Posts Tagged ‘body language’

When you get to own your very own horse and irrespective of his age, one of the first things you must do is to really get to know him. And to learn how to teach him to get to know you.

You must be aware of the fact that although horses are beautiful and sensitive creatures, they observe the herd system. Their instinct in their natural environment in the wild is for immediate action. They take this action as, for them, it can mean their actual survival. Given any sign of danger, they immediately take flight.

With this in mind it is important for you to learn how to effectively communicate with your horse. Know that horses actually have a language of their own and that, unfortunately, many owners are not as aware of this fact as they should be.

Your horse’s BODY LANGUAGE means something.

Be aware that every swivel of an ear, each hip movement, tail flick and facial expression means something. This is the language horses use to speak to other horses – and to us – so if we are to get to know our horse, we must listen.

Your horse will come to love you if, first and foremost, you treat him fairly, and secondly, if you teach yourself to develop a relationship with him in the same way you would a human partner. It’s unfortunate that there are too many owners who will look after their horse’s material needs but put nothing back into developing the partnership itself. Given the right treatment a horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. Such a relationship with your horse requires, amongst other things, trust coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

YOUR body language is equally as important as your horse’s.

Before you can really understand your horse you need to know what your body language say to him. For example, flapping your arms while trying to fit his halter will cause concern. Running up to him in a paddock rather than walking up to him calmly can make him think – is this a predator chasing me?

We’ve all heard about ‘bombproof horses’. Sorry to say, this is just fiction! Something, some time, WILL spook your horse… any horse. So keep your body language quiet, slow, easy and calm. If you are calm, this will also help to keep your horse calm.

Horses speak to us with all body parts and that includes both their front and back ends. So beware, both ends can cause us untold bodily harm if we don’t pay attention to what our horse is saying to us. For instance, most of us know that when a horse has both ears pinned back flat something is really wrong. Chances are that your horse is either frightened or angry. You’ll find that in most cases it is anger. So watch your horse’s front and rear very carefully. Caution is best even if you think your horse may be listening to something behind him or that he’s just bored. Once you really get to know your horse well, you will know what his ears are saying.

If your horse has his ears perked up and forward this means that he’s focusing his attention on something and is either up to some mischief or he’s on high alert about something he is seeing, hearing or smelling. So remind your horse that you need his attention, especially if you are out riding and his ears suddenly whip forward.

You communicate with your horse when you brush and groom him.

Brushing and caring for your horse is a major bonding experience between humans and horses. Don’t ever under-estimate how powerfully you’re communicating with your horse when you brush and groom him.

It’s vitally important that you keep your horse clean at all times. Be sure his entire coat is free from dirt, mud, sand and sweat. If you have the time, brush your horse every day. Pick out his feet before and after every outing. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad and girth after each work-out or ride. Apart from communication, a clean horse and tack is a major step towards keeping a healthy horse. And it won’t do your pride in your horse any harm, either!

Finally, don’t overlook the value of verbal communication. Talking to your horse in a quiet, calm fashion is a major step in having him get to know you and to respect and respond to your instructions.

I hope that these suggestions will assist you in communicating with the horse that you’ve truly come to love. If you want to learn more about horse language and how to communicate with your horse you are invited to go to http://www.easyhorsecare.com

Author: J Russell Hart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

Horse biting is a serious problem for the horse owner. It can cause a major bruise or even broken bones. Dealing with the problem in the heat of the moment often results in a smack to the horse, but surprisingly that’s unlikely to solve it. So, why do horses bite and what can we do about it? What we’ll find out is that the reason the horse bites really doesn’t matter.

1. Understand why horses bite

The fact is biting is completely natural for horses, for a lot of reasons. Horses use biting for play, as a defense mechanism, or for dominance. They bite amongst each other and if you’re not the “alpha” of your herd they may be prone to bite you too.

The bottom line is a horse may bite out of fear or lack of trust, because of past abuse by humans (making him feel threatened in certain circumstances) or out of simple disrespect. A lack of confidence by the handler that horses pick up in body language can also make biting more likely.

