Emotional Awareness in Riding: Understanding the Emotional Horse
Many of us are out here riding the emotional waves of our equine counterparts — cough, mares, cough — and it feels like the waves just keep crashing down on us. This article will provide some emotional awareness tips to help you navigate these dragons!
Horseback riding often is thought of as a physical skill requiring technical precision, strength, and coordination. However, many seasoned equestrians know that there is a deeper, more subtle aspect of riding that requires emotional awareness — particularly when working with a horse that is highly emotional. Horses are profoundly intuitive and can sense the emotional states of their riders, which makes understanding your own emotions, and how they affect your horse, crucial. Building a solid connection with a horse, especially an overly emotionally one, involves balancing patience, observation, and self-regulation. Knowing how to tune into your horse’s feelings while remaining attuned to your own can make all the difference in creating a safe and effective riding experience.
Photo by Dan Shea Photography
Understanding Your Horse’s Emotional State
Horses react based on emotions and instincts, which can often be influenced by hormones, physical, and mental health. They are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, so even the slightest shift in a rider’s emotional state can deeply affect their behavior.
An emotionally sensitive horse might react with heightened flight responses, anxiety, or even aggression, especially if it senses its rider’s discomfort, frustration, or fear. The horse’s emotional outbursts are a reflection of its own fears or insecurities, which can escalate if the rider is not attuned to these emotional signals.
Emotional awareness is the ability to recognize these emotional cues and respond in a way that fosters mutual understanding, trust, and respect. By understanding your horse’s emotional state and recognizing the signs of distress or discomfort, you can better determine whether it’s the right time to ride or whether you need to reassess the situation and forfeit riding for the day.
Photo by Kamille Huff
When to Ride and When to Pass
One of the most important aspects of emotional awareness relating to horses is the ability to discern whether you should ride or whether it’s better to swing your leg over a different horse for the day. Horses, like humans, have “bad days,” and an emotionally charged situation — whether due to stress, fear, or physical discomfort — can significantly affect your horse’s behavior and performance. Ignoring these signs and proceeding with a ride can result in frustration, miscommunication, and potential danger for both you and the horse.
For example, if your horse is refusing parts of the saddling and riding process that she normally doesn’t fuss about, it may be a sign that she’s not in the right frame of mind for a ride. Horses, like people, need to feel emotionally balanced to perform at their best, and pushing through these moments can exacerbate stress and build negative associations with riding. A more intuitive rider knows when to take a step back and reconsider the situation.
Sometimes the best decision is to pass on the ride entirely, opting for groundwork or simply spending time with the horse to help it calm down. Exercises like lunging, leading, or even grooming can be beneficial ways to connect with an emotionally sensitive horse without forcing them into a situation they’re not ready for.
Photo by Dan Shea Photography
Picking Your Battles Versus Letting Things Slide
An emotionally sensitive horse may have moments where it tests boundaries or challenges its rider. These moments can range from a refusal to cooperate to more severe behavioral issues, such as rearing, bolting, or biting. In these situations, emotional awareness becomes essential in determining whether to confront the issue head-on or allow the horse the space to work through its emotions on its own.
Knowing when to pick your battles is key to maintaining a balanced relationship with your horse. There are times when it’s appropriate to assert your authority or firmly correct a behavior. There are many times the rider will need to calmly but decisively helping the horse regain control over its emotions. On the other hand, there are times when forcing an issue — such as insisting on a certain maneuver or pushing forward in a moment of emotional tension — can be detrimental to the relationship. The horse may become further resistant, leading to escalating frustration and emotional overload.
Choosing the right moments to step in and when to step back requires careful consideration of your horse’s emotional state and your own. If you are feeling particularly stressed, anxious, or frustrated, it may be better to step away from a confrontation and allow your horse to settle down before addressing the issue. This is especially true when working with an emotional horse, as their heightened emotional state can easily mirror the rider’s own.
Photo by Kamille Huff
How Our Emotions Affect Our Horse’s
A rider’s emotions have a direct influence on their horse, often more than we realize. Horses are incredibly sensitive to subtle changes in body language, tone of voice, and even heart rate. If a rider is feeling tense, anxious, or frustrated, the horse will pick up on those cues and react accordingly. This is especially true when riding an emotional horse, as the horse may already be prone to stress or nervousness.
For example, if a rider is feeling anxious or worried about the horse’s behavior, those feelings of tension can manifest in the horse’s behavior as well. The horse may become more agitated, anxious, or even defensive, reinforcing the rider’s fears and making the situation more difficult.
Conversely, if a rider approaches their horse with calm confidence and emotional stability, the horse is more likely to mirror those emotions. Horses respond to a rider’s emotional state like a mirror, reflecting back what they feel from their human counterpart. When you maintain a calm, centered approach to your interactions, over time, your horse will feel more secure and balanced as well.
Photo by Dan Shea Photography
Managing Your Own Emotions and Biases
It’s equally important to be mindful of how your own emotional biases can impact your perception of the horse’s behavior. If you have preconceived notions or negative past experiences with a particular horse, it’s easy to allow those biases to influence how you interpret their emotional state or behavior. For example, if you’ve had a difficult ride before and are already feeling apprehensive, you might interpret the horse’s minor missteps as signs of rebellion or defiance, when in reality, they may be more indicative of nervousness or confusion.
By acknowledging your own emotional biases and assessing the situation objectively, you can avoid misinterpreting your horse’s feelings. This requires self-awareness and honesty about your emotional state, as well as the willingness to put aside any past experiences that may cloud your judgment. It’s essential to approach each ride with an open mind, free from the constraints of previous failures or anxieties.
Photo by Kamille Huff
The Role of Empathy in Building a Stronger Bond
At its core, emotional awareness is about empathy — the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another being. By practicing empathy with your horse, you can create a stronger, more trusting bond that allows both of you to thrive. This involves listening to the horse’s emotional cues and responding in a way that is compassionate and supportive, while also maintaining clear boundaries and structure.
Empathy also involves recognizing when your horse is simply overwhelmed or emotionally spent and providing them with the time and space they need to regroup. Just as you would offer a friend or loved one the support they need during tough emotional moments, it’s essential to offer your horse the same understanding and patience.
Photo by Dan Shea Photography
Emotional awareness is not only a skill, but also an essential foundation for building a successful partnership with an emotionally sensitive horse. By understanding your horse’s emotions and how your own feelings influence them, you can create an environment of trust, respect, and mutual understanding. Recognizing when to engage, when to step back, and how to navigate moments of emotional tension will not only improve your riding experience but also strengthen the bond you share with your horse.
