Kali’s Response to the Question: We often hear talk about making animals respect our space. But then most people don’t think twice about invading an animal’s space. How does it affect a horse when a person pushes into the horse’s personal space?

When a person pushes into a horse’s space, that behavior has an emotional impact on the horse. It can cause him to feel defensive or safe, unstable or grounded, or to experience any number of emotions. Therefore, we must make a decision about what change we are trying to affect and approach the space carrying that feeling. Why must he “stay out of our space”? Often times, it’s because we are living in times of ease, rather than activity, or because we are living in times of observation versus reaction. Before you ask your horse to change, you must determine the emotional pattern you wish to cultivate

Is this what you mean by EQxpressionism?

In 2009 I coined the term EQxpressionism (“equestrian expressionism”) for the type of training I do. EQxpressionism is about developing two-way communication with the horse through facial expressions in order to practice horsemanship as artistic expression. Our modality has the added benefit of creating greater self-awareness, because it allows us to learn about the dynamic relationship between gestures and internal climate. EQxpressionsim is the combination of natural horsemanship and clicker training. Rather than being based in overt body language and the patterns of wild horses, it’s based on facial expressions and…….Read more at Examiner.com