Horses do communicate in so many different ways. Let's talk about Al a Paso Fino who came into my life in 2000. Al at that time would best be referred to as " a nervous little horse" who literally would spook at a bird flying by. He had been a show horse which meant he didn't spend a great deal of time out of the barn or the show ring. It didn't take much time for Al to convey to me that he was having a hard time adjusting to life outside the show barn figuratively and literally. He always had a worried expression on his face, in fact he had worry lines above his eyes. Al couldn't understand why he wasn't gaiting around an arena as he had been trained to do, so when he was ridden outside an arena he became so nervous he wouldn't slow down to walk or even breath. He was making it clear that he needed time to get used to being ridden outside an arena. Mounting Al was a challenge too, again due to his training. He had been trained to walk off the second the rider threw their leg over him. With time Al became more relaxed and the worry lines faded away. If I hadn't been listening to what Al was telling me he might have gone on to another owner who in the end couldn't handle putting him on along a ugly path that does not always end in a good place for the horse. Al lived to the ripe of old age 31 a happy little Paso Fino and in May of 2022 went on to greener pastures.
In the Fall of 2021 a new Arabian gelding came into my life named Reno. One thing I learned from Reno a few weeks after he was here was his name isn't Reno. That's right he informed me his name was Max. His registered name is Maksym Force and I wondered why his barn was Reno ,thinking I would have called him Max. I said that out loud to him one day and he perked his ears up and nudged me. That was the first time he reacted in the manner making it pretty clear that his name was Max not Reno. I contacted the person who had bred him and confirmed that was the name they had given him. Somewhere along the way after he left his breeder he lost his name for some reason, but he never forgot it. Horses are so intelligent that if you listen to them they will tell you everything. Max is so much happier now that we call him by his name. Max conveyed other issues he had from his past and we have worked many of those issues out, but I'm still listening to him.
Listening to your horse will help you build a bond with your horse. Be observant when you are around your horse, watch his body language when you are handling him, when you are riding and when he is in the stall or pasture as well. In fact you can just pull up a chair and sit down and watch your horse when he is in the pasture. Watch how your horse interacts with the other horses as well as with you. Also try to find out as much of your horse's history as possible from the breeder or previous that you can, because that will tell you a lot about your horse which will help you get to know your horse better. Sometimes a horse may have what I like to refer to as " baggage" from their past owners. That "baggage" can become an obstacle to you building a trusting relationship with him, so again be sure to be observant and listen to what your horse is trying to tell you.
It's always good to be a " horse listener as well as a horse whisper,".