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Written by Val Heart • Reading Time 8 Minutes

How Horse Whispering Could Have Saved the Day: 1 Horse’s Olympic Story

Horse Whispering

Horse Whispering: it’s not just a myth.

Have you ever had your horse balk or refuse to do what you were asking? (or your cat or dog or bird or…)

Most all horse people have experienced what could be considered willful, resistant, sassy horse backtalk at times.

It’s how we respond that makes all the difference in the world, and taking time to communicate with them – the time honored tradition of horse whispering – is THE KEY to rapid recovery, reconnection, and partnering up properly.

Did you see the big kerfuffle over the melt down of the German pentathlete (and her coach) in the show horse jumping competition in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

Rider Annika Schleu was in first place going into the round, but in a fit of anger she beat her horse when he balked, spurred him mercilessly, and then carried on crying and behaving terribly, whipping and abusing Saint Boy.

To make matters worse, her idiot coach actually punched the horse!

via GIPHY

Annika lost far more than the gold medal.

If only she’d known how to communicate, instead of resorting to beating, whipping or forcing.

If only she’d stopped to regroup, to listen to her horse so she understood what he was trying to tell her.

And if only they’d talked it out together like a TEAM, like beings who loved and cared about each other would have…

If only…

Now, to be fair, according to the Olympic protocol, during the show jumping portion of the modern pentathlon, riders do not use their own horses for the discipline, but instead draw one of eighteen at random and are given only 20 minutes to warm up before competing.

One of the riders, Annika Schleu didn’t place while riding Saint Boy when he refused to jump no matter how much she dug her spurs into him and whipped him. Her coach, Kim Raisner was disqualified and kicked out of the Olympics after punching Saint Boy.

What would you have done?

What if you were frightened or knew something terrible would happen if you did what you were being asked to do, would you want someone to beat you until you moved forward?

saint boy 2

So many beautiful, talented horses are turned into nervous, ulcer ridden, spooky, angry, dangerous horses… Instead of being big hearted and full of good will to their person, they fear their riders, the very ones who should be partnering with them, the people they should be able to trust.

Instead of feeling confident and capable, they become so spooked they are dangerous to be handled, lashing out in their fear and frustration…  then the rider gets on…?

How can that go any which way but badly?

Honestly, this breaks my heart, and is so unnecessary!  It’s insanely bad human behavior.

If you need to beat and spur your horse forward there is a problem. 

Your horse is trying to tell you something is seriously wrong.

I want the old days of “breaking horses” to be behind us. 

Real equestriennes, like all real animal lovers, are the ones who say, “I need a mental health day for myself, or for my mount” from a place of deep respect and communion and connection.

My vision is to live in a world where we ALL know how to communicate with animals. Every animal lover can learn how to talk with animals, especially using my method of Heart Wisdom Communication teaching.

It’s easy to do, once you discover how.

I believe every animal caretaker of any kind, from vet to vet tech to shelter or rescue worker to pet parent to wildlife rescue to zoo people, and yes, every equestrienne from trainer to breeder to coach to rider to groom, no matter what sport or activity they do with their horses (or just the simple enjoyment of having horses as gorgeous pasture ornaments) needs to know how to speak their animals language.

Here’s what could have happened had Annika or her coach Kim known how to communicate with Saint Boy:

First, instead of taking their 20 minutes to physically “warm up”, they would have approached Saint Boy with love and respect, connecting with him as a fellow spiritual being disguised as a horse.

They could have introduced themselves, instead of just jumping on his back and going at it.

They could have asked him how he was feeling, was he hurting anywhere.  The answer to this question would have made a huge difference in what was to come.

Any confusion about what was going on? They could have talked about this together.

He could have told them about his stress, his homesickness, how he was off his food a bit.

How his mouth hurt from riders jerking on the bit and a sore tooth…

Horse Whispering 2

How shaken he was, how unsettled and unstable he felt at the Olympic games.

How afraid he was, and why.

How the heat was affecting him.

How his back hurt, his hind end, left knee and shoulders were aching.

How his head hurt. How his neck felt out of alignment, and the vaccines he’d been subjected to were inflaming his body, stiffening his neck muscles, and making him feel hot and a bit ill.

(All of which is true by the way. I know because I communicated with him…)

They could have sympathized instead of treating him like a vehicle, simply a means to accomplish their ends.

He could have rested with them, relaxed and settled, feeling safe.  Trusted them to be his friend.

Then they could have talked about the course, the obstacles, envisioning riding them perfectly, in harmony.

Discussed any tricky spots together. Synchronized their breathing, understood each other and merged so they could dance and easily fly over the jumps like they’d been practicing this forever.

