The Mares of Ravenseyrie

For some time now (at the urging of two special emails) I have been desiring to write in greater detail about the mares of the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve. In several prior journal entries, I intimated that I would soon be writing an entry devoted to the mares, only to find myself paralyzed by both the demands of a busy tourist season here on Manitoulin Island and also a curious "writer's block" where the mares were concerned.

Part of the mental conflict is that one correspondent is interested in the manner of selection and origins of our mares while the other correspondent desires a more intimate glimpse of the mares as "persons" (much as the many entries on our Sorraia stallion, Altamiro, reveal his inner essence).

I had been contemplating recapitulating the stories of how we selected our mares while simultaneously discussing their more personal qualities which I've come to know so well after weaving my life in with theirs--but the task seemed so large that I have been suffering a sort of blogger's torpor. To break this spell of "arrested-blogging", I have decided to provide links to the articles I have already written regarding the selection and acquisition of our mares and mainly devote today's entry to sharing with readers the inner essences of the mares as I've come to perceive them.

The following links are for you, Constança (and any others who may not have yet read about how the mares came to be here on Manitoulin Island)--simply double click on the mares' names and if all goes well, your browser will take you back a few years in this journal.

--Bella and Belina

--Ciente

--Zorita

And for you Eva, the rest of today's entry is devoted to presenting a clearer window into the individual essences of Bella, Belina, Ciente and Zorita...

The playful antics of our dogs unfailingly lifts my spirit so much that I find myself lighter as I walk with them and grin broadly in appreciation for the transformational capacity of canine friends. Surely the capriciousness of foals has a similar effect, and, of course, the ostentatious male swagger of Altamiro is well noted to bring me to swooning like an infatuated groupie. But what emotion or alteration of beingness occurs when I am in the presence of the mares of Ravenseyrie?

It is lovely indeed, it is lovely indeed...
I, I am the spirit within the Earth;
The bodily strength of the Earth is my strength;
The thoughts of the Earth are my thoughts;
All that belongs to the Earth belongs to me;
I, I am the sacred words of the Earth;
It is lovely indeed, it is lovely indeed...
---Navaho Creation Chant of Changing Woman

The Ravenseyrie mares ground me to the elements of Earth, as directly as if innumerable rootlets spread out from my being and connect with the landscape when I am among them. There is a staid, meditative aura wafting from these mares--offering a distinct interface between the feminine creative principle and myriad of life forms present in their environment. These mares are visually presented to my eyes as earth equines, yet I also perceive they embody a cosmic consciousness, a "knowing" that gives each mare a bearing of the Great Goddess. Are they stars from some far away galaxy which have chosen to come to earth for a new experience in the corporeal bodies of an ancestral horse form?

One of my first rock paintings, inspired by our Sorraia Mustang Mare, Bella

When fillies are young, they are playful, but its seems here at Ravenseyrie, when approaching two years and older, their way of being shifts to resembling young priestesses engaged in rituals that promote and assure fecundity. Their inner and outer strength multiplies rapidly, giving them a status of entitlement that unlike male equines needs no repetitive display of mightiness, rather, almost overnight, the mares just become matrons, even before conceiving young. Yes, there is a hierarchy among the Ravenseyrie family band of primitive equines, yet the individual bearing of each mare is that of a revered matriarch, something even their dictatorial herd sire acquiesces to much more frequently than he makes tyrannical demands of them...he is perhaps under their spell more than they are under his.

Now that I think more directly upon these elements among the family band of primitive Iberian horses, I believe that while there may be a marginally observable "pecking order" the concept of a hierarchy is in some ways ill-fitting to the Ravenseyrie situation--or at the very least represents a label that provokes an over-looking of the finer subtleties among herd members. In a setting where there is plenty for everyone, the domination of one member over another becomes rather superfluous. There is no bullying, belittling or ostracizing among the mares and whatever petty disagreements may exist are so brief as to be unworthy of the many ethological stereotypical documentations published by learned animal behaviorists. To that end, the mares do not lead, educate, nurture, create, follow, promote, or determine the flow of their lives using a dominator model of comportment. Even the despotic directives of Altamiro over these mares is a minimal part of their day and the intensity of his commands alters with seasonal/hormonal concerns. The overriding culture of these primitive equines is based on loving, nurturing and cooperation.

