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Welcome back.
Let's start our discussion of equine behavior by talking about the core of
the horse's life, the fact that it is a prey animal.
And when we say prey animal,
what we mean is that the horse is susceptible to predators.
That fact is reflected in his physiology
as well as his reactions to the world around him.
In this lesson, we'll discuss the basic instincts that drive equine behavior.
And by the end of the lesson you'll be able to recognize the typical responses
of a prey animal.
An interesting side note is that horses
are one of the few prey animals that tend to be the companions of humans.
Understanding a horse's natural status as a prey and herd animal helps to
explain why horses have some specific behaviors that can get them into trouble.
If you can make yourself think like a prey animal,
you may be able to anticipate a negative reaction in the horse and
prevent injury to the horse and to bystanders.
Being aware of your horses mindset and nature is important
when approaching a horse, especially if he or she is already stressed.
Remember that a prey animal is constantly vigilant of potential
threats on the horizon and any sudden movements, noises or
unexplained activity in the distance can create a flight response.
A horse's herd instinct can also be an asset in certain circumstances.
Such as moving a group of horses out of harm's way in a disaster.
If we can identify a confident lead horse, the rest of the pack will follow.
In the earlier lessons, we talked about how horses' vision and
their nervous system guide their responses to certain stimuli.
And how this often begins from a place of fear or defensiveness.
Now we will discuss why the horse has a strong flight reaction as a prey and
herd animal.
We'll explain how this relates to what is considered normal
versus problem behaviors.
Horses are grazers of forage by nature,
they spent most of their day eating in a standing position with their heads down.
Scanning the horizon,
this makes them vulnerable to attack by predator who may want to eat them.
Horses are not predators they do not hunt for
their food, they are prey animals, somebody elses food.
Horses have a very deep rooted instinct to react to their environment as
a prey animal.
This status of prey animal is observed in our domesticated horses
even though we know they're safe and will not be attacked by a lion.
Being a prey animal means a horse's best chance of survival
is to be standing in a herd.
There is safety in numbers and horses are always ready to run.
Prey animals remain vigilant at all times and react quickly to sudden movement or
noise.
In the horse, we recognize this prey instinct through various behaviors.
They have a very quick startle response, a strong tendency for
flight, instead of fight.
Separation related anxieties and problems, strong bonding to buddies,
a strong affinity for being in safe haven, either the barn or the shed.
They spend very little time laying down, as they are vulnerable in this position.
And they have a natural tendency to resist narrow confinement and strong restraint.
They don't like to be cornered or tied tightly.
You can help your horse have mental wellness, as well as physical well being
by keeping in mind that a normal horse thrives with routines and familiar scenes.
Horses learn quickly and in a methodical way.
Most horses prefer to be in a group and will seek a confident buddy or
leader, which might be you.
Horses are highly food motivated.
If they're not in a panic, that is.
And they feel safest in their familiar surroundings, moving about freely.
Simply put, a horses basic view of the world, is that there is safety in numbers
and that they will react to their environment first and think a second.
And in that way,
there are certain situations that really create significant stress for them.
And in their minds they equate certain conditions with susceptibility to death.
Those include being alone, being down or cornered or
tied, and lack of access to food, and weakness.
All of these equate to death in their mind, and
this is why horses are also known to be such stoic creatures.
They will often not show us pain or weakness.
Because they worry about their susceptibility
to a predator under those conditions.
Our beautiful strong horses are often thought of as brave warriors, and
in fact, many are.
Most horses are easily frightened and
have strong reactions to certain stimuli that are not familiar to them.
Horsemen will use the word spook to describe this reaction.
This word means, when a horse becomes frightened and fearful, he will run and
move quickly and often without warning.
It is their instinct as prey animals to move very quickly
away from what is scaring them, this is the flight response.
Among other things, horses will often spook at fast approaching people and
objects, arms waving,
quick body movements, anything that looks to be uncontrolled.
It was spooked an unfamiliar objects, hats, balloons, bicycles,
tarps, umbrellas.
Often they will spooked at loud noises such as sirens, radios and loud speakers,
which can make it very difficult to manage a horse in an emergency or
disaster situation.
They often spook at bright lights such as headlamps, headlights, flashlights,
and sometimes the reluctance to move into an area can be associated with lightning.
Horses will spook at unusual smells if they had detect the smell of smoke or
fuel, some horses will react as well as the strange animals,
cows, wildlife, camelids.
Horses have a good sense of smell and they will be alerted to unfamiliar smells.
Horses can also spook at changes in the surfaces that they're moving on.
If there is a threshold between a certain type of clay or
dirt surface and then a cement surface, oftentimes the horses will pause and
will look at that change in surface before they proceed.
Water is another surface that a significant number of horses
will spook at.
If you need to approach a stressed or panicked horse, follow these guidelines.
The fewer number of people, the better.
Be calm, approach slowly with confidence from the front towards the left shoulder.
Speak quietly to the horse as you approach, and have your halter and
lead rope ready to go in a position that will facilitate easy application.
No sudden moves and no yelling from anyone in the area.
When you approach the horse, rub his neck from the left side, and
introduce the rope around the neck.
Restrain the horse with great care, as he or she may attempt to run past or
over you.
Never try to win a tug of war with the horse.
If the horse is leaving, let them go.
Try to maintain the herd environment, if you can't bring a buddy in to help
calm the horse then do so, ideally there should be a familiar horse.
Food is often a welcome and reassuring distraction and
approaching a horse with some food will often facilitate their catch.
Now that you have a better understanding of the nature of prey animals and
the behaviors they exhibit, let's discuss normal equine behavior.
Claudia Sonder, DVMEmeriti Director of Equine Outreach