2. Maintain personal space

One of the most fundamental things you can teach your horse on the ground is maintaining personal space. Imagine a bubble around your body that the horse is not allowed to enter. Then follow a simple rule- you can enter the personal space of the horse, but he can never enter yours. This simple rule is part of establishing leadership with your horse, as the alpha you’re entitled to it. But it’s more than just a part of horse training for leadership, maintaining some personal space is necessary for basic safety. If a horse is too close he can knock you down on the ground, trample you, or of course he can bite you. All of these things are less likely if the horse always maintains a few feet of distance.

Teach the horse to stay out your personal space by backing him up and using proper leading techniques. Don’t hold the lead rope right up next to the halter, hold it a couple of feet down. Make sure your horse doesn’t walk out in front of you or go past you when you stop. Back him up every time he gets within your personal bubble. By maintaining a bit of personal space, we make it less likely the horse can strike out and bite.

3. Punishment only works over the short term

If you get bit by a horse you might have an impulse to smack him. And the truth is, there might be certain emergency situations where you’ll have to, like if he’s biting down hard on a finger. But punishment should be avoided if possible. Smacking a horse isn’t going to teach him to stop biting for a few reasons. First of all, many horses, especially young horses, bite as part of the games they play among each other. Smacking a horse biting in this context can backfire. The horse will play harder and may engage in a game of trying to dodge your smacks and sneak in a bite. Smacking a defiant horse is likely to make him more aggressive.

4. Don’t over-feed treats

Believe it or not over-feeding treats can create biting horses. Prey animals aren’t motivated by food the same way dogs are, and continuously feeding a horse treats will make him pushy and demanding. There is a time for treats, but use them sparingly and don’t try to use treats to shape behavior.

5. Establish leadership

Dealing with the biting horse comes down to establishing leadership and earning respect. Alpha horses don’t get bit by the other horses. Your role as a horse owner is to establish yourself as the alpha in your herd. This is a permanent way to fix the biting horse. If he truly sees you as the confident alpha, he won’t bite you, regardless of the reason he would try to otherwise.

If you have a biting horse then its time to get back to basics with your training. The first step is to include a few sessions in the round pen. At liberty round pen training is one of the best ways to establish leadership, earn respect, and build trust with a horse. Often this may be all that’s needed to start eliminating biting problems.

Leading a horse-done properly-is also another important exercise to earn respect. Work in a few training sessions where you actually walk backwards away from your horse. This has a powerful effect on the mind and emotions of the horse, because she’ll see that you’re always out in front of her. Walk backwards and occasionally ask for stops by raising both hands and exhaling. Look to see how she is paying attention. If both eyes aren’t focused on you, then she isn’t being attentive. Bump the rope to bring both eyes on you. Also work on leading from the mid-section or hip, which is more properly called “driving”. Driving a horse is a more dominant activity and will help you get in a position where the horse respects you-so is less likely to bite.

Finally, it’s a good idea to spend more time lunging, working on having the horse change speed and direction on command. The idea is to get the horse listening to your commands. This helps establish your “authority” as the alpha of the herd.

David McMahon is a freelance author and horse owner. He invites you to visit http://horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about the biting horse.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

One of the joys of happy horse relationships is offering your four-hoofed friend a tasty morsel. However, there is as much difference of opinion about whether or not one should feed horses treats as any other aspect of horse training. If you would like to share cookies, carrots, and other equine delicacies with your horse, here are a few basic rules and concepts to consider.

Treats Are Not Rewards

Unless you are teaching your horse to do tricks, and small bits of feed are used as reinforcement for teaching specific cues, horse cookies are best used only on special occasions. The main objection lodged against feeding horses carrots and apples is that it teaches horses to bite and may cause horses to get pushy as they search for another cookie.

Don’t Associate Treats With Work

Horses work to earn their living, just like the rest of us. If your boss started giving you a bonus every time you showed up to work you would get pretty upset the next time you clocked in and there was no bonus. Horses are no different. A treat is just that, something special. Bring your horse’s favorite snack out when they are thinking of nothing other than you. Not getting tacked up, not getting a bath, not getting into the trailer… but when there’s nothing on their little equine mind but you. You are presenting your horse with a gift, not a paycheck.

Safety First

Offer treats with your hand open, fingers together, and palm up. Provide a little support as you let the horse’s lips take the treat from you. Sure, some folks have their horse take a carrot from between their own teeth – that’s a trick. Some people can also do a full reining pattern bareback and bridleless. If your experience doesn’t measure up to the experts, choose the safer road.