I can remember, when Altamiro first imposed his rulership upon the mares I (being a feminist) recoiled from his punitive, all-controlling subjugation of these formerly rather independent female equines. I relayed to others that to be a mare in Altamiro's herd was not unlike a Muslim woman married to a Taliban husband who rules over her with the severest interpretation of Sharia law.

Altamiro asserted his rulership only last year (when his second crop of foals began arriving) and since then has--if not mellowed in his tyranny--at least shown himself to provide the mares much more "say" in their lives than I had originally thought. Mostly what he expects is to be able to gather and drive them away from any perceived or real threats, and, as long as they respond as immediately as he feels is necessary in the given moment, he keeps his reprimands to a minimum. (Although he does have occasional outbursts of anger when his amorous advances are rejected.) The mares do not seem necessarily subordinate to him, but they do honor his directives keenly. I'm certain they do not believe he is their "better", i.e. that he is superior to them, rather they perceive him as serving them in a specific role and they accept their own roles in the scheme of things.

To have a male counterpart so devoted to the consolidation and safety of his family is perhaps something the Ravenseyrie mares have come to appreciate? For me, a telltale sign of how much generosity and kindness resides alongside all that fierce masculinity of their herd stallion is to see how frequently the mares engage in mutual grooming with Altamiro and how indulgent he is with his foals. Yes, I'm convinced that the mares do not feel as oppressed by him as I first thought.

Having provided an overview of the mares as a family group, I'd now like to say a few words about them individually. In a future journal entry I will compare and discuss in detail the morphology and colour of our foundation mares to those that were selected by Dr. Ruy d'Andrade when he established his preservation of the Sorraia horses just prior to their almost becoming extinct. For today's entry, however, we will stay with describing my impressions of these mares as individual beings.

Bella

Bella is presently six and a half years old, but even as a yearling she seemed a "wise soul", mature beyond her years. Her voice is mellow as a deep red wine, very throaty and low and when she nickers a "hello", it softens the hardest of hearts.


She is stoic, steady, trusting, outgoing, and a beautiful mover, almost always seeming to be in a modicum of collection, yet not of the type that one would expect an easy transition to haute ecolé.


Bella is very demanding, but quietly so, simply moves about her world expecting to be treated like a regnant queen, and thus, we all grant her such status. If Bella feels she has not been heard or properly answered to, she will use her body mass to affect a change, meaning that rather than bite and kick, she will typically simply bump or barge through with her shoulders and neck, sending the transgressor reeling away. Bella has given birth to two foals by Altamiro: Animado is her 2008 colt and Pinoteia is her 2010 filly, both embody excellent Sorraia characteristics.



Belina

Belina is also six and a half years old but has a much different personality than Bella. Belina is hesitant, distrustful, aloof, easily irritated and quick to voice her anger when she feels affronted. Her manner of getting a point across is never subtle, but, rather, is much more like a mad bee or an equine tornado--she first lashes out with a bite, then faster than lightening whirls around and begins double-barrel kicking while backing up toward the object of her ire. It's rather a spectacular show and obviously rights whatever wrong she feels has been made.


There is little about Belina (at first glance) that is noble, soft, endearing or, well, beautiful--and yet when one connects with Belina at the level of the heart, she is all of these things. For whatever reason, Belina has created for herself a superficial facade, which may fool the unaware, and prompt others to brand her clunky and cantankerous...yet those of us who know her recognize a loyal friend of immense earthly beauty.


There is something spectacularly moving about being sought out by Belina for one-on-one attention...it is not something she does on a regular basis, preferring to let the others have a part of me while she grazes in peace...but when she seeks me, it is with such complete trust and abandon that I feel, in those moments, that we have been together forever. Belina and Altamiro produce very lovely foals, thus far all three are fillies: Fada (2008), Encantara (2009) and Tocara (2010). Each filly has wonderful Sorraia characteristics, though Fada is undersized and very dark in colour. Encantara is so striking with her distinct neck stripes and exquisite profile that Hardy Oekle murmured in her ear after meeting her that he would love to take her home with him. Crossing Belina with Altamiro has proven to be a very surprising success.



Zorita

Zorita is now eight and a half years old. Zorita shares some of the same behavioral characteristics that Belina has; she is aloof, easily irritated, slightly distrustful and quick to demonstrate her anger, but whereas Belina's behavior seems to come from a certain insecurity, Zorita's character reflects a female who "suffers no fools" and so quite often demonstrates preemptive protective actions toward any perceived breech of etiquette.


