Is it ok to talk to your horse whilst riding?

[Purple Hugs]

I talk a lot to the horse i ride at the school and noticed in pictures taken today it 'listens' to me quite a lot (ears turned back to me).

Is it ok to do this or only talk to it when you want it to do something?

[SupaTania]

Of course! When I'm nervous, I tend to sing (row row row your boat...) and talk to the horses. it helps to calm you down, as it regulates your breathing. Some non-horsey people will definately raise an eyebrow at you, but who cares!

Horses are the best (and cheaptest) therapists

[Danyele]

I always talk to the horse i'm riding! if i'm nervous it's something like c'mon, we can do this, steady and correct , but if im in a gymkhana or something itsc'mon, were gonna win, and we're gonna win with flying colours! you get what i mean.

[Purple Hugs]

ooh that's good to know then! Didn't want to annoy it in any way! ;)

It can be a bit grumpy once you are off it, it's fine when you are riding, so I am hoping in time to have a bit of a bond with it.

Calling it 'it' as not sure if it's a girl or boy yet - I haven't got THAT personal! hehe

[ilostmymarbles]

Your own vioce is wonderful aide when riding a horse. Yu can calm him encourage him, berate him etc.
So it's fine when in a lesson or jumping, but Never talk during a dressage test! v.v bad idea. they consider it a too obvious aid and it is severley frowned upon (which i found out too my charagrin) :D

[Purple Hugs]

thanks, I'll bear that in mind IF I ever get to tests - not sure if i'd ever be good enough for anything like that though, I'm just learning for pleasure. :D

[Gemani]

The horse I ride understands trot or canter so if he doesn't listen to the leg then I tell him to trot on etc. However, as somebody already said, don't use this in competitions because the whole idea is that you can get the horse to move off your leg NOt your voice! It's a great training aid though.

[Kanuma]

talking to a horse is fine (except in dressage tests, but strangely ok in showing provided it isnt too obviouse). i regularly talk to stan, hold conversations with him in fact, have sung to him as well (normaly when he is scareing the hell out of me and i want to stay calm)! if he is mucking about he gets told off in my stroppy annoyed voice and if he does well then he gets lots of praise and happy natter, he seems to listen to most of what i say!

[Cheko]

I talk to Falcon all the time. Helps to keep (and me) relaxed.

[Peace]

I'm sure it's fine. I chat to Bram, my older horse, quite a bit while we're out on the trail. I bet most schoolhorses - and ex-schoolies like Bram - are used to it. :)

I have found, however, that Quanah, my young horse who I've just started riding again, doesn't appreciate a lot of chatter. His trainer, Leslie, who's been working with him the past year is a pretty taciturn sort who only says something if it's called for, e.g. praise or direction. Quanah found my aimless chatter kind of annoying - I suppose he thought comments like "oh, look at the lovely egrets" meant he was supposed to do something in response. :o So I've had to learn to button my lip around him! :p

[notpoodle]

im terrible, i always talk to my pony as if she was human :rolleyes: i SWEAR she understands what i am saying though!!

julia

[Alflover]

Yep its fine, i do it all the time. Its always like. 'what on earth you doing, i didnt ask you go that way! Yes those are ducks and they arent going to eat you you silly pony.'

Hmm..bit worried about myself now lol!

[horseygal90]

Yep, it's perfectly fine! I used to ride a very strong cob (you had to have a kanckk with her... I didn't get that until the last time I rode her) and you had to talk to her if she ran off with you, not very easy when you're watching the school go by in a flash. :rolleyes: I've kinda got into a habit of it now, I talk to whoever I'm riding a lot more now, especially if they've been good (for instance, cantering straight away when I ask)!

[Cochise]

Absolutely! Cheeks and I have some ve-ry interesting discussions... :D
He likes to ask "why" a lot. So me being me, have to give him very detailed answers.

