|
Part 3 - Understand Your Horse - You Are A Predator And Your Horse Is Prey This small but very significant fact makes a world of difference.
To view the world from a horse's point of view, you need to put
yourself in the position of feeling like everyone else's dinner on
legs. It is helpful to remember, that as far as the horse is
concerned, humans are his natural enemy. It is a perfectly normal
and sensible reaction for a horse to try and run away from people,
to avoid dangerous situations and to turn and fight if cornered.
It is only through training and conditioning that the horse can be
convinced he is not about to be eaten by people. Otherwise, the
horse is just running or fighting, for it's life. There is a very different psychology with human-horse interactions
compared to human-dog interactions and human-cat interactions.
Both of these are predator to predator interactions. Although the
way dogs and cats think is different to how people think, we have
more similarities in our outlook with dogs and cats than with
horses. People generally find it easier to get inside the head and
understand another predator animal such as a dog or cat than they
do with a prey animal. The way that horses, as a prey animal,
think is very different. If you are used to being around either
dogs or cats, as most of us are, you may think your horse reacts
strangely to certain situations. If you can see the world through
the mind of a hunted animal, these reactions may make more sense. Unlike a dog, a horse will treat anything new with extreme
suspicion rather than curiosity. To a hunted animal, anything not
proven safe may be a potential attacker. To a predator, anything
new means a possible tasty meal. Sudden movements like a blowing
leaf will cause your horse to jump (shy), ready to run in case the
movement was an attacker. A dog or cat in this situation may
freeze into a stalking pose or chase and pounce. Dark, enclosed
spaces like barns, stalls and trailers are areas where a horse can
be easily trapped, cornered and killed by a hunter. Horses are
naturally afraid of this type of space. To a dog, a dark enclosed
area is a homey den of comfort. These are the most obvious
examples of the differences between predator and prey psychology. It helps to remember that the horse is a fearful animal by nature.
As with most dinners-on-legs, he is always alert to danger, always
ready to run. In the herd, the stallion and lead mare signal to
the rest when something is safe and when something is not. A lone
horse is easier prey, and so horses will be more fearful on their
own. There is safety in numbers. When a horse has no leader, he
is extra stressed. Most horses prefer to look up to someone to
tell them that they are safe. It's normal for them to do this. If
you take your horse out on it's own, you need to be seen as the
brave and trusted leader of your little two-animal herd, otherwise
you will get into trouble. A lone horse who does not look up to
you will be very stressed and will panic and become irrational at
the smallest whiff of danger. So especially when you are out riding alone, but ideally at all
times, be brave. If you're scared of something, say that jump
you've never tried, or the barking dog behind the fence, you simply
cannot expect your horse to be the brave one. He is the prey
animal. A big chicken. You must show leadership and calmness in
scary situations. By staying calm when riding, you also avoid doubling your horses
fear by making him scared of you. Let me explain. You are a
natural predator of the horse. A horse letting you ride on his
back is a major achievement of trust in itself. The horse, unless
convinced otherwise, will believe that you intend to dig your claws
in and eat him alive. When a horse shies in fright, he is
frightened by the scary object on the ground. If you are a nervous
rider and you suddenly cling to his back with your legs, or dig in
your heels, or tense your body or grab at the reins or his mane in
fear yourself, it feels to the horse as though a giant cat is
clinging on his back. (A bit of an exaggeration, but illustrates
the point). Naturally, this feeling of being in the clutches of a
predator invokes a primal fear and the horses reaction is to run in
fright. So firstly he's jumped at the scary object and secondly is
then trying to get away from the predator on his back. I'm sure
you can see that it's worth avoiding frightening the horse this much. A loose, slipped saddle, a firmly tight girth on horse not used to
the saddle, and a lead rope or similar wrapped around a leg and
dragging are all other situations that can simulate the feeling of
having a predator holding on to him. I hope these examples have helped you understand how a horse views
the world. A horse is not naturally curious and confident like a
puppy or kitten, but suspicious and ready to run. So next time
your horse is acting spooked, look around and see the situation
from the point of view of a dinner-on-legs that feels safer in a
large group. Is there an object, noise or smell your horse has not
come across before? Has there been a sudden movement or noise? Is
the area you are in or trying to enter suitable for a hunter to
ambush or trap their prey? Is your horses leader showing fear?
Could your horse feel as though a predator is holding him? It
should then become clearer what the source of your horses fear is. Your next instalment will cover something most everyone wants to
do - bombproofing their horse. Look out for it. Thanks! Phil Tragear
For more information, go to: |