UNDERSTANDING THE HORSE

The relation between human and horse has always been a mystery to most, even to those who ride horses, their behaviour and reactions are very alien to us. Amazingly, horses are very willing and cooperative, so much that they allow humans to place metal in their mouths and saddles on their backs, and even allow us to sit on their backs whilst they walk, trot and canter. The use of horses to carry us and for transportation goes back a long way, further than any archaeological records can show. We do not know how this unique relation between humans and horses was first discovered, and practised, but our understanding of the horse’s psychology is still very primitive. We are at opposite ends of the food chain, humans are cunning predators and horses are instinctive prey animals. In general, animals (including us) are driven by instincts, this consists of either, fight or flight behaviour. A predator is a fighting animal. They approach things straight on and become aggressive when fearful. They use dominance and brute strength to control other animals and create hierarchy between themselves. Prey animals, on the other hand, flee when fearful and approach things laterally, using an advance and retreat behaviour. They become aggressive only when challenged, trapped or in pain and unable to flee. There is hierarchy within their social structure expressed through body language and gestures, rather than the direct attacks and physical contact which predators use. All animals, except humans, live in the moment, and are only concerned about their own survival. They are driven by instincts and learnt behaviour influenced by past experiences. They find ways to conserve their energy for when they most need it, like running away from a predator or stalking a prey. Animals never act without reason and their reactions are not influenced by emotions like humans are. Humans, on the other hand, have the ability to mimic other animals, in the way they move or the sounds they make which makes us unique and allows us to communicate with animals. Before we even begin to work with the horse, we are at a disadvantage as horses flee from predators and, if we continue to act like predators, the horse will not want to stay by our side and work with us. This is evident in horses, as they become fearful, and very hard to work with, which makes them act defensively and aggressively. Our way around this, is to use tools which give the horse no choice but to submit to our requests, like placing metal in their mouths, to take control of the head and wearing spikes on our heels, or using sticks to drive them, so we dominate or ‘break’ the horse to be able to ride it. When humans practise something generation after generation this becomes known as tradition. So, it’s traditional to work with the horse in this way, and accepted by most, without questioning the motives or logic behind the actions. Now, a smarter predator would realise how dangerous it is to work with a horse using predatory instincts, knowing that horses flee from predators, so it is not uncommon to see a horse taking off with a human on its back, bucking and rearing as if its life depended on it, but this behaviour is usually ignored and the horse considered disrespectful or stupid. Many humans have succeeded to ride the horse using these methods known as traditional, but do not understand why the horse sometimes complies and other times is difficult to ride or catch, as they do not question themselves and merely blame the horse. This is how humans have been taught generation after generation, it is even considered to be a part of our many cultures, and does not acknowledge the fact that horses are prey animals. Horses are herd animals, this means they find safety in numbers, and are compelled to get along with other animals in order to protect themselves. It is this herd instinct which we are tapping into, regardless of weather the horse feels pain or fear, they will comply. Many think they can train the instincts out of a horse through domestication and dominance. From the first moment the horse is prepared for riding, the human naturally uses a predatory approach and ignores the natural instincts of the horse, which has kept the species alive for over 44,000,000 years. This way of thinking will only lead to future problems and a breakdown in trust between horse and rider, which the horse will take the blame for and eventually discarded or neglected. A true horseman/woman would begin to think and figure out how to communicate with the horse without using predatory instincts. This is achieved by mimicking the horse’s behaviour and disregarding our own impulse to want to dominate the animal. By doing this we develop intuition and begin to understand the nature of the horse, which is referred to as Natural Horsemanship. It is believed, in order to stop a horse, we must place a piece of metal in its mouth and pull as hard as we can, which is not only painful to the horse but also damages the cells and tissues inside its mouth, and puts a lot of pressure on the jaw, teeth and spine. There is scientific evidence which proves the extent of this damage, but still we continue to use this method. Most horse lovers will say they have soft hands and never pull too hard. People believe it is the hands that use the reins but, as mentioned above, even the slightest pressure on a horse’s mouth causes pain and discomfort. Taking into consideration, that metal is harder than skin, the result is quite obvious. We cannot change the design of something by how softly we use it, a knife is designed to cut and stab, no matter how it is used, and when pressure is applied the knife will cut. A bit is designed to push down onto a horse’s