine friend’s thoughts and moods?

Breathing into each other’s nostrils is the way that horses instinctively greet each other.

After trading breaths once or twice, it is time to get to know your partner’s body.

Begin at the forehead, gently but firmly rubbing and massaging the area with your hands as you talk softly to your friend.  What you say is not important, but your tone of voice is.

My equine partners usually hear mundane details of my day.  Occasionally, we discuss the weather.  And sometimes we just enjoy the silence of each other’s company.

After you’ve spent a minute or two on the forehead, move to your partner’s cheeks and then to her ears.  From the ears, work your way down the left side of your partner’s neck and chest, and run your hands up and down her legs.  Then move to the withers, barrel, stomach, and back, talking softly.  Finish the left side by rubbing and gently massaging your partner’s loins, croup, flanks, and down the inside and outside of the hind legs.  Be sure to remember her tail.

You might also switch the music around occasionally to see if one style over another causes her to become more relaxed, excited, or impatient.  Music is a universal language and you will, over time, be able to find music to both soothe and energize your horse.

While you are rubbing and massaging, look at your partner’s skin tone and make sure the skin is supple––not flaky or scaly.  Assess the quality of the hair to ensure it is shiny and make note of any bald patches, scars, bumps, indentations, or other blemishes.

Look at her hooves to be sure they are in good shape and not cracked or shelly.  If you find anything unusual during your assessment, contact your equine veterinarian or nutritionist.  Proper nutrition and veterinary care can make a world of difference in your partner’s attitude and performance.  Just like you, if your horse does not feel well, or if she is not getting all the vitamins and nutrients she needs, she will not be able to do her best job.

While you are getting to know your equine friend’s body, keep an eye on her ears, tail, and the level of her head and neck. Make note of the areas you touch that she likes, and those that make her nervous.  You will know she is enjoying it when she leans your way, when her eyes are half closed, or when she emits a soft grunt or groan.  If she is relaxed and enjoying the process, her head and neck will be low, her ears will be flicking back and forth, and her tail will be relaxed, possibly swishing slowly at the occasional fly.  If something is bothering her, her head will be raised, ears possibly flat back, and her tail will swish sharply back and forth.  Her body will also be tense and the look in her eye will be anything but soft.

Whenever you get this reaction, stop to assess the problem.  What is it about the process that she does not like?  Is there a horse behind her that is upsetting her? Maybe the music is making her nervous, or there is a lot of noise and activity in another area of the barn.  Does she have a cut or a bruise near the area that you were touching?  Bug bites?

Maybe it invokes memories of a traumatic event.  Move to a different location or take your horse on a short walk and resume again in a few minutes.

Then repeat the process on the right side.  This entire process will take you fifteen minutes, or maybe longer, depending on the size of your equine partner, your size, and how relaxed you both are.  And it is important that you be relaxed.  Horses are herd animals and for this process, you are your horse’s herd.  As you are the dominant member of the herd, she will look to you for confirmation that this process is safe.  So if you are not comfortable, start with a shortened version, and just work on touching her neck and back, or any other area you feel comfortable with. Then gradually work into other areas.

Your body posture is a very important part of this process.  If you are tense, use rapid strokes, and have an abrupt manner, your horse will sense something is not right and will react by becoming edgy or nervous.  Ideally, you should stand and move casually, as if this is no more unusual than sitting down to read the paper.

Again, your equine partner will take her cues from you.  If she senses you are nervous or uncomfortable, she will think there is something to be nervous and uncomfortable about.

So talk softly, and stay relaxed.

The same is true for a pleasant facial expression.  Whether you know it or not, your equine partner is a great interpreter of your face.  She understands your smile, cold look, joy, and pain, more than you realize.  Remember, horses study us far more than we study them.  It is critical to her survival that she know whether you are about to lash out in frustration, or if you are simply using her shoulder to cry on.  A soft and pleasant expression on your face will help your equine friend relax.

Another key concept is working in rhythm.  If you have ever had a massage, you know how relaxing the kneading of a massage therapist’s hands can be if she gets a good rhythm going.  In addition to the concept of rhythm, your partner anticipates rhythm.  This is important to keep in mind every time you introduce something new to your equine partner.  If you do it in rhythm with a relaxed body posture and a pleasant facial expression, your horse will accept it much more quickly and with less stress.

Remember that even the most trusted horse in the world might cause you to be injured.  While risk is always present when working with horses, there are a few basic things you can do to maximize safety for both you and your partner.

Proper footwear is key.  Low heels, solid toe, enough said.  Also stay away from the front and rear of a horse for the simple reason that those areas are blind spots.  If you draw a line from the sides of your partner’s eyes to a point four feet in front of her, that is an area that she can’t see.  If sometimes your horse turns her head to look at an object in front of her, that’s why.  She can’t see an object if she is looking at it straight on, unless it is far enough away to overcome the blind spot.

The same goes for the rear of the horse.  Horses can see alongside their hindquarters, but not directly behind them.  How much a horse sees also depends on his or her build. A heavily muscled Quarter Horse will not see as much behind him as a more slightly built Arabian.  If you move into those areas, be sure to move quietly and calmly, touch and talk to your partner, and stay in fairly close.  Kicking is like swinging a baseball bat.  To hit the ball hard, you have to make a big swing.  To kick hard, the horse needs a big area to swing her leg.

Also stay away from your horse’s nose and mouth.  Many horses move their lips, trying to bite whatever you have in your hand, anytime you move your hand toward their mouth, even to brush their noses or trim the hair of their chins.  If this is the case, she is not thinking about standing quietly, or listening to what you are saying. Instead, she is thinking of what goodie you might have for her.  One thing she is not concentrating on is her training.  So if you feed treats, do so from a bucket.

Your working environment is also a concern.  It is important to thoroughly check your working area for loose nails, splinters, rusty metal, rocks, holes, and other sources of danger.  While not everyone has access to perfect facilities, you can make what you have the best it can be.

If you have completed this activity you will have learned many things about your horse, and your horse will have learned many things about you.  First, you will have established a baseline on her weight, muscle tone, and condition, as well as the condition of her skin and hooves. You will also have found where your equine friend likes and doesn’t like to be touched, where she is ticklish, and what tone of voice and type of touch she prefers.  You will also have noted her musical likes and dislikes, and that can help keep her calm during times of illness or stress.

Your partner, on the other hand, will understand that you are trying to communicate in a way she understands, and she will appreciate that effort.  While we humans are the dominant partner, in many ways we are the less perceptive.  Horses observe so much––about us, and the environment in which we live––that we humans completely overlook.

My Horse My Partner: Teamwork on the Ground is available in book and DVD formats.

For more information or to learn more about author and equine clinician Lisa Wysocky, visit Website