Offering Choice to Horses
Adding hand signs to bridge the gap between human and horse communication
First, let me say thank you to everyone for all the feedback on my first post! Creating community and adding to the conversation is sure to speed up the process of building understanding for all of us. I’ve been asked for more details on what led me to try using hand signs to offer choice and my experiences with adding this form of dialogue to the two way communication with horses.
I would like to point out that however conscious of it or not, the majority of horse people talk to the horses in their company as though they understand just like another person. This natural inclination meets societal skepticism and puts us in an awkward space of “Am I naively believing this is possible? Or am I going to give into the general denial?” Yet, most people have moments when the clear evidence of communication with animals shows the grey area in-between to be true. There are obvious issues with anthropomorphism whether dealing with animals, objects, or other entities. I’ve noticed the most logical people applying it without recognition, and I know I have. But, with simple Question - Answer / Yes - No feedback from horses and other animals, we can start to understand in more detail where the similarities begin and end.
It has been said that animals are much better at living in the moment than we tend to be. This is especially more evident as we get more absorbed by our digital world. The biggest key in my research has been to center myself in the moment. I try to be aware of both the horse’s and my own state of mind, as it has a weighted effect on clarity. Answers are hard to read if I am too rushed, anxious, or anticipate the responses. If the horses are distracted, uncomfortable, or shutdown it becomes pretty impossible. In the beginning, I would often finish all the pressing barn chores and let go of time restraints before focusing on each individual horse in that particular moment.
“I’ve learned that the average domestic horse with a basic understanding and comfort around humans can actually be quite polite.”
Sometimes, taking a deep breath and simply approaching the horse with respect for their physical space would open the door to a focused conversation. I’ve learned that the average domestic horse with a basic understanding and comfort around humans can actually be quite polite. Greeting them and waiting for their permission, be it a move to make space for us, a sweep of the head to ‘pull’ us in, or an eye contact acknowledgement helps to start things off on the right foot.
I only ask a question when I can honor either response. For example, I don’t present questions in connection with serious medical treatments or safety concerns. Once an appropriate question has been considered, an open mind to allow things to flow is paramount. As I sorted through what to ask and how to present the questions, I learned to recognize which thoughts and feelings came to mind to clarify the steps forward.
Years ago, my horse Kodi (pictured above) & I had a late night routine that deepened our bond. I’d stop by the barn where I boarded him to throw him some extra hay, water, hang out, and check on his neighbors. Before I left, I’d hide a butterscotch or peppermint in one hand. Just like that simple hide and seek child’s game, he would have to guess which hand it was in as I held both hands out in front of him. When he guessed correctly by touching the hand with his muzzle that had the candy, he got the treat. After 3 candies were gone, he would have soft droopy eyes of contentment while licking my hands until he was ready to go back to his hay and I left.
Years down the road, I was contemplating the Norwegian study on offering horses choice in blanketing preferences. While I was working with a particular group of 6 horses regularly, I realized I could use the American Sign Language (ASL) signs for Yes and No when I played the hide and seek game. And, that this modeling could be further defined with the familiar vocalize words of Yes and No, as well as nodding or shaking my head. For example, if I made the knocking or nodding motion with my closed right fist and said Yes when they found the treat, or the alligator jaw snapping motion with my left hand and said No, when they hadn’t. I could, after a time, then discard the treats for the offering of choice itself, as presented by these hand signs.
Though the questions are a bit trickier, asking them opens a whole new layer of communication. I started as simply as I could with blankets in the colder seasons. As I said in my previous post, I had serious doubts as to the accuracy of my educated general assumptions. So, I held a blanket in front of them, maybe motioned it towards them, then used my voice and offered my hands making the yes and no signs and waited. When they reached out to touch one of my hands, I made sure to follow through on their decision. Had I not held their choice as pertinent, they would have lost interest in the interaction. I was confident that the choice they made they knew would be for the entire night because they were familiar with our evening routine. At times, I even went through various blanket choices with each horse. When mistakes were made, we learned from them. As time consuming as this might sound, it actually sped up the process, especially towards future conversations, with less deliberation and worry weighing me down. Slightly different routines began to flow which also added to my daily efficiency.
The insights I gathered were enlightening and interesting. My old blanketing routine wasn’t as far off as I feared, but there were assumptions that turned out to be wrong. Obviously, different horses were more or less comfortable with different blanket weights and possible layering under different conditions. The horses I worked with definitely appreciated their blankets and sometimes wanted heavier blankets than I expected. For example, they asked for heavier blankets as the cold season began before their bodies adjusted. Or when the weather was damp and raw. I find the same is true for myself. This was in contrast to my previous routine of adjusting more strictly according to the temperature. What got me really excited was discovering that their decisions were accurate and consistent to the weather and other environmental conditions, such as being inside or outside. There were even times when they were more accurate than my weather app!
Naturally, as with the signs, I add in other body language and voice cues in order to clarify the questions. It does need to make logical sense to both of us in the moment. Horses learn to recognize pointing a finger, along with a glance in the same direction has meaning as they use their line of sight and bodies in similar ways. Horses are highly social animals and thus their natural inclination to communicate opens many doors. There’s also their recognition of seasonal changes, the sun coming up and going down, and many other patterns and routines. Considering what we can understand would effect horses in the wild from a survival perspective can highlight some small details that can lead to a common ground. This pretext or starting point, helps to give the questions context, and their applicability becomes more obvious. When I became confident that I could offer choice in the moment, I was impressed and hopeful with all the details that we could explore to enhance our connection.
I have discovered a multitude of other areas where similar, more in depth conversational approaches with animals are being explored. This modern shift in respect for, and curiosity about other life forms and their wellbeing is broad and exciting! Some people have an in-depth understanding of horse body language, such as Sharon Wilsie (Horse Speak). Others are exploring the use of buttons with words that are spoken when pressed by their pets. In one way or another, these are reminiscent of the impact reports of Dr. Jane Goodall’s work had on my own experience at a young age. Then, there are the fascinating studies of the communication between mushrooms, mycelium, forests, plants and insects. (a), (b), (c), (d), (e)
Altogether, I am so grateful to be a part of this learning process that brings us closer to the Earth and the understanding of how we are all truly interconnected.
I’m looking forward to posting about presenting during a recent joint horsemanship development clinic with Catherine Fellows (Masterson Method (R) Certified Practitioner, Masterson Method (R) Equine Specialist). As well as, posting individual stories about interactions with horses using hand signs.
Thanks again for all of your feedback and encouragement!
(a) Sharon Wilsie. Sharon Wilsie, Cracking The Horse Speak Code - Horse Speak 101, YouTube video, June 9, 2022.
(b) Alexis Devine. Windy City LIVE, ABC 7 Chicago, Meet Bunny the talking dog! Video shows how she communicates with buttons, YouTube video, February 4, 2021.
(c) Goodall, Dr. Jane. Dr. Jane Goodall & the Jane Goodall Institute USA, Dr. Jane Goodall's Message on World Chimpanzee Day 2024, YouTube video, July 1, 2024.
(d) Schwartzberg, Louie. Moving Art, Fantastic Fungi, Official Film Trailer, YouTube video, August 14, 2019.
(d) National Geographic. National Geographic, How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other in the Forest | Decoder, YouTube video, September 11, 2018.
(e) LaJeunesse, Sara. Plant 'smells' insect foe, initiates defense, Penn State University, Research, August 24, 2017 (https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/plant-smells-insect-foe-initiates-defense).