tongue, the sides of the mouth and the jaw, no matter how soft the pressure applied. In an emergency when we need the horse to react quickly, we no longer have soft hands as we pull the reins hard to control the horse’s head, sending shock waves of pain down its spine. Referring back to prey instincts and fleeing from pain, this can only lead to the horse bucking the rider off and running away. To the horse, the bit represents fear, pain and discomfort, when it wears this equipment its instincts are constantly being stimulated, and will want to run away from us. When the bit, no longer has any effect on the horse, the human becomes fearful, and will react in an aggressive manner to try to dominate and control the situation, escalating the horse’s nervousness and desire to flee. So the question you might ask, how do you stop a horse from fleeing without a bit in its mouth? First we must gain the horse’s trust and begin to understand prey instincts, learn how the horse functions physiologically and psychologically. To achieve this we need to pay attention to the horse’s reactions and control our emotional impulses. Horses know their language better than we do, no book or person can guide or teach us better than a horse will, so they must become our teachers and we must learn to be patient and compassionate. People who ride, and think you control the horse from its head, are very misled, as they do not understand the physiology of the horse. The energy and power of the horse comes from the hindquarters, which causes the spine to flex, carrying this energy forwards to the shoulders, neck and finally the head. Learn how to control the hind quarters of a horse through groundwork and liberty work. When we don’t restrain the horse, their body language is clear and their mind is free to focus on what we are offering. Practise having a balanced seat and learn to move with the horse, never balancing with your hands or pulling on the reins, as this will throw you and the horse off balance. Learn to keep your body in rhythm with the horse’s body, counting its footsteps as you move forwards and change gaits. Instead of being so concerned about trying to physically control the horse with brute strength, learn to be soft, as the horse is much bigger and stronger than us, so you are fighting a losing battle. We must connect with the horse on its own terms, both emotionally and physically to be able to gain their trust. The horse is very good at analysing another animal’s energy, which tells them the intention of that animal, and will react according to this stimulation, by either fleeing, if there is any potential danger to their lives, or investigate by advancing towards it and retreating, until they feel there is no threat. Referring back to, herd instincts, the horse will synchronise its movement and energy with other horses or animals, to protect themselves from becoming a target. This is why when a horse flees, any other horse around will be compelled to run with that horse, no matter how well trained they are.We cannot take away their instincts, we can only help the horse control them by consistently expressing calm, assertive energy and making the horse feel safe. We can achieve this by learning how to control our emotions and practising to remain calm at all times, not just when working with horses, but in everyday activities. It is important we understand that everyone gives off energy, and this energy changes intensity depending on our emotional state of mind. The horse can read this energy and will react to it, depending on the intensity omitted. If the rider is nervous and tense, the horse will also be nervous, and becomes easily distracted and fearful. If the rider is calm, the horse will remain relaxed and attentive. Once we have observed horses interacting and recognise their body language, we begin to understand herd instincts and how horses communicate between themselves. We can use this knowledge to our advantage to gain the horse’s trust and learn to have a conversation with them. This allows us to tap into the horse’s psyche to make it feel safe when with us, and will want to follow us, which makes the horse calm, responsive and consistently willing, without the use of tools or force. As humans, we must be open to new ideas, as without changing we will never become better and improve, but remain in a primitive state of mind. Those who work with a horse traditionally, do not see beyond their motives or goals and will never ride with an intelligent mind, because they have not studied the horse, and taken the time to understand why horses behave aggressively, they blindly continue to depend on using tools to control the horse, setting themselves up for failure and endangering their own lives. The results of traditional method, is very evident in the horse’s behaviour, as it becomes hard to catch, rebellious, subdued, and seldom performs willingly or consistently. The rider needs to continually be asking the horse to perform, and even kick the horse in its sides to get a transition from the horse. The rider ends up using a lot of energy with little results, which fatigues and demoralises both horse and rider as the problem continues to progress. This behaviour is very common, especially for a stabled horse, which has been deprived from living in a herd and not given the chance to behave like a horse. This leads to health and behavioural problems, as the horse will become depressed and lose their free spirit. We must protect the horse from ourselves through education and self awareness, as knowledge is power. For further advice on Natural Horsemanship or working with problematic horses, please feel free to comment or contact me at freespiritnaturalriding@gmail.com