Book review, from Tokyo – In the distance, wild horses dot a grassy plain stretching over the horizon. When I learned that wild horses apparently no longer live in the wild even in Mongolia, this image seemed even more distant. Imagine my surprise to find a book saying that horses lived in the wild on Yonaguni island, Okinawa. What’s more, San Kawata has apparently mastered the language of the horses there, and is sharing his insights in 『ウマと話すための７つのひみつ』(Uma to hanasu tame no nanatsu no himitsu, lit. The seven secrets to talking to horses; Seven Secrets).

A horse-only version of Doctor Dolittle, Kanagawa-born Kawata moved to Yonaguni in 2009 to live with the wild horses there. He set up kadibooks and has published several books on horses and understanding them. (See more here.)

In Seven Secrets, Kawata’s simple illustrations demonstrate his observation and knowledge of how horses express themselves. Drawing from his earlier kadibooks publications, Kawata shares with children how these creatures communicate. Identifying the difference between a pleaful neigh and an excited whinny, he explains their body language. How their ears and tails show their mood (tense or relaxed, happy or even restless), how they stamp in agitation or shuffle their feet in unease, how turning away translates into wanting to be left alone, and how they curl their upper lips to raise their noses highest when they want to smell something better (weren’t they just baring their front teeth and laughing?!). Their actions go through a certain rhythm too. They might stroll peacefully, then dash with energy, leap suddenly in excitement, or lie down lazily. Whether it is the wind, the sun, the birds, or some bugs, the surroundings also affect their rhythm and mood.

Kawata also explains that some horses can be quite friendly while others are timid. One could be short-tempered while another might be really laid back. He also shares that horses have a unseen zone, a circle in which only the trusted are allowed. Horses close to each other trust each other. When approaching another, they graze quietly nearby to gradually build up trust until one day their two zones overlap. If things don’t turn out, the distance between them would grow. (The spurned party giving chase might end up on the receiving end of a hind kick!)

Well, how should a child approach a horse then? Don’t, because trust needs to be built, remember? So Kawata suggests standing quite still, a comfortable distance away, and avoiding a direct gaze. When the horse feels comfortable, it’ll come near to take you into its zone.

Reading Seven Secrets made me want to learn more about the language of horses and other living things. The signs in the body language of horses seemed almost human. Observing and learning to communicate with them could lead us somewhere. If we began to understand horses and other animals in the wild, perhaps we might find our place in the natural world. If I could I’d strike up a conversation, starting with the changeable weather.  In this textbook on horse speak for children, I feel a sense that Kawata is sowing the seeds for a little Dolittle to do just that.

『ウマと話すための７つのひみつ』(Uma to hanasu tame no nanatsu no himitsu, lit. The seven secrets to talking to horses) by San Kawata
Publisher: KAISEI-SHA Publishing, 2022