Listen with your eyes.

At Justin’s Place, we train our volunteers and instructors that behavior is language and we must always be listening with our eyes as well as our ears! If a child pulls away from you they may be telling you they do not prefer to be touched. If a child leans heavy into you, they may be asking for a deep pressure squeeze!! If they squeal or flap their hands they may be excited or overwhelmed or have big energy they need to get out. Often times when riding, our kids will “flop” on their horse! This is a great opportunity for us as instructors to pause and listen with our eyes. We halt their horse and all take a deep breath together. Often this “flop” means our hands, ears, or bodies are tired and we just need a quick rest. Sometimes it means we are overstimulated and need a few moments of silence. Other times, it may need we need a hug or to pet our horse or we’re all done riding. Never take a child’s behavior for granted as simply meaningless actions. They are frequently trying to tell us something… we just have to be ready to listen with our eyes.