Having a disability is hard, but connecting with a horse with no working legs can be a challenge. With Arthrogryposis, my legs don’t work like everyone else’s. I can walk with braces and move my legs from my hips, but I can’t stand without braces on.
When I first started riding my horse Glory, she didn’t know that my legs didn’t work. I’ll never forget my first ride on her, I had one person on each side of her as sidewalkers, and since she wasn’t familiar with me yet a person led her around. She would walk a little bit then stop, walk then stop.
She was confused that people were walking beside her, and she hadn’t even been ridden in the past 5 years. Even though Glory was confused, I rubbed my hand on her neck letting her know that it was okay and that she can walk on.
After that first ride on Glory, she got more accustomed to me. She figured out that my legs aren’t like others and that she needed to be gentle with me. She knew something was different about me, and I think that is why she clicked with me so well. Horses can sense our emotions. I’ve always been relaxed and happy around horses, and Glory knows that she can trust me.
Every ride got better and better. Glory was used to my voice cues and no squeezing on her sides. Even though I can’t squeeze her sides, I can tap my foot on her side and she knows that means to start walking. The left side of my body is stronger than the right, so I just give her a little tap with my left foot and say “let’s go” and she starts walking.
Glory has never hurt me on purpose and I know she never will. I trust her, and if anything was to happen, it’s an accident. A year ago I fell off of her when her front legs went down and in the process of her getting back up to keep me on, I fell off. I don’t know what happened there, but I know it was just an accident.
It’s like Glory gets me. She knows her job and knows how to carry me. I have had family members get on her back and she acted completely different with them. She acted like she doesn’t want to take them on a ride, but she’ll take me on a ride! (She has improved since though) Glory takes care of me every ride. Yes, there are some times when she has bad days or wants to go back to the barn, but she gets me back safely every ride.
I think the key to connecting with horses is kindness, respect, and trust. We need to be kind to our horses. It’s just like people treating other people the way they want to be treated. By earning respect from your horse, you can do many things. Lastly, trust is the most important of all. If we don’t trust our horses, then will they trust us?
You can also check out my article that was featured on The Plaid Horse blog to see more about trusting your horse and overcoming fear here.
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