I think there's also an element of the horse wanting to say hello. Horses are social animals and we've bred them for thousands of years for docility and liking us.
My dad was a cop and rose a horse when he could for patrol so we had a few. All police trained horses but we had a HUGE one (sorry I donāt remember the breed, larger than a paint but smaller than a Clydesdale). I remember when we went to ride him and see if he was coming home with us. He was scared of a bag stuck in a tree. Bro you are police trained and this bag is scaring you? Horses are silly. My horse would always be at risk for tripping because he never fully picked up his feet. Well unless we were headed back. But my dadās personal horse if he knew we were headed back to camp he would get EXCITED and kick up speed if you let him. So then my dad would have to plan the trail to be a loop so the horse didnāt really know when we were headed back to camp lol.
Lol! Spree was half Arabian and was 18 hands, so pretty big, and she also spooked at a bag in a bush once. She threw me pretty good, I was totally unprepared (and bareback as usual). Like, madam, you are the size of a small car, that's a 7/11 bag. Such silly giants.
Dated a riding instructor/barn manager for a long time, and one of the first things you learn while riding is basically how to maximize control with minimal effort. If you're on a trail, you're hardly using the reigns to steer a horse, but gentle leans/squeezes with your legs, and the harder to apply pressure, the faster/more effort a horse puts into moving. I haven't ridden in, gosh, probably 15 years now, but I always enjoyed it - just not enough to own a horse! Ha.
Facts. The better rider you are the more it looks like you're hardly doing anything at all. Horses are insanely in tune to every movement you make when you're riding, and can tell if you're relaxed or stressed or afraid, often times when you aren't even aware of it yourself. They also each have their own personalities and behaviors, and no matter how broke they are, you should always approach them with caution, because they're incredibly fast and powerful animals, and they might react in ways you're not expecting.
Yes. I had a lovely large pony hunter and if I wanted to him change gait or leads sometimes all I had to do was āthinkā the cue for this action and he would respond appropriately. Horses are extremely sensitive animal, not only to touch, but also to human intentions. Their apparent willingness to respond is why humans have exploited their greater physical power for millennia, and why they make such great therapy animals.
And then they can see a paper bag, and get terrified! Great animals, cool hobby, met lots of nice people, and so many horses with so many personalities and attitudes.
You won't be, I promise... I've only played one time through now, but it only builds on the things that made the first one so good. It makes the things John does in the first so much more impactful and cathartic after seeing things through Arthur's eyes. It's so worth the hundreds of hours you can dump into it from the storytelling to how gorgeous it is. I'll still find myself trotting around doing nothing in particular and stumble upon secrets and encounters I had no idea about.
If you loved the first one, I can't imagine you wouldn't love this one too.
Horses will use their lips to āpet youā. Itās a surreal feeling, especially being pet by an animal who is 5 times bigger than you and as docile as a dog.
My partnerās horses are like that. When she first taught me how to ride even having my leg slightly too far back would end up cueing the horse to do something I didnāt want. Tilt too far forward and the horse would move more quickly than I wanted. 90% of the control is done through leg and seat. Reins are there more for support than anything. I learnt quickly on her horses if the horse wasnāt doing what I wanted to, it was probably because of me (not always but most of the time)
Iām not a horse person, but my ex-wife rode Dressage and the things a well trained rider can do with a well trained horse are absolutely remarkable. It made me a fan of Dressage in the Olympics.
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