[Styric]

I never used to since I was berated everytime I did it, but my new coach actually tells me to natter at him. It's made a wonderful difference, my horse loves being talked to, especially when things are scary.

[april]

i talk to the horse i'm riding all the time... it can be very useful to express yourself, and i suppose can be used as an aid.... remember the thelwell cartoon??? "talk to your horse, he will know what you mean!" :p

[ploddycob]

I think it help with building a bond, he gets to know the sound and tones of your voice and that can be calming for him... :)

[Gnasher]

I make absentminded conversation with Toad and trade insults with her insulting behaviour, both on the ground and in the saddle. It comes naturally to me, and providing it doesn't bother your horse, go ahead :)

Just as an aside note to your question, ears back listening can also mean the horse is 'listening' to your physical aids, as well as to your voice :)

Karen xx

[Miriam]

I talk to all the horses I ride. That may come down to the fact I was taught to talk to them when driving as most of your aids are voice commands. I tell them to go right, left and even have conversations with them

[Wally]

I talk to them, but you don;t want to over do it, especially driven horses, once they are going in the gait and the speed you want leave them be until you want another thing or you need to reward, or discipline them. HOwever driving horses rely totally upon the spoken word.

[Mossy]

I chat to Con ten to the dozen. Whilst she is listening to me prattling on she is not looking for shark infested butterflies or other terrors known only to her. Her ears are locked onto me whilst I am burbling. Moss is much more self contained and totally ignores any attempt at conversation!

[saldec]

I talk to Perrie all the time when i am out hacking. I think it is a bit of confidence boost for me & her :D
People look at me strangely as if to say 'who is she talking to'??
They must think i am talking to myself & that i am nutty :eek:
I don't care as long as we are both happy which is the main thing :)

[Lindsayanne]

I'm a talker. Not a lot, but I call him a dork under my breath at least a few times a lesson. :D when I'm having trouble getting him to collect I'll say "come up to me, baby" and he usually responds. :p I think he likes being asked politely. :D

[Galiena]

I've always talked to the horses I ride. Usually when I'm riding, it's just praising them, but once in a while (out of frustration) I will say something like, "No, not that way, this way!" But, while down on the ground, especially while I'm grooming them or cuddling them, I talk to them a lot. Just nonsense. Kinda like I do with my dogs.

[Dina]

I always talk to Chunky when I am riding him,it helps to keep calm him down if he gets abit spooky,And when I first got him after he had only been broken to a saddle for a couple of months it was suggested that I talk to him while I was riding so he remembered that there was someone on his back.

[*Sez*]

Jake responds really nicely to spoken aids, we "walk on", "trot on" and "stand up" (I know, I know, not much good for dressage!). And I chat to him constantly all the time I'm riding, except for in lessons when I'm trying to listen to my RI. When he starts napping I sing to him (our favourite at the moment is "I Like Beer" by Golden Apple), which chills us both out and then I ask him to move on again.

I think horsey people would think you were odd for not talking to your horse! :D

[Purple Hugs]

I make absentminded conversation with Toad and trade insults with her insulting behaviour, both on the ground and in the saddle. It comes naturally to me, and providing it doesn't bother your horse, go ahead :)

Just as an aside note to your question, ears back listening can also mean the horse is 'listening' to your physical aids, as well as to your voice :)

Karen xx
What do you mean physical aids? :o

[Purple Hugs]

Jake responds really nicely to spoken aids, we "walk on", "trot on" and "stand up" (I know, I know, not much good for dressage!). And I chat to him constantly all the time I'm riding, except for in lessons when I'm trying to listen to my RI. When he starts napping I sing to him (our favourite at the moment is "I Like Beer" by Golden Apple), which chills us both out and then I ask him to move on again.

