An Introduction to Tango with Horses

Most people are intrigued by the idea of comparing horsemanship to dancing. For me it’s not just any dance though, it is Argentine Tango. Why?

Oh, for so many reasons-

Tango is an intimate social dance and what interests me most about interacting with horses is working in their intimate space. The kind of connection you have when you ride, work in hand or even just in a halter and lead. That physical connection, having a horse literally tethered to me, creates plenty of opportunity to try to make something happen, but in Tango a lead is always a request, never a demand. To apply that philosophy to dancing with horses despite how easy it is to require compliance when they are tethered to us requires enormous discipline.

Many experiences have driven my desire to be a better person in my equine relationships, but years of doing rehab work, seeing the damage done to horses by bad training techniques, bringing them back from that – all those difficult re-births clinched it. With these horses I recognized a distinct and disturbing level of emotional trauma that went beyond protecting their injuries. This showed up in clear stress responses when tack was introduced to the mix. It’s shockingly easy to create trauma through the tack we use to facilitate connection.

I wondered if it was possible to work with equipment and still have horses that feel like they have a choice and a voice in our non-verbal dialogue?

Enter Tango.

Steve and I dancing Tango in a performance. Our second time performing in front of an audience.

Tango is danced in ‘the embrace’ – literally heart to heart. Learning to move together while maintaining this kind of physical closeness is incredibly challenging, and the goal of really good social Tango is to also do it comfortably. In Tango the follower has a great deal of control over her experience. As you might imagine, my experiences as a follower in Tango gave me a unique perspective on what it must be like to be a horse in ‘training’. I appreciate how challenging it is to follow if you don’t trust your leader implicitly or if your leader is nit picky or critical.

On the other hand, when all is right in the Tango embrace, following is sublime and even intoxicating. Not words I thought could go along with being guided by someone else in close quarters, but there you have it. With the right leader I feel as though I can do anything. Being swept across the dance floor becomes liberating, safe and mutually enjoyable. A good leader never lets me know if I miss something, they make me feel confident, beautiful and empowered, and the best of the best give me the opportunity to add my own creative expression to the dialogue – they give me a voice in the dance.

To have this kind of closeness and harmony with my horses, to follow the social etiquette of Tango and give my horse a voice in the dance, nothing could appeal to me more than this. In my heart I knew that if I could become THIS kind of leader for my horses everything would change. I could finally feel good about these interactions in close quarters with tack between us. Perhaps I could instill in the horse some faith that even with a bit in his mouth he never has to feel he has no choice.

My early experiences as a dancer were not easy. I was NOT a born dancer, nor a born FOLLOWER. But what happened to me on the dance floor truly is the best way to share an approximation of what a horse goes through when they are in training. It is my experience as a follower that inspired me to experiment (see Mystic’s Story: http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/…), and ultimately led me to this philosophy that I am calling Tango with Horses.

Steve and I practicing choreography for our first ever performance. This is a good illustration of what I fondly called ‘combat tango’, a common theme in our early attempts to move together!

Dancing is a dynamic activity requiring we be capable to use all of ourselves in a coordinated effort – and this applies equally to both horse and human.  From head to toe, how do we engage all of ourselves to communicate our intention with clarity and purpose? To invite our horse to change their posture so that we are both carrying ourselves, creating mobility, grace, and the ability to move together fluidly?

Our horses are constantly assessing us based on our body language. They can determine at a glance what our intention is and will decide in a split second, on a moment-to-moment basis, if we are worth following. IF they decide we are worth following they will almost always follow us willingly and with enthusiasm, without the use of force, coercion or bribes. If they decide we are not worth following they aren’t going to budge. This work is about learning how to become that magnetic leader that your horse wants to follow, with or without equipment.