HORSE WHISPERER: International Horsemans Institute instructor Tony Lander with Diamond his 10-year-old horse.
HORSE whispering is not as romantic as it sounds, but if it is done properly you could make a friend for life.
Traditionally, people train horses using methods of fear and intimidation to dominate the horse, however, this technique is detrimental to the development of young horses, according to International Horsemans Institute instructor Tony Lander.
Mr Lander said the best way to get the most out of a horse was to communicate with the horse in its own language.
Eleven riders learnt how this week.
“It’s about learning how horses think and why they think they way the do,” he said.
“They are prey animals and humans are predators, so humans and horses don’t get along.”
Students learnt how to bond with and train the horse to be a willing participant, as opposed to scaring the horse into submission.
First-time student of the International Horsemans Institute Angela Piu was shocked at the development of her horse Bob in just a few days at the course in Molong.
“I learnt that before, when I would tell him to do something, he was just assuming what I wanted him to do,” she said.
“Now he is communicating with me and he’s willing to do things.”
Mr Lander says with the proper horsemanship, the relationship between horse and rider can be the most trusting.
“It’s about psychology of the horse,” he said.
“You need to become the dominant horse in the pack.”
Mr Lander tries to teach horse owners to mimic the behaviour of horses.
“A dominant horse will be able to move any horse around,” he said.
“They use phases, they might give you a solid eye look or they might crinkle up their nose, it’s all communication.”