I think horsey people would think you were odd for not talking to your horse! :D
lol at the I like beer! Am sure my hubby would agree! :cool:

[Purple Hugs]

Thanks everyone for your comments and tips!
I never thought we'd get a proper discussion going on it! :D
Guess I'm ok to chat to, question and instruct Kappella when I feel like it! :D
I'm dreading the day I ride the thorougbred at my RS he is HUGE and I think all I'll say that day will be S**T! :p

[Gnasher]

What do you mean physical aids? :o

By physical aids I mean anything you do with your body while on your horse, for example shifting your seat, squeezing with your legs, moving your hands etc. It could be something you do on purpose eg. lightening your seat to encourage your horse to move forward, or it could be accidental, eg. wiggling around because your jods are sticking to unfortunate places! Either way, your horse may or may not choose to flick his/her ears back to show they are "listening" to what you are doing.

Hope that makes some sense!

Karen xx

[Purple Hugs]

ahh! yes it does :D
I've been getting in the habit of 'clicking' my tongue when I'm encouraging Kappella to continue walking at a faster pace - as she tends to want to walk slow... and she listens to that now. She's great for knowing when the instructor mentions 'trot' too! hehe I can feel her kind of 'shift' like she's ready for my command! Although she ignores it at the beginning of a lesson - hence my carrying a crop in my picutres! :rolleyes:

[ANN H]

I always chat to Misty when we ride but it tends to be a rather one-sided conversation. It does help to keep them calm. Singing's good as well, although you may get a few funny looks if you're out hacking at the time!!

[angelfben]

I talk to Alpi constantly, it distracts him in a good way and keeps him calm. I usually end up doing a sort of running commentary and he can understand from the tone of my voice whether he is doing something right or not e.g. "steady... good lad.. oi STEADY... good lad... over... no over... gooood lad... etc."

[RiderGirl]

Yes, talking to your horse is very helpful! Words of encouragement, or if you simply want to talk to your horse, it calms both you and your horse down, and provides a better ride.....try it, next time, and you'll see the difference!

[Purple Hugs]

I do do it as I want to try and build a bond with the horse, although it's a RS horse, I love animals and don't want to abuse it in anyway, so figure if we are 'friends' Kappella will enjoy the ride more...even with me being a novice! :p

Am off for a 'chat' in half an hour... can't wait! I still get excited. :D

[cvb]

anyone seen that Larsen cartoon with the dog and owner where the owner is chatting away and all "Fido" hears is blah blah blah blah FIDO blah blah blah GOOD DOG blah blah BISCUIT blah blah blah

Now put yourself in their shoes. I work in an open office and recently gained a new neighbour with a penetrating voice and a habit of leaving her mobile on (loud ringtone) and having hands free conversations :(

I just do my best to tune her out.

Or when you have little kids around and they just witter on and on and on - all very cute but after a while, again, you start to tune them out.

So - what do you figure the horse does ? Some will listen and take reassurance from the tone of voice, but others will tune out.

I always figure that a lot of the chatting we do is actually for our benefit and not the horse.

before anyone yells - yes I do talk to my horse. But it does get to be a habit, and I do try and stay aware.

I remember watching somone ride at the yard I was at, and there was a running commentary going on. "Ok now we're going to....". It was purely for the rider's sake as the horse was mentally elsewhere (you could see that). And it was at that annoying noise level rather than interesting commentary.

There are times a commentary is useful, e.g. if you are trying to demo something to someone, or asking for feedback. But other that that, the horse mainly hears blah blah blah GOOD GIRL blah blah WHOA blah blah... ;)

[Purple Hugs]

hehe that's a very good way of looking / explaining it!
my dog often picks up on a word and starts jumping around liek we've offered a walk or something! and we sit there trying to remember what we've just said and if anything sparked it off! :p

[tbtess]

Well, i always talk to my horse, whether it be in the stable, riding round the arena, hacking out, jumping, anything, if i'm p****d off i got to her and i talk to her and its amazing cos even tho she's never gonna answer me (i hope :eek: ) i feel so much better, at least they can't answer us back! :D My horse also understands voice aids quite well, so when asking to go from walk to trot or trot to walk i tend to ask more with voice, but she also works well with leg aids. I think it's nice to talk to your horse, it's relaxing for both of you

