Submission is a natural and instinctive response for the horse from the moment he is born. If you observe a herd of horses, you will see the young foals cautiously approach an older herd member demonstrating a submissive stance in their body language.
These observations can show us that submission is a code of behaviour, totally acceptable within the structure of a herd. Colts at play will be trying to assert their dominance in preparation for their role in the future when they could become the head stallion with their own herd of mares and young. It is helpful to understand what submission means to the horse. Leadership within the herd is natural and within this structure comes both security and survival in the wild.
A horse demonstrating submission is more attentive and respectful of discipline, which will be a helpful response for us as trainers. If we can become the natural "herd leader" and create this bond during loose work, we can take this relationship on into our ridden work. We will become more self aware as the horse can learn to respond more readily to our body language and breathing. We can then gain a submissive and attentive attitude and our partnership with our horse will become more harmonious. Through a logical progression of training we can encourage a calm yet attentive attitude from the horse. This will promote his physical progress in training as his muscles will be more relaxed and able to support fluidity within his movement. Tension from the mind of the horse will cause tension throughout his body, which can result in stilted paces with an increased risk of injury.
There is much we can learn from our observations of a horse whilst moving in his natural freedom. The gifted horseman will understand that he should regard each horse as an individual and assess the path of training accordingly.