Be aware of your horse’s expression and body language. If you even get a whiff of pushiness or impatience, walk away. You always get more of what you reward. If your horse begins to demand that cookie, and you give it to him, you have just taught him to be more demanding the next time. Treats are a gift, not dinner.

Unless your horse is soft and obedient, no treat.

Three’s A Crowd When There Are Treats

If there are other horses around at cookie time, be careful to note their reactions in addition to those of your horse. Feeding cookies to more than one horse at a time requires you to stay in control of where all the hooves are. If you don’t have the leadership established to direct who gets the first cookie, etc, then don’t take a chance. Horses can get rough with each other and with you if there’s a cookie to be had.

Best Horse Treats

Horses are not all born knowing that carrots and apples make good treats. There are many commercially prepared treats available. Some horses like peppermints, some prefer gingersnaps. Many horse cookies have nutritional supplements in them. How many and how often you feed treats, as well as how big your cookie budget is, will determine what will be on your horse’s cookie menu. The best horse treat is the one your horse likes most. You won’t have any trouble figuring out which treats your horse prefers.

Carrots as Hydration

There are good reasons to use carrots as a source of hydration rather than as a treat. When trailering long distances or for horses who don’t drink well tied to a trailer, you can use carrots as a way to supplement your horse’s water intake.

The easiest way to teach young horses to eat carrots and apples is by feeding them to their mother before they’re weaned. If Mama loves carrots, Baby will learn to as well. For older horses, break carrots into one-inch pieces and mix in their grain or pellets during their regular feeding time. Start with just a few pieces at a time. Most horses will eventually learn to eat carrots, and then you can feed larger pieces when you are concerned about maintaining hydration.

Treats Are Special Gifts

Whenever you’re confused about whether or not to feed your horse treats, just think about what is appropriate for children. We don’t give special presents to a kid having a tantrum. We don’t reward a child who is sulky or stubborn. Horse treats are special gifts, that’s why they are called ‘treats.’

Just use your common sense – make that ‘horse’ sense, and both you and your horse will enjoy sharing treats.

Whether the topic is personal success or training stallions, Lynn Baber brings years of experience to readers and audiences. Highly credentialed in issues of leadership, relationship, and most things equine, Lynn has a unique perspective not found elsewhere. Read excerpts from Lynn’s latest book, “AMAZING GRAYS-AMAZING GRACE: Pursuing relationship with God, horses, and one another” at http://www.AmazingGrays.us. It may also be found on Amazon.com. Lynn is a retired equine professional and is a director of Amazing Grays Ministry.

Author: Lynn Baber
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Advice on AdSense

Catching a horse can be trouble. If a horse doesn’t want to be caught, his ability to escape and evade that’s a built-in part of being a prey animal can make things really hard on us. All too often, people try to deal with this problem by doing everything wrong. What people don’t realize is that the interaction you have with your horse when catching builds a foundation upon which everything else in your relationship with the horse is built. Get it wrong and you’re going to have trouble in everything else you do.

Here are some mistakes people make when catching a horse, and how to avoid them.

1. Trying to bribe the horse

You’ve probably found that cutting corners isn’t the best way to get ahead in life and with horses that principle holds true as ever. The way to cut corners when trying to catch a horse is by offering him a carrot to convince him to let you put the halter on. How many times have you seen someone out in the pasture trying to bribe the horse with a bucket of grain?

Yeah it’ll work but with a price. The cost for bribing your horse to do things is lost respect. If you give your horse a treat in an effort to get him to do something, he will not respect you as much as he would otherwise. Food does not motivate horses the way that it would a predator animal like a dog.

To avoid this mistake, you need to approach the situation the way the dominant horse in the herd would. Alpha horses make the other horses move around! Control the feet, control the horse. We apply this when catching a horse by pushing a horse that doesn’t want to be caught. That seems counter-productive-you’re sending a horse away that you want to come to you! But this produces solid, long-lasting results-when you push the horse he gains respect for you-the first step necessary to have a true partnership with him.

2. Failing to read horse body language

The second mistake people make is failing to recognize signs the horse is giving you that she wants to have a conversation. Horses give subtle body language cues that we sometimes miss, and these cues can indicate respect, trust, and acceptance. Some signs to look for are ear on you, licking of the lips, and dropping the head. When you see these signs, take the pressure off. Stop pushing the horse, don’t walk up to the horse, and avoid eye contact with the horse at that point.

