Nothing irks me more than when people call me a Horse Whisperer.
Let me say once and for all – I’m not a Horse Whisperer.
There are no special gifts or secret magic powers when it comes to training horses.
No-one can teach a horse by ‘whispering’ or looking into his eyes.
No-one can apply some ‘secret’ process and have horses instantly understand everything forever more.
No, I’m not a Horse Whisperer but I have devoted my life to working with horses and trying to understand them.
There’s always a simple and logical reason why horses respond as they do.
The trouble is that sometimes a horse understands what the trainer wants and responds accordingly even though an observer can’t see or understand what’s happening.
Next minute, people say that the trainer has a ‘special gift’ and a ‘magical connection’.
Lots of trainers start to believe these myths and think that they are indeed a Horse Whisperer, complete with something special that mere mortals can never attain.
It makes them feel good to tell their pupils, ‘You don’t have what it takes.
You haven’t got the gift.’
This is completely untrue.
I’ve seen people with very little experience do amazing things with horses.
Horse training is logic, not magic.
When you see a horse working at liberty or being ridden without a bridle, please remember that it’s not magic.
There’s always a perfectly logical reason why a horse performs well.
And don’t forget, there’s always a perfectly logical reason why a horse bucks or rears or kicks up and resists.
There’s no magic involved when it comes to horse training.
And there’s no such thing as a Horse Whisperer.