[raingodz]

After reading this thread I kept an ear out at my last lesson, I always talk to Muddle, but I suddenly noticed no one else in my group spoke to their horses - I hope they dont think I'm mad :)

[HorseyGurl]

Talking really helps to calm me down as it gives me something to focus on when the horse being bad. It's very helful for me say out loud "Oook, stay calm, just do such and such and you'll be fine. You'll make things worse if your afraid." It calms me down, and I think also tells the horse that hey, there's still a rider on board, chill out. :p

[Crazy Mare]

My old instructor was dead against talking to horses when riding. She owns a number of Dressage Horses so if chatting is frowned upon in a Dressage test perhaps that explains why.

Now I do talk to horses as I'm riding and it feels much more natural and comfortable for me. After all, I chat away happily to my cat :)

Ann H Singing's good as well, although you may get a few funny looks if you're out hacking at the time!!

I envy you guys who are able to sing whilst riding. I reckon my singing voice would scare the life out of the calmest of horses :p

[Skyeblu]

I'm never quiet on a horse! I'm always chatting or laughing or something! :D I don't see what's wrong with talking to your horse. It calms me and Guinness.

[mogadoga]

i aaaaaaalways talk to my horse. if sum1 else calls him he dont budge, but when he hears me he priks his ers and sometimes nickers :D my voice, i have found, is what calms him if he is scared, so i aaaaaaaaaalways talk to him, riding or not :D

[sidesaddlelady1]

I talk a lot to the horse i ride at the school and noticed in pictures taken today it 'listens' to me quite a lot (ears turned back to me).

Is it ok to do this or only talk to it when you want it to do something?

Of course you should talk to you horse, and sing as well. They like it, it teaches them to recognise your voice (very helpful when you're trying to get them in in the dark) it soothes them when they're frightened and they learn to tell from the tone of your voice when they've done well or if you're cross with him or if you are happy or frightened

[sidesaddlelady1]

My old instructor was dead against talking to horses when riding. She owns a number of Dressage Horses so if chatting is frowned upon in a Dressage test perhaps that explains why.

Now I do talk to horses as I'm riding and it feels much more natural and comfortable for me. After all, I chat away happily to my cat :)



I envy you guys who are able to sing whilst riding. I reckon my singing voice would scare the life out of the calmest of horses :p

My first riding lesson (when Methuselah was a lad) involved the instruction to "talk to your pony" but it doesn't seem to be very fashionable any more. There was a prog on the television a few weeks back involving a sanctuary horse who was afraid to lift up his back feet. They had the sanctuary owner, the farrier and the vet there and Kelly Marks using all sorts of fancy equipment to try to teach this very tense horse that it was safe to let its back feet be handled. AND NO-ONE SPOKE TO IT DURING THE WHOLE OF THE FILM THAT WAS SHOWN THAT DAY! There was such a difference at the end when the problem was sorted and the horse was introduced to its new loan "owner". She approached it, talking to it all the time and you could actually see the horse relaxing as she wittered to it.

I belive you can be disqualified if you talk to you horse in a dressage test. I suppose you could be instructing it verbally.

[sidesaddlelady1]

I chat to Con ten to the dozen. Whilst she is listening to me prattling on she is not looking for shark infested butterflies or other terrors known only to her. Her ears are locked onto me whilst I am burbling. Moss is much more self contained and totally ignores any attempt at conversation!

The WH does that too.It was reported to me recently that a non-horsey stranger to the yard had said that he must be a very vicious horse because he had his ears back all the time I was riding him. This has become the yard joke as the WH is in fact the yard gentleman!

