Kathy Muscarella
For many people, horse training is all about teaching the horse to communicate with his or her human counterpart. What would happen if we could understand horses on a deeper level, and really connect with their way of communicating?
Tapping into the thoughts and emotions of the horse presents an interesting twist in the training philosophy. For example, we train our horses to live and work in a human world, but what do our horses want? Do they enjoy their jobs? Are they comfortable? These are very important questions to ask once our horses begin training for specific disciplines. Wouldn’t it be nice to know for sure?
THINK IN PICTURES
As an animal communicator, I have learned to connect with animals on a deeper level through telepathy. Telepathy can be described as receiving pictures or images from an animal. All animals, especially those from the same species, can communicate with each other on this level. Humans are no different. We just have a harder time, because we rely on verbal communication. Our speech has become so complex that almost any emotion or idea can be described in detail through our words. Most of us think in words and sentences as well. This is not the case in horses and other animals. They think in pictures and feel emotions.
Kathy Muscarella
What I have discovered is that all humans can think in images. We did when we were little before we learned our world in words. Our thoughts used to be painted pictures that were so vivid they brought our world to life. Just think about a toddler’s colorful imagination. Many animals have the same animation in their thoughts. This helps explain why a prey animal like a horse is terrified of a little plastic bag. If we can take the method in which horses process thoughts into consideration during training, it can lessen the stress and make learning relaxing and interesting for both handler and horse. For example, if the trainer can clearly form a thought of pictures, like watching a very short film, of what they would like the horse to do, many times the horse will answer correctly. This method takes patience and practice just like any other training option. Changing thoughts to pictures during training can open a whole new world of communication between horse and handler.
Of course, one cannot forget about instinct. Horses live in a state of curiosity that will quickly revert to fear if they believe there might be an ounce of danger. That is the joy of being a prey animal. That instinct can be managed with most horses through learning to trust their handlers. This process becomes quicker and simpler if the handler can give and receive thoughts from the horse through pictures. By learning to communicate through telepathy, we as trainers and handlers can give our horses a step up in their training.