Mamba, the horse being a horse

11/12/2023

11/12/2023

What if instead of thinking about our horses being "seeking for attention", we thought of them simply looking for our support? What if instead of thinking of them "having a behavioral problem" we thought of them simply not understanding how to deal with a situation? What if instead of thinking of them "being trying to dominate us", we simply thought of them feeling anxious and stressed? The way we think of things shapes our perception of them too, so it's time to evaluate everything for what it truly is and consequently change our attitude towards it too ❣️

11/12/2023

Today I want to debunk some of the most famous beliefs about horses, always used to justify the exploitation they endure. I personally like to call them "fairy tales" too, as it's just what they are: beautiful stories being told over and over to make appear right and nice what it's not so at all.
-"Horses need a job, as they are wasted without it...." No, horses don't need any job, they only need to be horses in order to be happy. Freedom, forage and friends: that's everything they truly need, as they just don't care at all about working and they surely don't feel wasted without a job.
-"You can never force such a big animal to do what he doesn't want to..." Of course you can. With the right training and mental conditioning you can absolutely force horses to do anything you want and what's more, with them being prey animals that are very easily scared, this can be even quite easy to get.
-"You can see horses performing a task even without the rider, so it means that they love their job..." No, it simply means that they are conditioned to do so through the training they got, just like a sort of robot automatically repeating what it's programmed to do over and over.
-"There are many horses performing different activities at liberty, meaning that they enjoy what they are doing..." No, being at liberty doesn't always mean at all the horses to be enjoying what they do: very often they are simply previously trained with different tools and coercive methods, in order for them to simply repeat at liberty too what they forcefully learnt.
-"With the right desensitization you can get a bombproof horse not being scared by anything at all..." Horses are prey animals who naturally tend to remain always alert and reactive, as it's just their inner instinct that made them survive throughout the years of evolution, so horses not reacting anymore to anything are most likely just turned off because of the learned helplessness: through a coercive training they learned that there's nothing they can do to avoid what happens to them, so they end by enduring whatever they have to face, no matter what and no matter how.
-"Horses need us to be a boss to obey to, that's what they do with other horses too...." First of all horses do perfectly know us not to be a horse and anyhow they don't need any boss at all, they only need a reliable calm guide to protect and support them: in nature too they don't like violence at all and the aggressive horses are usually isolated, as they don't represent the strength and sense of safety that a herd truly needs. In fact horses use aggressiveness only to protect their resources or territory and to fight for the reproduction, surely not to be a boss on each other: on the contrary they tend to naturally follow a horse representing a trustworthy wise guide, but surely they aren't ever forced to do it, it's a free choice.

Image credit: Anne Wipf

10/12/2023

Yes...he's surely a tough and proud macho stallion 😁, but sometimes he can assume such adorable cute faces too 😍😍

10/12/2023

And it's also a sign of real strength, as it is so much easier to scare a prey animal in order to make him become a submissive and obedient slave with no choice at all, instead of building a relationship being based on mutual trust and allowing him to freely express himself in order to create a willing partnership together 💕

10/12/2023

Horses are never naughty or bad. Never. All behaviors always have their own specific function, they are somehow needed by horses, who just do not know the difference between good behavior and bad behavior. Instead they only know which behavior may work and which behavior does not work in a specific contest. To be honest, if our horses were really capable of any malintent, then we all would be simply screwed, as with them being so big, strong and fast they could very easily kill us if they really wanted to. They don't though. They just try to adapt as best as possible into our human world and so it's our own responsibility to become for them the reliable guide they need to do it in a safe way and in a way also allowing them to adjust to our human environment while also maintaining the right to keep being who they are: horses being horses 💟

09/12/2023

Long read...but so true ❣️

The five basic freedoms of animal welfare are what is considered to be the “bare minimum” when it comes to when needs to be provided to promote wellbeing.

They are as follows:

1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst.

2. Freedom from Discomfort. (Providing appropriate environment with shelter)

3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease.

4. Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour. (Normal behaviour for horses includes socialization, play, mutual grooming, group naps, lengthy times spent foraging, adequate movement)

5. Freedom from Fear and Distress.

On an international scale, on many accounts, it is fully legal to not provide horses with all of these freedoms.

Most horses have freedom # 1 , but that’s where things start to get murky.

Freedom from discomfort could also be taken as the discomfort that could come with being a herd animal who is isolated and confined for 20+ hours a day, even if there is shelter.

The discomfort that it causes an animal made to basically be perpetually moving with other horses to be forced to stand within the walls of a 12x12 box is substantial. This also predisposes horses to physically uncomfortable ailments like ulcers.