Saint Boy could have told them whether he felt empowered and capable of jumping… and given them a green light to give it a try, feeling loved and supported and encouraged…

Or he could have said, “If I try to jump this course, we’re both going to get hurt because I can’t do it.  I hurt too bad and I’m too spooked and scared to even try.”

When you do this right, you win your horse’s respect, love and his/her big heart of goodwill.

They’ll do everything they can to keep you safe, and you can trust them.

If he still didn’t feel capable of jumping after a heart to heart conversation, then they could have accepted it and reported that Saint Boy wasn’t sound, perhaps started again with a different horse who was having a better day.

Annika could have simply slipped off the horse’s back, given him a kiss and a hug, led Saint Boy around the arena waving to the spectators and led the horse out of the arena.

She would have won far, far more than gold – she would have won the love of every single person who loves horses.

And the love of horses everywhere who have been abused, disrespected and punished for trying to communicate.

Horse Whispering 3

Saint Boy’s rider didn’t just miss out on a medal.

She missed an opportunity to show everyone what true equestrianism should be about and to become a legend whilst doing it.

What I want to communicate here is that animal whispering is an intuitive energetic art form, using telepathy, heart to heart, mind to mind. 

It’s easy to learn with expert guidance, and everyone can do it.

Because your horse (or dog or cat or…) is not stupid or clueless (although it can certainly seem that way at times). 

They’re just as smart as you are.  They feel, they remember, they understand the world in different ways than you.

If you’re getting resistance and pushback and nothing changes, it’s because you’re not listening and are communicating badly!

Animal communication done right goes way beyond surface level and it’s the secret sauce behind successful training and harmonious, loving, SAFE, incredible relationships between people and their horses.

And extraordinary performances in the show ring too.

Problem Solving with PetsI know this because I’ve been communicating with animals professionally, solving problems with pets with the 5 Step HEART System, and teaching animal communication students how to communicate with animals successfully since 1993. 

I got my start working with underperforming show horses, hunter jumpers, cutting horses, race horses, Olympic riders, Grand Prix dressage horses, and endurance horses… getting them in the Winners Circle. 

How will you know what they are thinking or needing if you don’t speak their language properly and ask them? 

There’s a lot to learn if you want to communicate clearly and the first step is to get out of your human centered viewpoint and discover how to connect.

Animals ALWAYS have very good reasons for their behavior. Our job is to find out what those reasons are, and to learn how to communicate clearly in a two way, heart to heart, mind to mind conversation.

Starting with a love connection. 

These are the complex issues that my clients and students work on (and this is what I help them fix).

Imagine that.

The thought processes I’ve described in this post are the kind that I take my animal talk students through in The Heart School of Animal Communication® courses and in the BEST Online Animal Talk Coaching & Mastery Club’s Live Monthly Group Q&A Calls (for Gold and Platinum members)  AND in my private work with show horse clients.

If you know what you want your animal to do but you’re not communicating clearly enough to solve those problems, I help you to really pin down how to connect mind to mind, heart to heart…

From there, I’ll guide you to be crystal clear on what exactly to SAY, HOW to say it, the right questions to ask in the right way and timing, how to convey that as a message they can understand, and how to listen to your animal in return.

I’ll tell you what your pet is thinking, and what’s needed to be in alignment together so the problem gets solved quickly.

Hands down, THIS is the secret sauce behind successful training, brillia+45nt performance, and well behaved, happy healthy animals.

Learn How to Talk with AnimalsWant more information about The Heart School online courses and Club? 

I make this easy as 1-2-3 for animal lovers with The Heart Wisdom Methods.

The folks who will do especially well with this are spiritually open and have some degree of intuitive abilities. 

You may be empathic, highly sensitive, or practical, down to earth wanting the step by step, tried and true techniques that really work.

If you meditate, do reiki or practice yoga, you get bonus points because you’ll be a bit further along in your intuitive development than newbie beginners starting from scratch.

Beginners and advanced students – especially folks wanting to make animal communication your career – are welcome!

HERE

You should already have a copy of my free ebook to get started (if not, it’s on the site).

Your animal needs you to speak their language sooner than later. They have a lot to tell you. 

If you’d prefer to work with me 1:1 to solve the problems you’re struggling with for your horse, I recommend my Bad Horse Makeover and Rehabilitation Program (I have one for dogs too…).

You’ll find details about how I work, why my work is completely different than other communicators, and how quickly I can get you and your horse happy again –> HERE

Download my FREE Ebook Hidden Secrets to Communicating with Horses – just click on the picture below!


Remember to leave your comments below!

Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:

Do You Have a Lame Horse But You’re Not Sure Why?

Here’s How Horse Communication Can Fix the Problems You’re Having With Your Horse

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Elise Gaston Chand and Horse Whispering

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Filed Under: Animal Communication, Horse Talk Tagged With: Animal Communication, Horse Communication, horse whisperer

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