Red Squirrel Ridge–I love my Percherons!! But I also love my Morgan cross and my walkers!! I just drive for my own pleasure, and am not interested in any kind of competition at all, so I’m not concerned about “proper” voice commands, or “accepted” commands for use in the show ring.
When I drive two horses, I say I drive a team because that is what most of the people I know say. I’m not going to go around saying “pair” and be teased for sounding “stuck up.”
But mainly, I do drive a single horse. I use “Gee” and “Haw” “Whoa” “Step up” “Easy” and “Walk on” – a walking horse term used to tell a horse to do a running walk. But sometimes I slip up and use another walking horse term “Hup”- which also means the same as “Walk on.”
My walkers all know these terms-- and the Percherons and Morgan cross were quick to pick up on these as well. But when downtown, I use whistles to get my horse’s attention and tell it what to do - except for “Whoa.”
But really, I think horses are much smarter than people want to give them credit for being. All of my horses recognize what a stop sign is–I swear they do. All of them will start slowing down and come to a stop at a corner with a sign almost before I can give them any verbal command.
My mother-in-law used to talk about her grandfather who was doctor and pharmacist in a small south Louisiana town at the turn of the 20th century. She used to ride with him to the pharmacy where his office also was before she was old enough for school. At noon, they would go home for lunch. She said that often on the way back to the office after lunch her grandfather would doze off in his buggy. The horse would just continue on its way until it got to its hitching post by the back door. Then it would stop-- rather suddenly-- almost like it was trying to make sure the old doctor would be jolted awake.
Of course, back then, there was only one “horseless carriage” in the whole town-- and by law horses had the right of way so I guess the doctor’s naps were not too dangerous. But still, the horse knew the way by itself, and it dutifully carried its dozing owner and his young granddaughter to the office without any problems day after day – even it the doctor dozed off.
Because her grandfather spoke French, his horse knew French commands instead of English. So I guess he used a gauche for “haw” and droit for “Gee” and arrete (Sp?) for “whoa”.
She also told a story about her grandfather being called out on a dark rainy night to deliver a baby - seems they are always being born on dark rainy nights. Anyway, even with lamps, it was very dark and hard to see. The doctor headed out to cross the newly built bridge over the bayou, but his horse kept refusing to go across it-- disobedience was something that was very unusual. Finally he gave up and went around a longer way to where there was a low water bridge, and though the water was pretty high, he managed to get across and arrived to help deliver twins!
He was there most of the night, and into early the next day before he headed home. He went to go the shortest way using the new bridge (this was a bridge made of wood) But when he got there he saw that in the night a large tree had rammed into it and had caused a section on the end that would have been the far end that night to fall into the bayou.
By refusing to cross, the horse had kept itself, the good doctor and his buggy from falling in the rain swollen bayou. Though the bridge had looked just fine on the near end, the far end was gone-- and the bridge was not wide enough to turn a horse and buggy around on.
I think that these stories and others show that horses are smart enough to adapt to which ever voice commands you wish to use. I also think that the more you and your horse work together, the better your horse gets at “reading your mind” and it will attune itself to your voice and take cues from your tone instead of just the words you say or the notes you whistle.
I think it is most important for you to use words you feel comfortable using, and for you to enjoy what you are doing with your horse.