If horses go anywhere from 4-6 hours without hay, their stomach will start to ulcerate, this could also be regarded as a form of discomfort or as not fulfilling Freedom # 3.

As per studies like Dr. Sue Dyson’s ridden pain and lameness studies, ~40% of ridden horses display some form of lameness, suggesting many horses don’t have freedom from pain.

Lots of horse owners are unable to read horse behaviour due to it not being properly taught, meaning they often miss out on what their horse is trying to say.

Pain or stress related behaviours are often mistook for “naughty” behaviour and punished accordingly.

Freedom # 4, in my opinion, is the most commonly unfulfilled need in the horse.

As a herd animal, being near other horses near constantly and actually being able to have physical contact with other horses is a need.

Social needs account for a generous portion of equine wellbeing and there is extensive evidence of how complete isolation damages welfare substantially.

Many horses are kept in complete isolation from other horses, the closest form of socialization they receive being seeing other horses from across a fenceline where they cannot even touch noses.

I did this to my first horse for YEARS. He was utterly deprived of social connection and I was none the wiser to the damage I was doing because I was taught it was okay.

Horses are also trickle feeding grazers. They’re meant to move A LOT and cover a lot of distance.

While providing them with massive acreages worldwide may be difficult, I do think we need to consider the fact that it isn’t fair on a welfare perspective if they’re kept in such small spaces that the only time they get to go above a walk or a trot is when they’re ridden.

They deserve space to engage in autonomous movement, this is a natural behaviour.

Enrichment in stalls and small paddocks can help to better fulfil these needs by giving horses more control to influence their environment but it cannot replace socialization and autonomous movement completely.

Lastly, Freedom # 5. Many horses do not have this freedom as it is still super accepted to deliberately traumatize horses in training.

The fact that people can post videos of them training horses so aggressively that they flip them over or the horse tries to jump out of a round pen, so desperate to escape, and have people laugh at it with them is an example of how many humans aren’t aware of the trauma they may be inflicting on horses.

It isn’t realistic to provide a completely fear free life but if we can lower stress in training, we should. Many choose not to do this due to not wanting to have to learn new methods.

We shouldn’t just accept having perpetually stressed horses. Stress is unpleasant for any creature, we need to value comfort in training more.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that we should move towards a reality where these 5 freedoms are used as a guideline for welfare and where boarding facilities are held to similar standards as zoos, in which they are required to fulfil a certain number of minimum standards in order to remain open.

This should honestly be the bare minimum.

Having public facilities have to fulfil basic welfare requirements allows owners more options in being able to find better care for their horses and it holds facilities accountable by ensuring they are set up to appropriately manage the animals they intend to keep.

This really should not be a controversial statement as most horse people I’ve spoken to are able to see the poor welfare in unregulated zoos and in other care with more exotic animals.

The horse industry has just had a certain level of care so normalized that complacency has developed.

Minimum welfare standards would be a win for everyone by allowing horse owners more freedom in selecting ethical care practices for their horses by pushing more public facilities to provide them due to it being legally necessary.

The discussion on how to fulfil all 5 freedoms on less space, in urban environments, needs to happen but that doesn’t change the fact that ALL of these freedoms must be fulfilled in order to practice good welfare.

Can the horse industry agree that there needs to be a certain set of minimum standards met to quantify adequate care?

Welfare can’t just be about providing food/water to sustain life but not providing enough to psychologically sustain adequate mental health or allow existence without pain and excess stress.

09/12/2023

We only need to learn how to listen...❣️

09/12/2023

Expectations about equestrian women VS reality 😜

Image credit: Equidance

09/12/2023

It's Saturday again....happy weekend to everyone and welcome to the new followers 💚

09/12/2023

And it's addictive 🥰

09/12/2023

Exactly...: there's so much knowledge behind living horses for what they truly are, instead of simply using them as sporting tools.... And also so much more experience and skill is needed to deal with a horse being allowed to truly express himself and his animal nature 💙

09/12/2023

I've always enjoyed riding since I was a kid, but by now what I enjoy the most is simply spending time with Mamba when he's doing just anything he truly loves, like exploring the surroundings together or going to see his herd. In fact to me truly loving horses and being a real horse person is about enjoying who they are exactly as they are, it's loving them simply for being horses and always wanting anything we may do together to be an enjoyable experience for them too: that's the secret of any real friendship where everything needs to be always mutual, otherwise everything becomes only a very self centered and one sided relationship ❣️

08/12/2023

❣️❣️❣️

I have a field full of late gelded geldings who all think they’re Mr. Macho. It can get messy, since they weren’t socialized as young studs, and eventually, once their behavior became too raucous, they were gelded. There is much arguing over resources, posturing, and testing each other. It requires a lot of attention and space to keep them all safe.

