When you talk to your horse (and I expect that you do), do you think that your horse knows what you say?  Do you think that it’s simply the tone of your voice that matters?  Or do you think that your horse understands the words you use and their meaning?

For what it’s worth, I think my horses have quite large vocabularies.  And I’ve noticed that when I say something out loud, I seem to get through much more effectively than when I think something and expect my horse to read my mind.  (I’ve noticed the same thing with people, especially men).

Often, when I say something out loud, I think I’m talking to myself, but when my horse overhears, it’s clear that he knows whom I’m really talking to.  For example, some time ago, I kept wishing that one of my horses would relieve himself in the straw on the edges of his stall rather than in the middle of his stall, where he walked all over it and made a mess.

Night after night (because I pick stalls at night check), I would think to myself, “I wish…”  One night, for no reason in particular, I said it out loud.  I really thought I was talking to the air, but I did say, in a normal tone of voice, “I wish you would…”  The next morning, done!  All I had to do was say something.  Nicely, of course.

All this comes as no surprise, I’m sure, to Masaru Emoto.

In 1994, Dr. Emoto began working with frozen water, observing frozen crystals with his microscope.  He discovered that no two crystals were the same.  Just like people — and horses.

More interesting than that, after what Dr. Emoto called “giving good words, playing good music, and showing, playing or offering pure prayer” to water, he was able to observe beautiful crystals.  Like this:

After giving negative words, he observed disfigured crystals.  Like this:

Words count.  It’s important to say them, not just to think them.  With water. And people.  And horses.  And it’s important that they be nice words.

As Dr. Emoto says, “Words are the vibrations of nature.  Therefore, beautiful words create beautiful nature.  Ugly words create ugly nature.  That is the root of the universe.”

Does this make any sense?  To some of us, I’m sure the answer is no.  But to those of us who talk to our horses, and say good words, and see them work, the answer is yes.

What words were whispered by the first horse whisperers?  We can only guess, but Dr. Emoto’s crystals tell us that sweet nothings are really sweet somethings.  Remember that when you see your next snowflakes.  Or the next time you see your horse.