You’ve probably heard the word feel and it being referred to as how a person handles a lead rope, the bridle reins, their leg cues. We say someone has good feel when their cues are almost invisible and their timing immaculate. To many, that level of “feel” is elusive. It’s something that one day (many years down the road) they may develop.
I have another perspective to share on feel, one that I hope leaves you feeling empowered, that you can start developing this level of feel tomorrow, not in 10 years from now.
A horse person’s feel is comparable to their level of awareness. It’s the ability to see, hear, and feel the current state and subtlest change in our horses. Our level of feel is determined by how aware we are, but not only of the horse, but also ourselves. Someone with good feel also has a high level awareness of themselves, their energy, and their body language.
And the good news is, the more aware we become of the horse and ourselves, the better our feel will be. This is available to each and everyone of us.
Every part of the horse is offering information on how they are feeling and where their attention is. The height of their head, the wrinkles around the eye, the skin of the muzzle, the position of their ears, their cadence as they walk, the length of their the stride, the swing (or lack of) through the back and ribcage, the rock of the pelvis.
For ourselves consider the rate and depth of our breathe, the tension in our jaw, the grip on the lead, the level of our voice, the angle of our body, the pace of our steps.
When we become aware of these things and how they are moving or appearing (tense and rigid or soft and relaxed) we can begin to deepen our ability to feel. Feel begins with awareness, and good timing comes when we are aware that something has subtly changed. Keeping in mind not only how the horse responds, but also how we give our cues and the energy we emit through them.
So, to conclude, a simple practice of developing better feel is to go observe your horse and really see every bit of them, while also taking moments to scan yourself. The more we practice first being aware, the better we will become at noticing the subtlest change, which will lead to greater awareness and a higher level of feel.