In addition to assuring that everyone who interacts with her does so with the proper degree of sensitivity, Zorita also has an amazing sense of fairness and will intervene in the discussions of others when the usual egalitarian give and take has degenerated into one horse wrongfully imposing itself upon another. Examples of this wonderful behavior have been documented in two prior entries (here and here ) both which involved our domestic Thoroughbred Zeus (and occurred before the horses split into two groups) but she has also intervened when Altamiro was displaying inappropriate roughness against Ciente. Zorita is strikingly beautiful with her dark points and pearly grulla colour in much more evident contrast than the medium to dark grulla horses and she carries herself with a proud, yet non-arrogant bearing.

Zorita does not do anything to draw attention to herself, rather is happy to blend in as a member of Altamiro's harem, all the while knowing how special and loved she is. Altamiro and Zorita have produced two fillies: Segura (2009) and Levada (2010) both of which have their mother's lovely light colour and their father's distinct Sorraia conformation.



Ciente

One tries not to "play favorites", but I do admit that there is a unique bond between Ciente and me that is different than the others. When we are together, there is simply no sense of concern or worry that any misunderstandings might occur. I cannot recall that I have ever made a breech of etiquette with her or that she ever had need to speak crossly to me. We seem to know each other on a very deep level and have recognized we are special to each other from the very start. If Bella is a regnant queen, Ciente is the favored queen of a king who seeks her guidance before making any decision for his kingdom...a behind the scenes ruler she is. Ciente is softness personified, yet has "the look of eagles".


Everything about her is elegant and fluid. She does not project the stately strength through her body that Bella does, rather she is much more ephemeral in the way her energies are organized. Her earthiness is only half-assumed...the rest of her maintains a strong cosmic connection as if she moves to rhythms remembered from other realms. When I am in Ciente's presence, I feel as if nothing bad can ever happen.


Ciente is strongly bonded to her herd, but of all the mares is the one most often initiating a change in circumstance, which the others follow like a magnet, revealing her quiet independence that is not off-putting to Altamiro or the others, but instead is often supported by them. No one attempts to "clip her wings", though it is true that at certain times of the year, Altamiro will single her out for a refresher course in "I am the master who rules!", hazing her with great ardor. Probably if he did not reassert himself in this way periodically, Ciente would one day fly back up to the heavens, leaving the earthbound equines unable to follow.


While each of the other mares will have strong words for Altamiro if he attempts to request an out-of-season copulation, Ciente is the only mare that upbraids him for other wrongs he may have engaged in. One day I happened to be around with the camera when such an outburst occurred. Altamiro had just returned from one of his daily trips to the eastern territory where he makes mischief among Mistral's group. As he quietly reinserted himself into his own group, Ciente approached him as she always often does, exchanging breaths--perhaps inquiring of him where he was and who he was with and why he is late for dinner. Not liking his answer on that particular day, she squealed and struck him with a foreleg, then turned in a womanly huff and walked away. Altamiro shook his head and seemed to say, "Ah! Wives! Can't live with them, can't live without them!" Below is a still photo showing the strike:

If it happens that one day I take up haute ecolé again, Ciente is my first pick to once again experience artistic equitation, but only if it is something she desires as well. Ciente is the same age as Altamiro (5 1/2 years) and has produced two colts with him: the dark knight, Interessado in 2008 and the near carbon-copy of his sire, Silvestre in 2009.



While the initial reason for establishing our Sorraia Mustang Preserve here at Ravenseyrie was to create a hybrid vigor through the crossing of a purebred Sorraia stallion on select mustang mares of varying Sorraia phenotype which would help provide a viable genetic resource to one day infuse back into the highly inbred Sorraias in Portugal and Germany, a higher purpose has presented itself here, one that is not in keeping with traditional methods of conservation breeding. There will be no changing of stallions for these Ravenseyrie mares, nor will there be a periodic shuffling of our mares to another preserve while taking in new mares to experiment in crossing with Altamiro. It is apparent to Kevin and I that Altamiro, Bella, Belina, Ciente and Zorita have become a family unit...their offspring will leave them eventually, as is natural in the true wild, but their relationship with each other will remain something we will not disrupt to suit conservation efforts. It is our feeling that the best conservation, especially when focused upon an ancestral form of horse necessitates as natural a lifestyle and environment as possible, one in which well established family bonds remain intact. And we ourselves are now part of these family bonds, our human lives being remarkably enriched through living with The Mares of Ravenseyrie and their bird-chasing Sorraia stallion, Altamiro.