[jacxXx]

i always remember an old instructer of mine saying that she humed the tune of the can can whilst riding forward going horses as it helped her relaxe lol

i sing, tell jokes, bitch about work, boyfriends, friends, everything in the universe, inform rose about my day, tell her my hopes and dreams and all my deepest secrets.
and you know what, she always listens, she never tells anyone else and somehow she always knows how to chear me up :o

talk to your horse, keep talking, never stop, this is your new best friend not a fun replacement for a car and a easy way to bankrupcy (althought the last one is normaly true what ever happens :p )

[Werehorse]

I tend to chatter to them while grooming and stuff and have definately been prone to singing (loudly -oh dear :o ) whilest out hacking, helps keep me calm and theirfore the horse feels calmer too. Also whenever we did a jumping course at pony club no end of profanities and general encouragement would come streaming out of my mouth - I was usually quite nervous jumping and this was definately more for my benefit than the horses :D .

When schooling or moving the horse about from the ground I become much more instruction based in my talk, tone of voice changes and I say less but its stuff they should listen too (if that makes sense).

My advice would be to feel free to chatter about nonsense when building up a bond - grooming, relaxed hacking etc - but then tone it down a bit when doing something more serious, IMO the horse will hang on your every word if there are less of them but he is used to and soothed by the sound of your voice from the relaxed chatty times you have spent with him.

Its when you actually hear them talking back to you that you know you've taken it too far.... :p

[lizzy]

Of course! When I'm nervous, I tend to sing (row row row your boat...) and talk to the horses. it helps to calm you down, as it regulates your breathing. Some non-horsey people will definately raise an eyebrow at you, but who cares!


Supatania, so do I and I also sing 'I went to the animal fair' which lasts a bit longer ;)

I talk to all the horses I ride. That may come down to the fact I was taught to talk to them when driving as most of your aids are voice commands. I tell them to go right, left and even have conversations with them

Mim, what are the basic words of command you give them are they just left, right, whoa, trot on etc, Adam was a driving pony at one time I'd like to try it with him

Other than that I generally twitter on to him all the time, sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn't, anyway don't care, doesn't answer back like OH :D :D :D :D :D

[cazzarotti]

Before I ride I usually talk and stroke the pony I'm riding. I don't know why but I feel better about doing it - I think it relaxes me!

[Cheko]

Falcon and me have some good conversations. I talk to him when I'm grooming, leading and riding him. I tell him about the crappy week I've had at work and tell him what we're going to do when I ride him. Took him in the school today but what I said to him when he tried to buck with me was more than sweet nothings!!!!!

[Tanyajayne]

I Always Talk To My Horse When I'm Riding. I Must Spend More Time Talking Than Actually Riding, Especially After Every Trot/canter Etc I Always Praise The Horse :)

[sidesaddlelady1]

I talk a lot to the horse i ride at the school and noticed in pictures taken today it 'listens' to me quite a lot (ears turned back to me).

Is it ok to do this or only talk to it when you want it to do something?

The first thing I was taught was "Talk to your pony" when I had my first riding lesson. I do it all the time

[Sammii]

I'm terrible for talking to Percy, i must admit. Half the time i don't realise i'm doing it because it's something that i've grown so accustomed to doing it. And I agree, many ponies and horses do seem as though they are listening, but it's just what they're listening to that we don't know lol.

[xhorse_riderx]

i always talk to my pony when he is excited it calms him down !!! :):D:):D:)

[Mehitabel]

i witter for england when i am riding. i chat away, host one sided conversations, sing, you nmame it. i do shut up when doing stressage, but that's it.

when out on a baby pony, i tell it exactly what is coming eveyr step of the way
'now there's a bird in that hedge over there, have you seen it? it's going ot fly out in a minute and that's FINE. theres' a dog in the garden, here it comes, that's fine too, this log is a log, not a snake, nothign to worry about' and thye do listen. it has several purposes - keeps me breathing so i don;t ever tense up in anticipation when i spot a monster, keeps their attention on me, and makes me aware of potential mosnters as i describe them ,so i'm not taken by surprise even if the pony is.

