“Silence is golden”, or so people say,
However, with horses, to this I go, “nay!”
A horse may not speak in the way that we do,
But they do use their voices, it’s time that you knew!
A soft, sweet, low rumble among them they use,
To say “hi”, “I missed you”, or so I do muse.
A sharp, high-pitched squeal you may hear among mares,
A battle of status perhaps ‘twixt the pair?
“What is the point of these statements?” you ask,
Having you to speak to your horse is my task!
Lavish with praise when they do something well,
With your voice light and sweet so they know things are swell!
Deepen for your voice, use it sharp, quick and hard,
So they know such wrong actions they must now discard.
If your horse is quite nervy, in monsters believin’,
Chatter away with your voice calm and even.
It may help your horse to avoid monster seeking,
It helps calm you too, to keep you from freaking.
When riding along and transitioning gait,
Do you ask your horse nicely, or quick escalate,
To a nudge or a kick, a sharper demand?
I always ask first, use a vocal command.
I could go on and on about why I feel strongly,
That silent horse riders are doing things wrongly.
Please, I do beg you, speak to your mounts,
You may be surprised by how much it counts.
Photo Credit: Thank you to the talented young photographer from Uruguay who allowed me to use her photo for this post. She does not have a website yet, but I encourage you to check out her work via the link below. She takes beautiful photos!