A Sorraia Waterhole in the Forest

The "Zen" Elm tree stands tall over the north-central grassland sector of Ravenseyrie

I treasure and jealously guard my days off from work because these are the times when I don't have to be ruled by the clock and can give myself totally over to "horse time".

This morning, after T'ai Chi practice at the bluff's edge and a nice hike with the pups, I traced a route that would have us intersecting the grassland sector to the west where Altamiro and his family band were grazing. After simply being still, among them, feeling the aroma of the autumn grass being lipped and cut with teeth, and smelling the sensation of whiskers and muzzles low to the ground, I recognized, once again, that to be within a group of contented horses is to find one's senses intermingling in a most transportive way.

Soon, Bella walked up to me and after exchanging greetings and providing itches, I set about removing some of the burrs from her mane and tail. It wasn't long when Silvestre came around to investigate what we were up to, with his typical gregarious foal insistence of inclusion. I did my best to continue ministering to Bella, while occasionally pushing away the prodding nose of the three month old colt, but in the end, Bella decided that she'd rather graze than share time with Silvestre in our midst.

Silvestre got his favorite itches and also a few burrs removed that he had picked up in his short frill of a forelock. While we were thus engaged, I noted that Ciente had decided to head for the forest and shortly--one by one--the other mares and foals followed her, leaving just me, Silvestre and Silvestre's sire, Altamiro (who was still grazing nearby, but totally focused on where the mares had headed).

I have been asked before if within Altamiro's family band there is a "lead mare". For the most part, there has been no distinct "lead mare". My impression is that these young mares (who are very clear about where they fit in with each other as mares) are still tentatively exploring their places within this exclusive world that the Sorraia stallion, Altamiro has imposed upon them.

Those following the Journal of Ravenseyrie will remember that prior to Encantara's birth this past May, all the equines that inhabit Ravenseyrie lived as one herd. It's curious to note that as a three year old, when Altamiro's first offspring each made their appearances last year, he did not feel the need to break away from the presence of the domestic horses (Mistral and Zeus) or the draft mules (Dee, Doll and Jerry). It was only as a four year old when Altamiro felt the urge to assert his over-bearing leadership, and he spent most of the late spring and summer splintering the herd in two...first beginning with Mistral and Zeus, then the mules, then his yearling sons and finally (by her own choice) Fada too left the family band.

To assure that HIS new rules were rigidly adhered to, Altamiro has assumed the role of a tyrant/dictator. Not one of the equines here have remained unscathed by his teeth and hooves and he keeps the mares and foals especially intimidated persistently driving them hither and yon for reasons neither they, nor myself, can understand--except for that testosterone has empowered Him into flexing his muscles as Supreme Dominator of the Harem!

The two photos above show that Altamrio even hazes his young son, Silvestre (Sorraia x Kiger Mustang), who is beginning to show his attractive Iberian form and grullo coloring much more than we would have guessed from how he looked as a newborn.

Most of the time the family band is bound to be traveling only where Altamiro directs them to, but from time to time, I have observed each of the mares (Bella, Belina, Ciente and Zorita) carefully assessing Altamrio's mood and then venturing to chart their own course of travel. Of all of them, it is Ciente, the Sorraia-type Kiger Mustang, who will amble off with some specific idea in mind and the rest of the herd follows.

What readers will find of particular interest is that within the so-called "pecking order" hierarchy of the mares, Ciente represents the lowest rung of the ladder. In the mornings, as I wheel my garden cart out among the family band to lay down for them their pans of oats, the first pan is claimed by Altamiro, and no other family member would dream of hazing him away from his breakfast. The next pan is claimed by Bella, and the next pan of oats is claimed by Belina and the next pan is claimed by Zorita and the pan after that is claimed by Ciente. Bella can take any of the other mares pans if she so desires and while Belina cannot take Bella's oats she can lay claim to Zorita's and Ciente's. Zorita wouldn't dream of chasing either Bella or Belina off their pan of oats, but she will deftly move Ciente off from hers. This is why I always lay out one extra pan so that if the mares and Altamiro begin shuffling between pans, there is always one free for Ciente to fall back upon. (The foals may or may not share in the pans of their parents, mostly only Encantara at this point is interested in eating oats.) This is the flow of the hierarchy and it hasn't varied since Zorita's integration with the herd last September. The fact that Ciente, much more than any of the other mares winds up being a trusted leader appears to be an example of horseman/author Mark Rashid's description of a "passive leader":