3. Walking right up to the horse

OK what are you gonna do if you want to put the halter on your horse? Many folks do what comes naturally to humans, they walk straight toward the horse to put the halter on. What else would you do?

Problem is, that’s how a predator would approach a horse. This is recognized on an instinctive level- and if a horse is not comfortable being caught, what’s going to happen if you approach like a predator? You’re going to trigger his instinct to flee.

Avoid this mistake when catching a horse by approaching lateraly, without making eye contact with the horse. If she shows signs of acceptance like looking directly at you, you can stop (don’t approach closer just yet), smile, and praise the horse verbally.

4. Failing to push again

OK so lets suppose you’ve been catching a horse and she’s given you the signs of acceptance, and she’s just standing there watching you. You approach to within 10 feet, and then suddenly she takes off again. Don’t make the mistake of failing to push again. At this point you need to push the horse around to get more respect. We’re giving her the chance to flee if she chooses to do so, but make her work if she makes that choice.

5. Getting too greedy

People get anxious with horses all the time. The first time you’re next to the horse, you might want to hurry up, put the halter on and be done with it so the real work can start. What you’re missing, however, is that when catching a horse the real work began the second you entered the pasture. Failing to continue building a solid foundation from the start will lead to problems down the road. It might require a little more effort up front, but if you’re not anxious and instead use a patient approach, you’ll do better with your horse long term.

David McMahon is a freelance author who owns three horses. He invites you to visit http://www.horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about catching a horse.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates

Go where there are horses and on any typical day you’re going to find someone having trouble catching their horse. And what do they do about it? Typically horse owners attempt to bribe their horses by giving them a treat, a bucket of grain, or waving a carrot at their horse hoping he will mosey on over. While this may get you what you think you want-the horse standing there while you put the halter on-the fact is its setting up your relationship with your horse for trouble.

In natural horsemanship, what we are after is speaking to a horse in his own language so that we can establish three things:

• Trust
• Leadership
• Respect

If we are going to speak to a horse in his own language, we might start by thinking about how horses communicate with each other. If you have the opportunity, go out to an open pasture that has a few horses living together. Just watch what they do. You will come away noting that horses communicate with each other using body language and that confidence and assurance are two keys a successful horse must have in his toolbox. The most confident horses are the horses that become alpha, they run the herd-deciding who eats first, when to eat, where to go, and all that.

Ask yourself this question. Does the stallion or alpha mare in a wild herd of horses use treats to get the other horses to do what s/he wants? Of course not! The alpha horses uses confident strength and body language to communicate with the other horses. In natural horsemanship, we learn how to use our own body language to communicate with our horses in a way that they understand intuitively. This will help gain the trust and respect of your horse. When he trusts you, you can reach a level where you can truly bond with your horse and have that fulfilling relationship with our horses we’re all looking for.

A recent video released by horse trainer Eric Bravo called Catching and Leading Your Horse illustrates the use of gentle natural horsemanship to communicate with a horse in eye-opening fashion. Shot in real time and unedited, Eric goes out into a wide-open field to catch a black mare with an attitude named Wendy. First, Eric shows us ways to approach horses that let the horse know that we mean no harm. Surprisingly, this is a vital step with horses many people aren’t aware of. Eric focuses on the fact that a horse is a prey animal and humans, by nature, are predators. You might not be thinking about this when you walk into a pasture of horses-but they know it. But Eric shows you how to walk up to a horse in a way that removes this fear from his heart.

That being said, horses are all about respect. Have you noticed how a group of horses spends a lot of time kicking and biting each other? Well horse society can be tough! So once a horse figures out we aren’t approaching him like a predator, he is going to look and see if we are worthy of respect. We need to establish this respect before a horse can truly trust us. In the video, Eric talks about things to look for that indicate respect and disrespect. He also introduces a stunning concept called steal a thought that you can use anytime to rid your horse of unwanted behavior and shows how to apply it when trying to catch a difficult horse.

Once you catch a horse, you may think your work is done. But its just beginning! In the last 10 minutes of the video, which I found to be the most useful and interesting part, Eric shows how to lead a horse properly and signs to look for that indicate a horse is being disrespectful. He lays out several leading exercises in complete detail that you can incorporate right into any groundwork routines you do with your horse. The exercises are designed to teach your horse to not only respect you, but to pay attention to you.

