01/09/2026
Calm Willing Confident Horses
Thanks
Dr. Shelley Appleton Many Thanks
The Art of Knowing Where to Look👀
“Watch me carefully. Notice the way I move and the way I present myself to the horse.”
I say this a lot.
Because when we watch beautiful horsemanship, our eyes are naturally drawn to the horse. We watch the movement, the expression, the transition, the beautiful canter.
Meanwhile, we can miss half the conversation.
Watch the human.
Watch their hands, their feet, their body position and the speed and flow of their movement. Watch where they look. Notice when they move, when they become still, how they pick up a rein and, perhaps most importantly, what they do immediately before the horse does something beautiful.
These things matter to the horse.
Our touch, movement, position, timing, intention and presence all contribute to whether we make sense. They help determine whether the horse experiences us as someone they can understand and confidently respond to, or as a slightly confusing biped who appears to be operating several body parts independently and hoping for the best.😆
This is why, when I teach, I deliberately shift people's attention.
Watch the horse. What do you see?
Now watch the transition.
Now watch me.
Watch my hands. Watch my feet. Where am I looking? What am I watching directly and what am I noticing peripherally?
Sometimes I will have someone repeat the same thing several times, but each time I give their brain something different to notice. Sometimes we take the horse away altogether so they can actually feel what their own body is doing before adding 500 kilograms of additional information.😬
Video is wonderful for this too. Watch the horse. Rewind. Watch the human. Rewind again and notice the detail you missed the first two times. [This is a skill I develop in my programs].
Because here is the interesting thing about observation:
➡We can all watch exactly the same thing and see something completely different.😵💫
What you notice determines what you learn.
So next time you see a horse working beautifully, drag your eyes away from the horse for a moment and watch the human working with the horse.
Watch how they move. Watch where they look. Watch their timing, their hands, their feet, their position, their movement.✅
Then start learning to notice those things in yourself.
Because the beautiful thing the horse is doing didn't appear from nowhere.
There is a conversation happening.
➡Learn to watch both sides of it.❤️
Project Reboot Challenge intensive is in the not too distant future see 💬🤓
Collectable Advice 282/365. Please hit SHARE to shift and expand people's awareness to see the whole conversation :)
IMAGE 📸: Me at a clinic, drawing attention to the use and impact of the flag, the alignment of my body, how I anchor myself to the ground and influence space, the way I present my cues, and the timing of it all.
None of these things exist in isolation. Together, they create clarity, meaning and understanding for the horse.
