The Equestrian Community: Verbal and Non Verbal Communication

The Equestrian Community: Verbal and Non Verbal Communication

By Teddi Pritzker

Equestrian show jumping is a dangerous sport. It requires years of training to compete at a prominent level and an entire supporting team including the grooms who take care of the horses, the trainer, barn manager, and vet. It truly takes a village to get the horse and ride to the competition ring. Although show jumping is deemed an individual sport, the community behind the horses is what makes training and competing even possible. The horse show world is a community consisting of people from all different financial backgrounds and ethnicities with the sole purpose of horsemanship.

My team

The horse world is a very hardworking community and everyone who is in it genuinely has to love the horses to have this lifestyle. The equestrian community proves to be a discourse community through its use of verbal and nonverbal communication throughout the team and horse and rider.

Terminology

We use specific terminology to describe the tack that goes on the horse. This is the gear that is used when riding. The most basic terms are “saddle” and “bridle”, but get much more specific when it comes to the different types of bits that are used. Bits are a part of communication between horse and rider. The bit that is in the horse's mouth is a major contact point that allows the rider to direct the horse. Some examples of the names of different types of bits are snaffles, Pelhams, slow twists, just to name a few. These are only a few of the specific terms we use to describe the tack that goes on the horse.

How my team communicates

Another way my team displays itself as a discourse community is how we communicate in group chats and in the barn to create a daily plan for horse and rider. In the barn, we have two whiteboards, one for our daily training and what we do on each horse, and another telling my groom what to feed the horses each evening. Organization is very crucial when working with the horses at a top level because they are athletes just as much as the riders. The horses need to have all the training and nutrition behind them to perform their best in the competition ring.

How Horse and Rider Communicate

Although communication between horse and rider is nonverbal, it is an ongoing conversation. Communication is exchanged between energies and physical acts. When riding a horse, the rider’s body language directs the horse on what to do. For example, squeezing the inside of your legs on the horse directs them to go forward. Squeezing your fingers on the reins sends a direct signal to the bit in their mouth which signals the horse to contain their energy and slow down. While riding a horse, and especially on course when jumping, it is an ongoing nonverbal conversation going on between horse and rider.

Works Citedhttps://youtu.be/r3lzsiux_TU