Think about how important this is. If a horse respects you and pays attention to you, that’s going to be a horse that is much safer to ride. Do you want to jump on the back of a horse that doesn’t pay attention to you? Probably not! Do you really know the signs to look for to determine if a horse is paying attention? Do you want to learn simple exercises to improve the quality of attention your horse is giving you? If you answered no and yes to the last two questions, you’ll probably want to take a look at this groundbreaking video.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff

Any time that we find ourselves talking to another person we unconsciously read and understand each others body language. Should someone that we are talking to become upset or bothered by something we will know that something is wrong just by looking at them. This same type of relationship is needed with your horse as well. Having at least a basic understanding of the body language and facial expression of your horse is very important to the relationship between you and your horse.

Over millions of years the horse has become a vital part of the animal world. Through out nearly the entire existence of this herd animal, the horse has been the prey of other animals. This is why all horses can become spooked or easily frightened in new situations or due to quick or loud actions around them. There instincts tell them that nearly everything is hunting them in one way or another.

Since the horse is a herd animal that does make it a very social animal, in fact, that’s likely be to the reason that horses allow you to ride them, the horse views to be the dominant member of its herd. As we coax the horse into following our commands, they will follow our commands and not think about why they should do as we wish.

As the horse is a very social creature, they have created a form of communication with each other. Since they see the rider as a dominant member of the herd they will show the rider the same types of facial expressions and body language that they will show other horses. If you learn these things then you will begin to see a large number of the different emotions and even attitudes that the horse is trying to express to you as a member of their herd. In the beginning of things its best to focus on these four basic expressions of the horse.

Relaxed: Its easiest to work with a horse that is in this mode and that’s why it’s a favorite! In this expression your horse will be calm and very obedient as it holds it head in a very neutral position and may even nod a bit as the two of you interact. A horse that is acting in this way is very pleased with the environment that its in and you will find that your horse will respond to your commands smoothly. Paying close attention to the body language of your horse and trying to see the world through their eyes will make it easier for you to understand most horses.

Alert: Since we know that horses have been prey for other animals for millions of years it should be no surprise that your horse will be watching for predators even when there are none. In this expression your horse will be holding it head high with its eyes open widely and ears pointing forward. You may see that your horse seems to be watching for something or as though it is expecting something to happen. This alert expression may quickly turn to being a fearful expression or even back to the relaxed expression once the horse feels that everything is ok. When riding in a line, the horses in the front will often remain in this alert expression for the entire ride as the leader of the group is expected to be more alert and in charge of the horses that follow it. Should you watch a line of horses pass by you will often see that the front 1-2 horses will have their heads held high in this alert expression and the horses that follow may actually lower their heads in a very relaxed expression, putting their full trust in the front horses.

Threatening: As a horse can weigh well over a thousand pounds a threatening horse can be frightening for us, unless we know what to do. There are many different reasons that a horse might become aggressive and you need to take these things into consideration. Your horse may be experiencing pain of some sort. It might not like to be ridden or handled in any way. Should a horse be malnourished it may become distressed and confused until it has eaten properly and give water and proper care. In this expression you will see a horse that will have his head raised but not in an alert fashion, the horse may bare its teeth and flare its nostrils with its ears pinned back. If you see the horse acting in this way it might be a better idea for you to try approaching the horse later. Should you choose to continue then you are putting yourself at risk for being severely injured by the horse. Even the most experienced person can make this mistake by becoming overly confident around the horse or horses and not paying attention to their body language.

Afraid: Horses can be very easily scared or spooked. In this expression you will see a horse that will throw its head back and you can clearly see the whites of its eyes. If your not out on the trail then you might have come to the horse too fast or there is something that is scaring it that you don’t yet know about, like a snake. Its important to reassure the horse by talking to it in a very soft and calming manner. Petting the horses body and face slowly and gently will help as well. Don’t try to work with a horse that is in a frightened state or you may end up with a horse that become aggressive due to fear.

Author: Cindy Green
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty tariff

Your horse has just tried to bite you! You can’t understand why this animal that you love and care for would behave in such a way. Horses that bite people are displaying an aggressive, unsafe behaviour that needs to be changed.

The first step in changing any behaviour is to understand the underlying cause of it. Horses are prey animals that live in herds and run from danger. Their first instinct is to run away when they feel their safety is threatened. If they are unable to run away, they will fight to defend themselves by aggressively biting, kicking or striking.

