For people who are learning to work with horses, keeping in mind that equines evolved as prey animals, and humans are viewed as predators by horses can be a big help in understanding the horse's behavior. Remembering that the actions of a human can be viewed as a threat by the horse and getting into that mindset is key to getting the horse to cooperate.
Understanding horse behavior
By focusing on natural herd behavior in interactions, you can gain the trust of your horse, lessen its fears, and gain a wealth of cooperation as that trust deepens.
Because horses are prey, not predators, in a natural setting survival depends on lightning-fast reaction time and the ability to flee rapidly and sustain that speed. Historically, horses with the quickest responses were the ones that lived to pass on their athletic ability to their offspring.
Sometimes these quick responses coupled with a horse's athletic ability lead to an edginess that produces behavioral problems. What starts as spooking at something can turn into a quirk such as bolting, spinning around, stopping abruptly, and other behaviors that make the horse less than cooperative.
Young horses derive a sense of security from going in company, especially if they have a seasoned horse to teach them what is expected of them. As herd animals, they will follow the pack rather than break from it.
Some quirks start as spooking at the unfamiliar, and the only thing that will convince a horse it has nothing to fear is passing the same object or performing the same task each day without incident. But if the rider allows the horse to use the scenario as an excuse to misbehave, a quirk is born.
The best riders know when to reprimand a horse and when not to. They can get a horse out of a habit just by catching him at the right moment and not letting him get away with it. Knowing when to reprimand and when not to helps resolve or prevent a problem.
Horses that are well-mannered under saddle can be a challenge to work with on the ground some times, especially colts. Biting and kicking are the two most common vices, and while eliminating these vices entirely may not be possible, a confident horse owner can teach a horse respect.
Reinforcement need not be negative. A trainer doesn't have to abruptly shank or whack a horse. Most horses respond to positive actions especially when the trainer is assertive and takes charge in a positive manner. While some horse trainers give treats such as pieces of apples or carrots; Others prefer a few pats to the shoulder and some kind words that help lull the horse into cooperating during training exercises.
Professional horse trainers always pays close attention to a horse that develops behavior problems, especially a horse that normally has been well-mannered. Quite often the change in attitude may be related to a physical condition or to discomfort caused by ill-fitting tack. It's best to check the horse out thoroughly to find what is causing the change in behavior.
Horses that will not stand for the farrier, ones that are resistant to training, and ones that try to bolt off the track may be in pain. Horses that spook at everything may have vision problems.
Horses categorize objects and experiences into something to fear and to flee from or something not to fear and hence, to ignore. If a horse categorizes the movement of a plastic bag, the sight and sounds of a moving tractor, or the noise of clippers as something to fear, it will attempt to run away.
Professional trainers desensitize young horses by, for example, swinging a rope around the horse's body. At the start, the horse will become nervous and will shy from the trainer's rope. The trainer keeps swinging the rope until the horse stops moving and relaxes. Upon relaxing, the trainer immediately stops swinging the rope and gives the horse a pat.
The key point is that the trainer does not stop swinging the rope in response to the frightened behavior of the horse. The trainer stops only after the horse has relaxed. This is the basic technique used to desensitize a horse from frightening objects or movements.
Fortunately, horses are rather quick when it comes to becoming desensitized to frightening stimuli in the environment such as blowing trash bags and loud noises. A horse that is introduced to "scary" situations or substances while at the same time receiving comfort and encouragement will soon gain confidence and will not react in the fight or flight mode.
Desensitization to scary or noisy objects can be as simple as working with your horse by waving a towel or trash bag around it. The idea is not to force the horse to stand still or to punish the horse, but to allow it to move around until it becomes comfortable with the object and the noise; then let the horse see and sniff the offending bag or item.
Several workouts of this nature will enable the horse to perceive objects and sounds in a different, non-threatening way. Eventually, and usually in rather short order, the horse will gain confidence and no longer see scary noise objects as threats.
Although it is natural for horse owners to exhibit predator behaviors, you can begin to think more like the horse. By focusing on the use of natural herd behavior in interactions, you can gain the trust of your horse, lessen its fears, and gain a wealth of cooperation as that trust deepens.