Without Words : Non-verbal Communication and the Horse

I played a game once, in a group setting, where one person was sent from the room, and another person given a complicated task like tying shoes, or dancing in a certain pattern.  The person who was sent out came back into the room, and the person given the task had to have the other person perform that task…only no spoken cues could be given.

What was left in the toolbox of communication were: gestures, posture and stance, modeling, and physically manipulating the other person.  Everyone else in the room knew what the goal/task was, and could observe where a breakdown in communication occurred, and the person who was attempting to have someone else do something would have to adjust the communication to try and clarify.  Sometimes a word slipped out, because we are so dependent on verbal expression, and there was laughter.  In a situation like that, it’s easy to find the humor, because the person who was not being allowed, by the terms of the game, could go back to using verbal expression at will.

People with communication disabilities, and animls, don’t have that luxery.  When my son was young, he didn’t talk much until he was about three.  We were able to meet his needs when he was an infant in the usual way, there not being too much beyond clean and dry, food, and sleep to be met.  As he got older and developed very specific wants, beyond the level of his ability to communicate, there were many long sessions of pointing (by him) and questioning (by me) to try and figure out exactly what he wanted to eat, or to do.

People with severe communication troubles sometimes do not even have that gesturing, pointing, assent or negation available to them, and when something is wrong can  only indicate that something is wrong, but not what…presenting a difficult challenge to the caretakers.  Is it too loud in the room, too bright?  Are the clothes itchy or uncomfortable, or have a pointy tag that has become unbearable? Is the person hungry, or tired, or not feeling well?  The checklist is long, and great patience is required to try and detective the problem.

Horses appeal to people with communication disorders, in part I think, because they are also non-verbal, and yet immensely responsive to their environment.  Most horses think about things, and problem solve, which makes them so highly trainable.  However much a horse learns about interacting with verbal humans, at their core, they are non-verbal, and respond to a non-verbal, or minimally verbal person so well because of the authenticity inherent in most non-verbal people.  Gestures, stance, posture, modeling, and physically manipulating another person is all they have in their toolbox of communication, and maybe only a few of those.

Where attempts by a verbally dependent person to try and understand the communication attempts of the non-verbal, horses and other animals take the person for what’s presented.  Animals have accute senses where humans have lost, or never developed them – smell, hearing, and intuitive.  Most verbal humans have to seek quiet, and meditate to get in touch with their deeper intuition.  Working with horses and non-verbal or minimally verbal people can put a facilitator in the position of translating from one to the other, but careful observation of the horse, can lead to a better understanding of a person who has trouble with communication.

When I am in a session with Buddy and a client, often Buddy’s reaction or moment of non-cooperation, leads me down the ‘figuring it out path’…he’s pretty clever, and if it’s helpful he will even swing his head in the direction that I need to be paying attention to something that I missed.  In this respect, Buddy has become, not just a partner, but in some cases the leader in what’s happening, and my role is reduced somewhat to translator and investigator.  What I have found is that Buddy will let me know, not just if the person is unbalanced, but also if there is fear or a loss of confidence.

Buddy will approach and engage with a person, sometimes just beyond their comfort zone, and then retreat just to get a good sniff of the person.  I have finally realized that for him this is essential that he do that before he is willing to be mounted, which is fair.  He should get a good idea of who is getting on him, especially in these more intensive (emotionally and cognitively) sessions.  Buddy will respond to the person on his back for ’stop’, overriding my cue to ‘go’…which he gets praised for – I think he thinks it’s hilarious when I’m marching along and the rope pulls snug, and I look back to find rider and Buddy with expressions of wide-eyed innocence (Buddy), and ‘Gotcha!” (rider)…hilarious.

But it’s about empowerment (Power).  If a six year old can stop a 1000 pound horse with just weight aids, overriding a horse handler who can walk, trot, and stop the horse with minimal cues…how wonderful is that?  If a child who can’t speak can make a clicking sound, and the horse will step forward the number of clicks, how much wonderful control has that person gained over his environment?

It’s about mobility (Speed).  Even going around in circles, riding on the back of the horse is going somewhere.  Improving balance, learning subtle communication, being able to experiment, having some fun, gaining confidence and relaxation…all come eventually from step after step.

It’s about self-determination (Freedom).  Even in a facilitated environment, respecting a person with communication issues’ right to say no, to not cooperate, to not get on the horse and go; the right to try and fail and try again; the right to be afraid, and be allowed to sit with that fear in a supportive environment; the right to not engage, and override the goals of the people around him or her…especially in this kind of environment these rights are non-negotiable.  The faciliatators to the best of their ability to understand the clients must allow these freedoms, just as for anybody else.

Here’s to Freedom (self-determination), Power (empowerment), and Speed (mobility) for everyone.