What causes a domestic horse that is being cared for and loved by humans to become aggressive and bite his or her caregiver? There are 2 reasons for this undesirable behaviour.

1) The human is inadvertently causing stress to the horse by their own behaviour and body language and the horse is unable to leave. Usually this is caused by the human sending forward, impulsive energy towards the horse’s head and neck area while working around the horse that is tied up or confined in a small space such as a stall. Horses feel most vulnerable around their head and neck because this is where predators attack to kill.

2) Young colts tend to bite because this is stallion behaviour. In the wild, stallions must compete with each other to win a band of mares and the right to breed them. This is why young colts and even some older geldings play fights can look quite aggressive. The play is practice for potential future fights.

The traditional method of breaking the behaviour of biting people is to smack the horse in the mouth or face. Some people even go so far as biting the horse back. Neither of these tactics is particularly effective in stopping the biting. Hitting the horse in the face, from the horse’s perspective, is a very aggressive behaviour. It either makes the horse head-shy and/or escalates the behaviour as the horse becomes more aggressive. In both cases, the human is being reactive after the horse has bitten them.

A better way to stop this behaviour involves working with the horse’s psychology and being proactive to prevent the bite. In the herd, a horse that misbehaves or shows disrespect to higher ranking horses is pushed out of the herd. This is the absolutely worst punishment for any horse as isolation from the herd increases the vulnerability to predators. The exiled horse is only allowed back into the herd once he or she has shown signs of respect and submission.

Prevent your horse from biting by following these steps:

1) Be respectful of your horse’s personal space (head and neck area) by not sending forward energy from your body into that area. If you are standing beside your horse, stand with your weight even on both legs or resting on the leg farthest from your horse’s head so that your hip is not aimed into your horse’s head.

2) Ask your horse to be respectful of your personal space. Picture your personal space as a bubble around you. Block your horse from coming into your bubble unless you invite him or her in and he or she is respectful – low head, not pushing, etc.

3) Be aware of signs that your horse is threatening to bite or be pushy to you and proactively send him or her away from you with a push or a tap on the shoulder. Even if your horse manages to get in a nip or a bite do not hit him or her in the face. Only ever hit you horse on the body and send him or her away from you. Do not let your horse come back into your space until he or she is completely calm, non-threatening and showing signs of respect.

Working with an understanding of horse psychology as well as diagnosing the cause behind behaviours is a much more effective way of working with and training horses than simply focusing on the symptom (in this case, biting). You will develop a stronger bond with your horse built on mutual trust and respect. Your horse will no longer see you as a potential threat, but as a benevolent leader and trusted herd mate.

Author: Anne Gage
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

Whether through anything that you do by a horse, when you begin lunging, start slow, soft and fluent.  Think young horse, short attention span, still developing knees and short sessions. (5 to 7 minutes).  This is not to say an older horse would not advantage from lunging, but generally speaking you are beginning this through a younger equine.
1st and foremost, the horse should know what’s being asked of them and ultimately, both of you want to be on the equal page while “communicating” with every other.  Thus, we begin through lunging to open the lines of communication, and produce accurate movement with your horse.  While it may sound bizarre to say working your horse in a circle actually teaches them something besides the actuality that they can run in circles – this really does work.  Why?  Because of it sets up the pecking order between handler and horse with controlling the horse’s space.  It also acts to condition your horse no matter what their age.
Pecking order communication starts through your horse reading your body language & vice versa.  Over occasion, and with lots of tolerance, the horse learns to wait for your signals rather than run love a basket case around in fixed little circles.  When commands are learned on the ground, it makes them easier for the horse to know when you’re mounted.
.& why the circle?  Why not a square or several other pattern, like a figure eight?  The circle usually encourages your horse to purpose his legs correctly, pick up his feet & place them properly.  And, once you find to the stage where you bit your horse, it teaches them to offer to the bit.  Of course you will have already done your prior ground-work with the horse, to educate them to offer in the poll and drop their head to pressure. You would have schooled them offer to the bit sideways (to the left and correct) and down, through the least amount of pressure.  Again with horses, the least amount of pressure to find a answer is the best (and this unquestionably depends on the horse) and in small learning increments. Read more other useful articles about dog car seat, miniature dogs and dog pounds