A young horse learns so many important lessons from a herd - a horse inherently wants to get along. it doesn’t pay to be an outlaw, since the risk of bad behavior is being ostracized. They learn from a young age from mother and the herd what behavior is ok and what isn’t - they learn to read expression and to tune in to the overall energy of the horses and environment around them.

It’s sad, really, how many horses are overprotected, with the intention of keeping them from being injured or dirtied or whatever the case may be - they lose crucial socialization skills, proprioception development, development of bone and tendon and ligament, the ability to learn, and the ability to get along.

The best thing you can do for a young horse is to let them live in a large space with a herd - not just another horse, but a real, functioning, stable, healthy herd. Let them learn how to be a horse - once you miss those crucial learnings, it is extremely difficult or nearly impossible to create a really well rounded, happy horse.

A field full of misfit boys lovingly nicknamed The Crips and The Bloods are a testament to this - all their behavior is managed through plenty of space, a sharp eye toward their needs and behavior, and the commitment to keep them for life so they can be their happiest.

And then there’s my young stud: a gentleman, soft to handle, and well balanced mentally: has lived with a herd since he was born, and knows what behavior will not be accepted by other horses. This translates beautifully over to his learnings, because he assumes the world is good, and there is order - one of the most crucial things a young horse can learn.

08/12/2023

So here we are going on publishing the pictures you are sending to me about you and your horses, five at a time. As usual, the person recognizing his own photo can tell us something about his/her horse in the comments, whatever you feel like sharing with us 🥰 Keep sending your own pictures too, to feel more and more involved with the page 💞

08/12/2023

And horses do teach us about this too ❣️

08/12/2023

When you don't want to appear in the picture, but the result is simply ironic 😅

08/12/2023

Again it's a matter of perspectives... What we may describe as beautiful "liberty shows" often has just nothing to do with a real liberty for the horse, who simply remains conditioned by whatever has been used during the training, with this tool being still present or not. And it's exactly the same process happening with horses eventually performing any sporting activity without the rider too: just a mental conditioning to repeat over and over something they have been trained to do.

Image credit: Fed Up Fred

08/12/2023

"The perfect horse doesn't exist and you will never find him: perfection is making any horse become your own horse and build a real duo together with him..."
Picture and words of a friend of mine, Flavia Fracassi ❣️

08/12/2023

❣️🙏🏻❣️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…

I’ve never seen a more misunderstood animal more than 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞…

I’ve been trying to tell you that I am in pain, but you don’t seem to listen.

I show you that I’m in pain by not being willing to work but you just call me 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 or 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐲. Instead of helping me, you just 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by rearing when you try to ride me, but you enjoy showing people you can sit to a rear. Instead of getting off and listening, you just say “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭!”

I show you that I’m in pain by throwing my head in the air, but you just say it’s one of 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. Instead of helping me, you just buy 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 so that I can no longer 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by bolting, but you just get scared and decide I’m not the one for you. You sell me and I still remain as 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

It’s our responsibility as animal owners to do right by them, horses can’t speak, they communicate through their actions. So we need to listen!

9/10 times “negative behaviour” is caused my pain, the rest is learnt behaviour. Either way I always check for pain first.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, deserves the world. The amount of tolerance, loyalty, patience and trust the hurting horse has, is something I can only dream of having.

Written by - The Horse-Centred Approach

Artist - Ruby Campbell

07/12/2023

Well...what can I say...Again I'm here to thank everyone for such a wonderful support, making us already reach more than 7000 followers. And this also shows a growing appreciation for a different way to live the horse, not being focused on the equestrian sport, but simply on the animal as a life companion instead: thank you ❤️🙏🏻❤️

07/12/2023

Absolutely true 💯

So, I just got this super high energy working bred herding dog.

Yes, I only live in an apartment. Yes, I work 12 hour shifts and come home late, but I can get her out for an hour a day, she will be fine in her kennel for that time. She doesn’t seem to mind!

No, I can’t afford to hire someone to walk her while I’m at work, but don’t be elitist.

It isn’t fair to say that it’s cruel to keep a high energy dog locked in a cage for half the day and a small apartment for several hours more… stop making me feel guilty!

Not everyone has access to large spaces and hours a day to exercise their dog…

See how ridiculous this sounds?

If I didn’t clarify that this is a made up story to draw parallel to some of the justifications used for keeping horses in inadequate care, people would be preparing their pitchforks and torches.