The horse we tried to be most like was a horse with a completely different temperament and role within the herd--a horse that leads by example, not force. A horse that is extremely dependable and confident, one that the vast majority of horses will not only willingly choose to follow, but that they actually seek out...

...The question then is, how do we get our horses to want to choose us as a leader? It has been my observation that before a horse (or person) can even be considered as a passive leader, it must first exhibit the qualities that make it desirable for it to be chosen. Those qualities are quiet confidence, dependability, consistency, and a willingness not to use force. (--Mark Rashid, from the introduction to his book HORSES NEVER LIE.)

All the mares possess the qualites of "quiet confidence", "dependability" and "consistency", but it is only Ciente who specifically prefers to act without force. Though the other mares will haze her away on a whim, they will follow her when she determinedly charts a course to some other sector of Ravenseyrie--and at these times, even Altamiro tags along devotedly.

Such was the case this morning, as Ciente lead the mares into the forest. I'd like to take you on a pictorial tour as we follow Silvestre and Altamiro who are now trying to catch up with the others...


Here, Altamiro and Silvestre have gone off at a trot to try to catch up with the mares as well as Segura and Encantara. Can you see Altamiro's rump up ahead?



While the horses nimbly negotiated the uneven, rock-jutted trail, I stumbled and nearly fell...which caused Altamiro to pause and look back at me.

Satisfied that I was not posing some strange threat with all my clumsy jogging, Altamiro continued back on the trail.


We've almost caught up with the others.

The mares have stopped and are getting a drink from one of the seasonal ponds deep in the forest within a small clearing, which, after splendid autumn rains, is once again a favorite source of water for them.

I'm including several video clips taken while the family band was at the waterhole.


The foals did not drink at this time, nor did Altamiro, who instead wandered around the other side of the pond.


And after the mares had left the waterhole, Altamiro came in to take his drink.



While Altamiro was getting his thirst quenched, the mares and foals trotted off on a different trail away from the watering hole. In the final video clip, you will see Altamiro pick his head up and look at one of the dogs (Maeb) as she navigates her way over to where I am standing, and then, finishing up with his drink, Altamiro wastes no time leaving the watering hole and dashes off to catch up once again with the mares.



The pups and I then followed the trail we had seen Altamiro leave on, and discovered that it lead out to the southwest sector of the grasslands...
...where the family band was soon back into the timelessness of grazing on a fine autumn morning.

I found a rock nearby and decided to just sit and reflect on the thrill of following the herd for their morning "tea time"...and who should leave her grazing and come to visit with me, but the lovely passive leader herself, Ciente!

Reflections on Hierarchy and Aggression

A "Top of the World" view from Ravenseyrie overlooking Lake Huron's North Channel

I posted a journal entry in April which prompted a couple of comments from a reader the other day. In this particular journal entry I shared a long quote from an article written by Imke Spilker which I had found inspiring. One reader, however, found Imke's words to be misleading generalizations and wanted to share her concerns based on her own personal experience. I would like to address those concerns here because I think there may be something for us all to reflect upon in a helpful way.


The article I quoted from is titled, The Horse Too is Allowed to Say "No". The quote I used in my journal entry says:

