The Psychology of the Horse

The Training Horses Naturally website defines Horse Psychology as: " the scientific study of the horse's mind and its functions.  Encompassing the mental characteristics or attitude of the species".  This field of study is growing so hopefully, as we come to understand horses better, our care of them, and thus our relationships with them, will improve.

To understand how a horse's mind works you need to study horses in their natural environment, ie in the wild, not in the stable.  This gives you an insight into the nature of the species.  The Horse Stall website says that domesticated horses are protected by their guardians and provided with food and care therefore they seldom have to think about much "other than play or having their own way".  They say that for these horses their "reasoning comes from boredom, the desire to get out of work, and a search for forbidden food".  Horses are sometimes labelled as being 'stupid', 'stubborn' or 'lazy' but generally it is more a case of us not understanding the world from their point of view.

Horses are herd animals and a prey species therefore their first instinct in times of potential danger is to run away.  If they are not able to run for some reason then they will fight.  One trigger for this flight or fight behaviour is rapid movement.  Horses also have a hierarchical structure within the herd and, when this is stable, each horse knows his place within the society, and knows how to behave.

Humans, on the other hand, are predator animals and we tend to make sudden movements.  Also we often don't understand the signals that horses are sending out.  Our challenge therefore is to not act like a predator and to learn how to interact with our animals in a way that does not trigger their fear.  It would also be helpful to learn and respect the herd hierarchy and to work with that, rather than against it.

We also have quite a bit in common since both horses and humans are very sociable creatures and we each operate according to our social rules, the difference being that the rules for horses are first and foremost based on their instinct for survival.  To a horse, the way he behaves, certainly in the wild, could mean the difference between life and death. 

We also share many emotional states with these animals.  They too feel love, fear, sadness, loneliness, loss, anxiety, and happiness.  In addition we both respond to others who make us feel confidence, trust and respect, and we both like to feel safe. 

On the other hand, horses do not have an ego.  They do not tend to hold on to baggage in the same way that we do.  They generally do not carry guilt, judgements, prejudices, shame or the need for approval.  When interacting with horses, therefore, it is important to understand how they see the world and not to view their behaviour through a human lens, applying labels from this judgement.  We can observe how they behave towards each other and work to find a middle ground where horse and human can meet and develop a mutual understanding and a shared communication.

For example, when two horses meet they introduce each other by approaching slowly, often at an angle rather than directly.  They are very respectful of each others' space and will read each others' body language to know if it is acceptable to come closer.  If they are both comfortable they will come close enough to touch noses. 

As humans we often walk directly up to horses, even those we don't know very well, which is contrary to their code of behaviour.  Instead we should learn from their example and approach slowly and gently, watching for signs of how the horse feels as we enter his space.  Stopping a few feet from the horse and extending a hand, allowing him to come close and make the first contact respects the horse's need to assess new situations, making sure that they are safe and that there is no threat.

When two horses know each other well and have built up a mutual trust, they will often groom each other.  Humans tend to pat their horses  but perhaps a better way would be to mirror the horses' own behaviour and scratch instead.  Find the place that the horse enjoys being scratched -- his body language will let you know when you've hit the right spot!  It will often be in the places that he cannot reach himself such as the neck, withers or rump.

As horses are herd animals their natural instinct is to be with others of their kind.  Living in a herd means protection: many eyes looking out for each other.  Also horses prefer to be in open spaces where they can see in all directions, knowing that they can spot a predator in time to run away.  Living in a stable therefore is not natural to a horse, both because they are on their own in the stall, and because they cannot see far and they are unable to run.  On top of that, life in a stable can be very boring with only four walls to look at for hours on end. 

This lifestyle can be very stressful for a horse and can lead to behaviours which have been labelled stable 'vices', a rather unfortunate term since the definition of vice is:

"a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhealthy habit (such as an addiction to smoking).  Synonyms for vice include fault, sin, depravity, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption."

(Wikipedia)

This seems to place the fault with the horse instead of looking at the underlying reason for the behaviour.  All we need to do to understand this stress is to put ourselves 'in the horses shoes' and imagine how we would feel if we were left totally alone in a box with no-one to talk to and nothing to do.

