The Project:
Horses from many walks of life, communication through body language, tools used only for safety, never to train.
The Goal:
To discover how far Equestrian Art can be developed solely using body language.
Wandering Together
This week it was time to open the gate for Ari and I, and start wandering a little farther from home.
The paddock has been a good place for our relationship to build a strong foundation.
However there is a whole big world out there waiting to be explored together!
The timing for wandering out together felt right for Ari and I, at this stage of our relationship.
He gets to decide where we are going.
I get to decide where I stand or walk in relationship to him.
In this way Ari is the assertive leader as he decides what we do together.
I am the passive leader, as I make good choices in my feel and timing of where, when, and how to be with Ari, as we wander together.
Browsing for good things to eat is Ari’s first priority, and I am happy to keep watch for him while he satisfies that desire.
While Ari is browsing it is also a perfect opportunity for me to practice leaning on him, watching him carefully so my weight comes on and off of him at good times. This builds the good associations we will need later, when riding becomes something we can also do together.
Sometimes, when you are wandering through the woods browsing and exploring… things smell funny, and then you cannot help but laugh!
And after you laugh, it feels even better, to just be together.
The wonderful pictures in this blog and all the others come from my amazingly talented photographer Kevin Smith. We have made a video of this exploration of the woods together and shared it in the Patreon group. If you haven’t seen it yet, Ari and I cordially invite you to join us and see our video, along with weekly video updates of all our adventures.
https://www.patreon.com/tamingwild
Hooves and Heartbeats,
Elsa