To come to an understanding with communicative horses, the person must absolutely not be an “expert.” On the contrary, a “newbie” is more open, giving the horses space comes easier to him. The horses are happy to teach us and enjoy that role. A prerequisite is that the person has learned to pay attention to his partner, the horse, and respect his wishes. The horses sense whether or not a basis of mutuality exists. Once it is established, both parties can develop their sensitivity, to themselves and to the other. Intuitive understanding functions (only) in both directions. Naturally, we are asked whether this kind of interaction can become dangerous for the human being. Horses are by nature peaceful beings who do not make victims of weaker ones, and who scrupulously avoid deliberately hurting someone. Danger exists when the person applies pressure and force, and the horse can no longer retreat from the situation. A horse who has the possibility of walking away, whose needs for peace and space are respected, will harm no one. A game into which the horse is pressured is no longer one (even if the person is amused by it). On the other hand, without force or threat, even the most strenuous exercises can be playfully easy for the horse. One must learn to let go, and one must think from the horse’s perspective – that is all too gladly forgotten about. To me there is nothing safer than communicating with horses in this way -- anything else strikes me as too dangerous. I do not like battles because someone always has to lose. The message that comes across when we communicate with one another depends to a large degree on how we say something. That applies to communication with horses as well. A horse must be able to say “no” at any time and have the freedom to leave, and then we human beings must design our work in such away that the horse truly benefits by it. --Imke Spilker

On June 12, this comment was posted which focused on one sentence (which I've made bold for emphasis) of the above quote:

Hello,

I just wanted to post a question about the letter of Ms Imke. When she states that "a horse that has the possibility of walking away whose needs for peace and rest are respected will harm no one". With the solely spirit of learning their ways and with all respect due, I would like to ask a question based on that statement. How then low rank horses pick on lower rank ones, why horses that aren't high in the hierarchy will charge others only as a display of dominance aggression, etc (choose your word)and it will harm them if the other don't leave quick enough or if caught off guard?. It's their way, it's proactive way of testing their place in the group. They can display this behaviour with humans as well because for this horse we are lower so he can go after us just as they can go after the chickens, it won't matter who but the position, rank, etc they have a that particular moment in the group. Just to mention that the way Ms Imke writes it it's not necessarily so,maybe it depends.
sincerily,
marisela gould

I posted the following brief reply:

Marisela,
Thank you for taking time to leave a comment and pose a very good question regarding what Imke Spilker has written regarding allowing the horse the option to exercise a "no" by being free to leave.

If you would allow me a day or so, I will devote an entire journal entry to the issues you have raised here.

For now, I would simply like to suggest that the relationship we desire to have with our horses is not the same as the relationship horses have with each other...what ever means of communication we share will be unique to our horse/human relationship.

More to follow.

I do appreciate your taking the time to post your comments, Marisela.

And the next day, Marisela offered further commentary to assist our understanding of her feelings regarding Imke's statement:

Dear Lynne,

I appreciate equally you taking the time to read and comment on this question. I also share your view relating to the relationship horse to horse is different from horse-human for a variety of reasons . I would like to illustrate this comment with my personal experience as I have experimented with the horses here. I did this excersise with a low-rank mare here where I played being intimidated by her. It took less than 3 minutes and she already bought my act, her next move was charge me. I show this just to illustrated that some individuals can and will show aggressiveness toward humans even at complete freedom with no restrains. Not all and everyone but there are exceptions. I don't think is about being human or dog, chicken, it's about hierarchy, pecking order or similar concept( again plain personal observations). Ms Imke comment is generalizing horse behaviour and it can be misleading and foster a preconceived believe with which we can force (in our minds) behaviour instead of just accepting what is there, just plain noticing based on blank, nothing, no expectations, just as is not as we wish, hope, need should be. All I did was to use body language and within a very short time it empowered her to charge, ears, teeth , pied-a-terre type of movement and all she had. What I just said it's based only on my personal observations.
Thank you again for your time and thoughts.
Fondly,
Marisela

Since receiving these comments, I have, of course, been reflecting on Marisela's words and the concepts of hierarchy and aggression and how Marisela's experience relates to things Imke Spilker has written. I am reluctant to comment directly on Marisela's experiment, wherein she played being intimidated by a low ranking mare, as there are far too many variables undefined which may have effected the expression of aggression this mare demonstrated. Rather, I'd like to relay that Imke Spilker is not unaware of the potential for horses to act out in aggressive ways, and, in fact she has some interesting stories of her own to share in her book, EMPOWERED HORSES. Imke devotes herself to finding a way to empower horses that is beneficial for them and uses observation of each horse's means of expression to develop exercises that channel their energies into positive actions that help horses mentally and physically.


Let's look back at the other elements of the quote in question...the sentences before and after the one that Marisela feels is misleading. Then I will share what meaning I find in them and how it applies to my interactions with horses. Hopefully using this means of reflection will help Marisela understand the spirit with which Imke wrote the statement in question.

