1. The very things about the horse that cause us so much
trouble are the very characteristics that have kept the
horse in existence for thousands of years. His instincts
protected his ancestors and kept them from being eaten,
so they could live long enough to reproduce offspring,
including the horse you are about to mount.
2. No matter how good the trainer or rider is, we cannot
teach the horse not to be a horse. The instincts are imbedded
genetically and are always there.
3. When the horse is under mental or physical pressure,
his instincts take over and the training goes out the
window.
4. What are those instincts? They are characteristics
that have kept the horse from being eaten by predators.
The short answer is to fight or flee, but that is too
simplistic.
5. Man - the supreme predator - must separate himself
somehow from the lions, tigers and bears when dealing
with horses.
6. Predators must bring a horse down quickly if they are
to have dinner. They can go to the neck and slice the
jugular vein and carotid artery; they can cut the hamstring
above the hock; they can cut the band on top of the neck
that holds the neck up; and, if it's a group of predators,
one can grab the nose and the rest can bring the horse
down.
7. So, we don't approach a horse from behind, or the neck
or the nose (head). The wolf that tried to bring a horse
down by biting his shoulder would be squashed. We approach
the shoulder, which tells the horse we mean no harm.
8. Predators must sneak up on a horse to be successful,
so we must announce our arrival. We speak to the horse
and wait until he acknowledges us by looking at us or
turning his ears to us. Then we walk normally to his shoulder
and stroke him.
9. The horse's keen sense of hearing have protected him
for thousands of years. His eyes on the side of his head
allow him to see almost all the way around himself. He
cannot see directly behind or immediately in front of
himself, which is why horses are such poor typists. So
we want to stay where he can see us. We whistle when coming
through a door or around a corner in the barn area to
announce to all horses that we are approaching.
10. All animals with skulls protecting their brains are
protective of their heads. We don't like to have someone
come up and put their hands on our faces without permission,
and neither does a horse. How often do we see someone
reach out and touch a horse first on the face? Not a good
idea.
11. Horses have stayed alive for many generations by reacting
quickly to surprises - run or get away first to a safe
distance, then turn and look. Don't look first or you
might not have time to run. Suppose old Dobbin falls asleep
during grooming, you step away to visit, and then go back
to grooming. That touch to a dozing horse may trigger
the instinct. Keep the horse awake. If you step away,
talk to him and announce your presence before touching
him again.
12. The horse has his own space. It is a circle about
12 to 15 feet around him. This is the area he can either
defend or still have time to get away if there is an opening.
Consider the wise old ranch horse in the pasture: you
get to within 15 feet of him with your halter, he takes
a step, you take a step. He knows you aren't going to
catch him if he can maintain his distance from you. He
will not allow a predator within that space. So, don't
act like a predator.
13. Not acting like a predator is easy. Just make sure
the horse knows who you are, where you are and what you
are going to do. To the horse, this means you approach
him talking to him, you stay where he can see you, and
you make it clear that you aren't going to hurt or eat
him by making no sudden moves. Example: we run a hand
down the leg of the hoof we wish to clean, we don't just
grab the foot.
14. Caution must be exercised in the barn or saddling
area. In most barns, the aisle is not wide enough to allow
students to pass the horses without entering their space
- so we approach each horse individually at the shoulder
after they have acknowledged us with a look or an ear;
then we keep a hand on them as we go by.
15. It is important to know where not to be when the instincts
kick in. If we go under the lead rope, the horse can smash
a face while stomping a fly. Or worse, if he spooks forward,
we will be stomped. If he is tied to a solid wall, we
may be squashed. When leading, whether you turn the horse
toward you or away, the main thing (and this is really
important with small children) is to stay out from in
front of the horse's front feet.
16.
When you are behind the horse, closer is better. When
going behind a horse, if you are up close and he hicks,
you won't get the full force - farther back you may get
kicked with the power that can move the horse forward
at 30 miles per hour. So keep your hand on the horse,
let your arm pass to the other side before your body does.
We like to have our shoulder touching the tail as we go
by. If he is going to kick, he will probably do it when
only your arm is touching his rump; he won't wait for
your body. The fact that you have touched him all the
way from his shoulder to his rump is good insurance that
he probably won't kick. He knows who you are, certainly
where you are, and you don't seem to have plans to eat
him.
17.
If students understand that it is quite a miracle that
a horse lets the supreme predator ride on his back, they
will have more respect for the horse. Horses can identify
predators - they know wolves are dangerous and cows are
not even if they have not had experience with either.
Our vegetarian friends say this is due to meat odor on
the body. Meat eaters smell different. The equine ancestors
who reacted quickly to the smell of a meat eater lived
longer and it is their descendants we ride today.