[RustyMary]

Do you think that the horse understands any of the actual words? Our dog definitely understood words, not just tone of voice, and I'm wondering if horses are the same? I hope not really, as the horse I ride presumably only understands Slovene and so 'I've got a carrot for you' in English probably doesn't mean much! It feels very natural to talk to him though :)

[Mehitabel]

they definitely understand some words, although tone of voice plays a part. most of our stud ponies come to call, and will come to their individual names when they're out in a group. you can do trot - halt transitions o nthe lunge, as well as trot-walk, same tone of voice but different words.

[iluvhorses28]

I ALWAYS tend to talk to my horse, on my new one....she seems to respond VER well to my voive... sometimes even before cues she listens-- such as slowing her... I just say EASY,GIRL..and she automatically slows for me. It's great, and I hope to BOND a lot more with her as the days pass...

[*Sez*]

I think Salsa understands a lot more than Jacob does, as far as individual words are concerned. If I talk to another person, about "feed", "carrots" "apples", he gets excited and starts searching my hands and pockets for them :D . Salsa also understands "You get back here now!", as he occasionally barges out of his box to go visiting with his neighbours. I've stopped trying to chase him, and tend to just open the door wide and call for him to come back. Seconds later, he'll be back at the door, legs splayed, nostrils wide and eyes bright, wanting to know what I'm after :rolleyes: . And "come here" spoken in any tone of voice, always gets a response as well. Jacob knows commands like "walk, trot, steady, and woah" and always looks as if he understands when I start burbling to him, but doesn't obey in the same way as Sal. "Dinner" always gets an instant reaction, mind!:D

[Clipperchuck]

....

[Ross]

I always nattered to my horses - and even sang sometimes (horse obviously aren't very musical as they didn't seem to mind :)). I'm sure passers by thought I was mad! Tlaking makes sure you breathe, so if anything is slightly stressy it's a good thing to do, as long as you manage to stay sounding calm to the horse.

I also had a series of vocal commands, including 'stand' - all mine were lunged, so all had a basic vocabulary. I remember my partners first hack, when Rohan bolted with him along the grass verge of a dual carriageway; I followed on in absolute terror, only to find them round the corner with Rohan calmly grazing! "how did you stop him?" I asked. Came the reply "well you said talk to him, and I'd dropped the reins, so I said 'whoa, Rohan' and he stopped"!!! Which also kind of reinforced the old "it takes 2 to pull" adage!

So yes, talk to them :)

Ross

[Ross]

I always nattered to my horses - and even sang sometimes (horses obviously aren't very musical as they didn't seem to mind :)). I'm sure passers by thought I was mad! Talking makes sure you breathe, so if anything is slightly stressy it's a good thing to do, as long as you manage to stay sounding calm to the horse.

I also had a series of vocal commands, including 'stand' - all mine were lunged, so all had a basic vocabulary. I remember my partners first hack, when Rohan bolted with him along the grass verge of a dual carriageway; I followed on in absolute terror, only to find them round the corner with Rohan calmly grazing! "how did you stop him?" I asked. Came the reply "well you said talk to him, and I'd dropped the reins, so I said 'whoa, Rohan' and he stopped"!!! Which also kind of reinforced the old "it takes 2 to pull" adage!

So yes, talk to them :)

Ross

[PunkRockPony]

I think talking to the horse is a good idea because you can reward it with your voice and also express when its being naughty etc... you can also tell the horse what you want it to do!!! it can help relax the rider as well!!! some horses find the voice as a kinda support... oh and it helps you to keep breathing ;)

[teapot]

depending on which horse im riding, it normally turns into a growl or swearing (in desperation, normally at myself than the horse)

[coblover26]

It's prefectly normal to talk to your horse or someone else's horse while riding. nearly everyone that i know talks to their horse, whether their nervous or not. Every horse that i have ridden i have spoked to while riding, it makes me feel more confident on the horse and actually feel like it's listening to me. Weird i know) It's just a bit weird when people here you and they think you a compete looney, i have had a couple of people look at me strangely. :D Who cares!! :D

[Cherokee]

When I 'm actually riding I don't talk to Ted that much.But I will praise him and also as he can be a bit slow off the leg :rolleyes: I usually say 'walk on' or 'trot on' to encourage him to go forwards a bit more and if he is being naughty (he will throw the odd buck) I will growl at him and he usually stops being silly.

