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Horse Whisperer

This topic needs:

-The history of Horse Whispering

-Unspoken Communication

- Horse Whispering as a Career

- Education Requirements

- Controversies

- Salary

Lead:

Horse Whisperers spend years studying horse psychology to interpret their body language and determine training methods. While horse trainers physically prepare horses for certain performances, whisperers try to uncover the core of the horses behavioral issues. Horse Whisperers work predominantly with horses that are difficult to train. Because horse whispers are unable to verbally communicate with the horses, they focus on building a deep level of trust with the horses. Although job opportunities are limited, this field offers a reasonable salary (73K annual average in the United States). However, there are a few controversies regarding the authenticity of this field and if “Horse Whispering” is really just a corrupt form of manipulation.

History:

Horse Whispering originated in Ireland in the late 1700s because of a man named Daniel Sullivan (died in 1810 ). Sullivan rehabilitated horses that were traumatized and thought to be untamable. He was able to tame horses through a method of unspoken communication. Sullivan would whisper into horses ears which seemed to calm them down almost instantaneously.[6] However, there is very little documentation about the process of his "whispering" or the story of how he discovered it. Although Sullivan was discrete about his methods, he gained popularity because people were astonished by his effective skills. Because of his unique method, he was known as "The Horse Whisperer." Because of Daniel Sullivan's whispering magic, the term "Horse Whisperer" had developed.

Responsibilities: Horse whisperers predominately rehabilitate horses that have been severely traumatized or are simply untamable. The most important responsibility of a horse whisperer is building trust with the horse. Horses that are traumatized see everything as a threat and react based off of their first instincts as prey animals. However, by being consistent in both their handling and visits, a whisperer is able to communicate to the horse that he or she represents "safety" and can be trusted. Therefore, trust plays a vital role in a horse whisperer's career.

Nonverbal Communication:

Horse Whispers spend years studying the horse psychology. Because they work based off of the horses mental status, a whisperer differs from a trainer. Horse whisperers use a form of nonverbal communication that entails serious effort and dedication. A deep level of trust must first be developed between the horse and human in order for a whisperer to perform their magic. Nonverbal communication simply means that the whisperer must use a different methods other than speech to communicate with their horse. Horse whisperers learn to keenly observe the horse's body language and movement. A horse whisperer would consider a horse's ear movement, tail swinging, foot stomping, and clanking teeth to evaluate exactly what the horse is trying to communicate. Each horse is different, therefore the whisperer must be able to apply different techniques based off of the horses body language. Listening and observing are two qualities that a horse whisperer must have.

Controversies:

Although some people value the motives of horse whisperers, others are skeptical about their methods. Some horse whisperers lay horses down on the ground, which they believe is an exercise that builds trust. Laying a horse down is a process that involves tying a rope to one of the horses front legs and repeatedly pulling on the rope, creating tension which forces the horses legs to bend. After the rope is pulled several times, the horse will eventually lay down. However, the process of laying a horse down is one of the biggest controversies of horse whispering. Many argue that because it is against a horses natural inclinations to lie down, they are submitting in a state of fear. They believe that once the horse is on the ground it is put into a "trance-like" mode where they no control over themselves. Therefore, some wonder if horse whispering is really just a from of manipulation.