What Does Contact And Feel Mean In The Horse World

You may have heard masses of talk about ‘feel’ in the world of horses. It is a word that’s thrown about by the know alls, the know a bits and the know nothings, all of who can be similarly deadly. Very few people actually grasp all the subtleties conveyed by the word ‘feel’ do you?

I am getting the categorical feeling even instructors and trainers who use the word in each other sentence do not really understand the word. It’s become a type of trendy language; to say it once each 5 or 10 words is to parade your expertise. In its really simplest form, ‘feel’ is attained when you and your horse have become perfect at contact-based communication, and it is possible to get your horse to do what you need with cues so refined they won’t be spotted by anyone watching. Spectators will be well placed to see your horse do something, but they will be unable to see you telling your pony to do it. To all intents, the pony has acted of his very own accord. That sort of coordination is total horsemanship.

Contact is the invisible live channels of communication to your horse that you are keeping open thru the reins or halter or hackamore you are holding plus your seat and legs. Feel is when you send a telegraph thru those channels with the littlest motion, the most subtle shifts of weight, that causes a surge of something like electricity that conveys your command to the pony.

Let me explain that just a little bit. Attempt to grasp the concept that the device you are using, like the bit, is pretty much a live part of your hands.

This device is controlled by your hands, often through the reins. As your cues are conveyed to your horse, they gain in strength. Try a small experiment. Take your device your ‘Hackamore or bit or whatever it could be’ and hang it on top of a pole or a door handle. As it hangs loose, examine it to discover those areas that are weightier than others. Try to visualize that spread of smaller and more weights as it leads to your horse’s nose or mouth. Try and evaluate if any part of the gear is likely to cause discomfort or agony to your horse. Take the reins in your hands and work on removing the slack until such time as there’s some extraordinarily slight, almost invisible movement in the bit or bosal. If done correctly the movement should be pretty near unnoticeable. You are endeavoring to establish contact with the bit or bosal thru the reins, using feel. You need to keep practicing until there isn’t any discernable movement in the bosal or bit at all, yet you know that you have established contact.

The point at which you know but are not able to see contact is where you have established feel. This is what you have got to perfect while you are on your horse. Good contact and feel can’t be achieved unless your balance is ideal. Balance is achieved in the saddle, with your seat. Perfect balance enables you to send perfectly invisible cues and get perfect responses from your horse.

Persist at perfecting contact and feel. It might take you a little time to completely grasp and master it all, but master it you can.

Horses are Heather Toms
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