Ted is kept on the YO's private yard rather than the actual livery yard and I gets pretty quiet so I end up chatting to Ted about the weather or how nice our hack is gonna be :p

[tb_rider]

OMG i talk to my horse while riding all the time! it calms us both down. especially when we are going through noisy or busy areas.

[Shanik]

Oh goodness! Yes always talk to them, they respond to you that way and recognise tones also.

Reminds me of when I was a youngster and starting out with my first pony, I used to sing to her to my heart's content whilst we were out hacking and I swear she listened! I used to sing allsorts. It was more than once I was caught out with one of our ponies or horses coming round a bridal path in full lung and some poor dog walker thinking I was a little crazy!

Seriously though, always talk to your pony or horse they DO listen.

Chatter away!

[Clipperchuck]

...

[oscars_grl]

your horse can respond via your reins, so if you talk to keep calm (for example "good boy/girl" "theres a good lad" etc) you yourself will get calmer and so you will feel less tense, though your reins and your horse will feel relaxed.

you can also talk to them when your doind school movements or just general transition. i always say "steady" or "and.. stand" if im doing a transition to halt.

[Floob]

At themomemt i dont talk to Tarquin much when riding, I think to him!!!
(i swear he can read my mind!lol, must be my body language

Hes getting really responsive and he will halt if you sit up, breathe out and squeeze both reins (no pulling).

This will be really handy when it comes top dressage, because it doesnt state anywhere that you arnt allowed to breathe, so all downwards transitions will eventually be a long loud breathing out!

i will praise him with my voice if hes done something right and growl at him when hes silly.

[PromiseMe]

Yes!! Its definitely fine :D

I'm a big talker myself. If were the only ones in the barn, all alone, and all quiet (esp when were warming up/cooling down) -- I'll talk to her. And her ears do flick back, she responds well to my voice :) that, she does! good times!

Its also fine to use your voice when yoru asking for something... ie... whoaaaaa.... 'trot', etc

[MI Horsey]

When I first started riding I rode at a dressage barn and NOBODY talked to their horses there .I was always told to keep my mouth shut and to keep concentrating on what I was doing :( .Since then I've only had instructor that encourage me to talk to the horses,I have a tendency to get quiet if I get nervous and talking deffinatly helps me relax and keep my mind of things.If I'm on the ground you can't shut me up at all:D :D :D

[Peace]

"well you said talk to him, and I'd dropped the reins, so I said 'whoa, Rohan' and he stopped"!!!

:D That's a great story. Made me giggle.:p

[Trewsers]

I have started humming the "Benny Hill" music to Storm whilst we're out hacking:D :D !! It seems to do the trick! I talk to her in the school - telling her how good she is (when she is behaving) and when we're cantering just to have fun - I urge her on with leg aid and say things like "come on its a race - catch Joe up" (OH and I had a childish race other day:D ).

[horselover1994]

Of corse its ok 2 talk 2 ** horse!:)
Just as long as u don't over do it.If u chater away 2 him all lesson he will lose consontration & won't respond aswell 2 ** phisical demarnds.
Most horses like 2 be talked 2 alittle so don't be put off, specially when they are nervous.;)

hope this helps u
luv horselover1994 x

[LittleChel]

My pony is a Hackney pony, so was originally trained as a driving pony, so is used to vocal commands. I've always been encouraged to talk to her, and other ponies. I only usually give commands lke "walk on" or "woah", but also when she's nervous, playing up or at other times when it seems appropriate, but I don't really chat to her.