Where at all possible it is best to try to create natural conditions as far as possible.  Ideally this would be for the horse to be turned out, day and night, with other horses to form a herd.  This needs to be handled sensitively however as, in fact, this is still an artificial situation for the horse.  In the wild herds are made up of family members.  The lead stallion looks after a 'harem' of mares.  He mates with all the mares meaning that he is the father of the foals.  It is his responsibility to protect his family from predators, to warn when danger is approaching, to ward or fight off rival stallions and to discipline other horses who get out of line.

The herd also has a lead mare who is usually an older and more experienced mare.  Her role is to find grazing areas for the group and to lead them to water.  She also leads the other horses away from danger while the stallion protects from behind.  She is typically the boss of the herd in day-to-day matters.

Mares will only mate with the lead stallion, unless a rival has snuck in to snatch a female.  Foals are usually born in the Spring, and often at night, the mare moving away from the rest of the group to find a quiet, safe spot to give birth.  Within one hour the foal is normally ready to stand, and within two it is strong enough to run.  At this point the mother will lead her foal back to the herd.

Fillies will be chased away from the herd when they are sexually mature (one year or older) and will soon join another stallion and his harem.  Colts will also be removed from the herd when they are sexually mature (two plus years old) and will join a bachelor group.  This group consists of other colts and stallions without a harem of their own.  They spend their days eating, sleeping and practicing fighting for when they win their own group of mares.

A stallion's life can be hard, looking after his herd and fighting to win mares, grazing and access to water.  Stallions will generally avoid full fights whenever possible, trying instead to win through displaying their size and strength.  Sometimes however fights do occur and these can be severe.  Most older stallions have scars which bear witness to their many battles.  Bachelor bands can be crafty and can spell trouble for a stallion.  Sometimes one of the band will fight the lead stallion of the herd while another steals the mares. (http://www.wildhorseeducation.com/wh_tutorial/module2.html).

In the herds that we create we need to respect these sorts of interactions and the hierarchy that develops.  If we don't, we could be exposing horses to the risk of bullying or of one being ostracised by the others.  Within a herd you can notice that certain horses will tend to spend a lot of time in each others' company.  Looking at the herd as a whole you will see pairs of horses grazing, standing, playing or grooming together.  These pair bonds can be very strong so it is worth being aware of which horses spend a lot of time together and of how they all fit together in the herd.  Having a pair bond provides company for a horse and also means that there is an extra pair of eyes looking out for you.  Being on your own, without a buddy, even in a herd, means that you are more likely to fall prey to a predator.  As humans we need to be sensitive to these bonds and not make sudden changes, either by adding a horse to an established herd, or by removing a horse from his buddy.

In many situations in which we keep horses, it is not possible for them to be turned out all the time.  We therefore need to think of ways of making their time in the stable more 'natural'.  For example, think of how the horse interacts with his surroundings when within a herd.  He likes to be able to see around him and to see his herd-mates.  Horses prefer to be in light, airy stables where they can see out, and preferably where they can see, and even touch, other horses.  It is also a good idea to have the doors of the stables close enough to one another so that the horses can reach out and touch noses.

Also think about how the horse eats and drinks.  In the wild horses graze for up to sixteen hours a day, eating grass growing on the ground.  In contrast humans often feed concentrates at set meal times and provide hay in nets tied to the wall at head height.  This is not natural for horses and can lead to tooth and digestive problems.  It is far better to provide food at floor level for indoor horses, with a good supply of hay that they can graze on throughout the day.  Water too should be at floor level and it is best if it is given in a bucket, rather than a self-refilling trough.  This means that the guardian can keep an eye on their horse's water consumption which can be an indicator of their general health.

Horses will also appreciate having things to do.  This could be taking part in events, going for hacks or just being groomed by their guardian.  When they are on their own in the stable it can be a good idea to leave toys for them to investigate so that they have mental stimulation.  Anything new should be introduced sensitively and of course it must be safe to leave with the unsupervised horse.

Taking the time to empathise with your horse will help you to develop a deeper understanding, and thus a closer relationship with this amazing animal.  They in turn will respond as your communication becomes clearer, and they will thrive in this richer environment.

References

• What Horses Say: How to Hear, Help and Heal Them - Anna Clemence Mews and Julie Dicker
• http://www.training-horses-naturally.com/horse-psychology.html
• http://www.horse-stall.net/horse-articles/psychology-of-the-horse.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice
• http://www.wildhorseeducation.com/wh_tutorial/module2.html