The photo above is a photo that was taken of me and “RED”, a mustang at Two~Hearts Mustang Rescue & Wellness Center in Rehoboth, MA.  I was doing a presentation/demo on Clicker Training Horses.

Red was, at first, skittish and frightened. He has a ‘past’ that he carries with him and its very profound; to the point that it will be ingrained with him forever.

Humans have not LISTENED to him.

They’ve tried to demand, to force, to bribe, to tell HIM what he is to do, feel and want.

And that has created a tapestry that is full of knots, unfortunately. In his very spirit.

Red is a horse who needs someone to LISTEN to him.

I listened to him that day. I encouraged him.
I listened when he told me he was feeling scared and unsure.
I listened when he told me, “Ahhhhhh, I LIKE that!”
I listened when he told me, “You’re bothering me!”
And – I shared MY language with him in language of spirit that he understood.

And we connected.
In just minutes.

In doing that, and because I LISTENED to him, he was able to over ride his fears – and he had plenty of them.

Simply because I LISTENED and created a RELATIONSHIP of TRUST.

He knew he could TRUST me.

And I, him.

No ropes; no halters; no tricks … no running him around a round pen.
No being ‘the boss’ or, even, the ‘leader’.

Simply being a friend and listening to him.

Just me and him in a watching crowd.

We connected. We bonded. We ‘hooked up’.

Because I listened.