A prerequisite is that the person has learned to pay attention to his partner, the horse, and respect his wishes. The horses sense whether or not a basis of mutuality exists. Once it is established, both parties can develop their sensitivity, to themselves and to the other.

Danger exists when the person applies pressure and force, and the horse can no longer retreat from the situation.

A game into which the horse is pressured is no longer one (even if the person is amused by it).

The message that comes across when we communicate with one another depends to a large degree on how we say something. That applies to communication with horses as well.

Within the variety of equines I share my life with here at Ravenseyrie, there are four horses in particular that, should I want to experiment by playing a game that pretends I am intimidated by them, would in all likelihood be perceived as strange, potentially threatening behavior from me, which would cause them enough mental stress to act out aggressively as a means of getting me out of their space. I find this to be their absolute right to make their opinions so obvious. I know that Altamiro, Belina, Zeus and Zorita each are easily agitated and things they find unsettling bring out expressions of aggression, and therefore it would be inconceivable that I would use a hierarchical "game" for any reason, because I know it is not something they would find the least bit of pleasure in. A game like this with any of the others would prompt sufficient befuddlement from them, but they are not they type of horses (or mules) to feel threatened by my pretending to be intimidated by them.


The importance of paying attention to the essence of each horse and respecting their wishes is what helps the horse discern our mutuality. My intentions, the feeling in my heart, my overall desire to find common ground with the horses is something that I must continually monitor and recognize that the single most thing a horse will measure me by is if my inner thoughts match my body's expression. Complete honesty in how I present myself to them is essential in assuring the horses that I respect their need for peace and space. It is also the basis of how I can assist the horses in knowing themselves in relation to me and how we proceed with developing our relationship further. In this way, when I am interacting with a horse I avoid situations that would bring out aggression toward me and foster a self-control and understanding on the horse's part that forgives and overlooks (or simply leaves my presence) in times when I fall short of being the best partner to them that I can be.

On page 176 of Empowered Horses, Imke wrote:

A horse that learns to know himself also learns to master himself. Horses can and want to understand vulnerability. They know what it is to be afraid. Of course, for our part, we have to lay open our weaknesses rather than bury them in a dominant approach. A horse that is master of himself is an absolutely reliable partner: it is, after all, about togetherness, about friendship.

When I approach my horses, I do not think about hierarchy between us at all. I am, however, aware of how each horse behaves among his herd mates and take this into consideration on how he or she may potentially respond to me and tailor my interactions in ways that are empowering but not provocative. I approach each of my horses in an egalitarian, admiringly respectful manner, whether I am reaching out to connect with a young foal, an aloof mare or the vigilant stallion. I come to them as an equal being who desires interaction--not as a parent figure, or a boss, or a dominant leader, but as a friend. I come as a human friend who is not as muscularly endowed as they are and cannot engage in physical contact in the same manner which horses do among themselves. (I believe this is what Imke means when she writes, "we have to lay open our weaknesses rather than bury them in a dominant approach".) If they desire to spend time with me, we might then explore play, work, schooling, leading, following, etc. all in a fluid "back and forth" dialogue. Perhaps on a given day, my horse desires me to be the leader so that he can follow me into learning something new. On another day, my horse might want to take the initiative and determine for himself what he'd like to pursue and have me support him as a coach or friend.

Yes, horses use hierarchy and pecking order amongst themselves and sometimes they have outbursts of aggression (though observing my herd living a semi-wild existence I feel hierarchy and aggression is much more fluid than most doctrines which base their training on it would have us believe). The intention to do harm is not something I have found to be part of these outbursts - their intention is to be understood...and when there is understanding, there is an overall peacefulness that is not disrupted by petty squabbles that appear so physically violent to us. In developing a mutuality between myself and the horses, keen awareness and extreme politeness in friendship are the elements I use to bring about a deeper relationship that allows us to explore things together that horses and humans would not be able to do without each other.


Marisela, I don't know if this lengthy reply is helpful to you or not. If one takes that one sentence out of context, I can certainly see why one would find it to be a misleading generalization - however, I hope I have demonstrated that Imke's statement is based on elements of mutuality between horses and humans that must be addressed first and foremost in order to have full understanding.

I hope you will consider acquiring Imke's book, Empowered Horses, which will illuminate things so much better than I have tried to do.