by Linda Tellington-Jones

Before starting any exercise, take the time to connect and listen to your horse with your hands. You can easily do this by mindfully running your hands all over your horse’s body. This simple Body Exploration exercise will provide you with valuable information regarding your horse’s state of body and mind as well as his level of trust in you as a handler.

A horse that is very comfortable being touched all over his body will be better prepared for any experience under saddle than one that is defensive, ticklish, or tense.

Having a horse that is truly happy and comfortable about being touched is incredibly important. Not only does this signify relaxation and physical well-being, it also tells you a lot about how much he trusts you. This is also very significant for horses that are already trained but may be having specific issues under saddle.

Going back to the basics and helping your horse become comfortable about being touched everywhere will often help seemingly unrelated training issues.

For instance, if your horse has a tight, clamped tail, you will often find that this same horse may be nervous about noises or movement behind him.

How to Use It

Begin by checking the horse’s body with your flat hand. It is helpful to have someone holding your horse, or you can work freely in a stall-sized area, rather than having him tied up, so you can observe his reactions. Stroke the horse on the shoulder before beginning your Body Exploration to prepare him so he does not respond just because he was surprised.

For some very sensitive horses the flat of the hand may be too much. If this seems to be the case, try using the back of your hand.

Starting at the poll, right behind the ears, let your hands slide over the strong neck muscle, paying close attention along the way. Your hands are feeling for slight irregularities: swellings, change in temperature, quality of the tissue, hard muscles, twitching, knots, change in the hair, scars, or areas where the horse is uncomfortable being touched.

It is best to start with a light pressure, which you can adjust if the sensitivity or reaction of the horse requires you to do so. Sometimes horses are surprised by the touch of the fingertips; therefore, it is important to check if it was a startle reflex, or the horse reacting because he is tight.

A healthy horse that is not tense will usually show a light response to a light pressure. When going over the poll and neck this horse will lower his neck, while a horse that is tight will raise his head and possibly show pain or fear.

Read more: Is Your Horse Happy and Comfortable? Find Out with This Simple Body Exploration

by Mary L. Scott

The breed goes back to the late seventeenth century, to the northwestern corner of North America and specifically to the large area that covered what is now part of the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

This was the land inhabited by the Nez Percé American Indians, and it is to their forward-thinking horsemanship and breeding practices that the Appaloosa owes its success.

Though the Nez Percé developed this spotted breed, the history of spotted horses is a long one, with images of spotted horses appearing in prehistoric European cave paintings from around 17,000 B.C.E.

Spotted horses-in particular the Austrian Noriker and the Danish Knabstrup - were extremely popular in Europe and were in great demand from the sixteenth century to perform in the increasingly popular Riding Schools. Many of the hallowed Spanish horses, too, including the revered Andalusian, once exhibited spotted coat colorings.

Read more: Appaloosa - The Most Beautiful Horse Breed in the World