Why is it viewed as so acceptable to use “it’s the best I can provide” excuse with horses to deflect from discussions on how damaging spending the majority of the day isolated in a stall is?

Something being the “best” you can provide doesn’t mean it’s adequate care.

If I decided to get a pet cheetah tomorrow, the best I could provide is making it a house cat, which would not be sufficient.

I am not entitled to owning an animal I cannot properly provide for.

We, as an industry, either need to make a way bigger effort to set up communities and boarding facilities that do a far better job of providing the bare minimum needs of the horse or people need to not get horses if they cannot provide them basic needs.

Socialization is a basic need.

Space to move and self exercise is a basic need. It doesn’t need to be on 100 acres but being in a 12x12 stall for 20+ hours a day is not sufficient.

Food and water are not the only basic needs.

We are not entitled to owning animals and if you feel guilty when you read things that make you feel like you’re not provide adequate care….

To be honest, guilt is an honest reaction.

We SHOULD feel guilty if we are owning animals and are not providing them enough to live happy, healthy lives.

If we are depriving them of some of their most core needs…

If we truly love the animal, as many of us do, guilt is a normal response to that realization.

We can’t just be doing the best WE can. We need to be providing at the LEAST, the bare minimum of core needs for the animals we get otherwise we shouldn’t have them.

07/12/2023

Santa Claus too has to accept that horses needs to be allowed to also say No 😁💖

Image credit: J.L. Werner/Misfit Designs

07/12/2023

Exactly 💞

In the world of equestrian care, it's not uncommon to encounter behavioural issues in horses. These problems, ranging from aggression and anxiety to stereotypical behaviours, often stem from a fundamental deficiency in the fulfilment of the horse's three critical needs: Forage, Friends, and Freedom. As our understanding of equine behaviour deepens, it's becoming increasingly evident that neglecting these core needs can lead to serious physical and psychological issues for the horses in our care.

Blog: Unravelling the 3 F's: Why Behavioural Problems in Horses Are Often a Result of Neglecting Forage, Friends, and Freedom

https://empoweringequinetrainingbehaviour.com/empowering-equine-blog/unraveling-the-3-fs-why-behavioral-problems-in-horses-are-often-a-result-of-neglecting-forge-friends-and-freedom

07/12/2023

In December of last year the Dressage champion Salinero died...and everyone celebrated his career and sporting results, while a picture like this should only make us feel ashamed for what he had to endure throughout his life just for the human earning and entertainment 💔

07/12/2023

Our horses' real welfare is so much more than a shiny coat and fancy gadgets... It is about their emotional state, their right to live free from fear and distress, their being allowed to express their natural behaviours and their having their animal needs being satisfied 💓

07/12/2023

This might be an unpopular opinion that will rattle some but I think it’s an important one…

The extent to which horse owners feel the need to bubble wrap their horses, I think, stems from how common it is to, well, not let horses be horses…

Horses who grow up having virtually no time in a herd…

Horses who grow up only ever getting to autonomously move on perfectly manicured, flat ground in a small paddock…

Horses who don’t have the space to go faster than a walk or trot unless, of course, it is when they’re under saddle and being piloted by a person…

How can they be expected to NOT be accident prone when they’ve not been allowed to live a life that’s autonomous enough to learn some self preservation?

How are they supposed to know how to move in a way to prevent injury when they aren’t exposed to different terrains, or allowed to self exercise in larger areas?

How can they learn how to coexist in herds without picking fights without developing social skills?

Or, how can they even share fence lines without causing problems if they haven’t learned how to properly communicate with other horses due to being deprived of opportunities to learn how to do so?

Even outside of learned behaviours within the brain, the body (especially the hoof and soft tissues) can’t really condition itself to withstand forces that it was never exposed to.

Movement of the body is absolutely crucial to building soundness in addition to allowing the brain to learn about the environment.

The most accident prone horses I consistently encounter are the ones who have had a history of not being allowed to be horses.

The ones who have existed in herds 24/7 for all of, or most of, their lives tend to have the least amount of issues.

Sure, accidents can still happen, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this observation wasn’t becoming exceedingly more obvious to me the more I’ve moved away from being the exact type of person to bubble wrap the crap out of my horses.

The more nice allowed them to learn how to safely exist as horses are intended, the less I find myself worrying about them.

The sight of my horse running across the field, as horses do, used to frighten me because I would worry about imminent injury…

But then I would canter them at courses of jumps and ask them far more physically demanding things, without fear, because I was in control.

And sadly, it’s been far too recently I’ve realized this.

06/12/2023

Does it ever happens with your horses? 😏

Image credit: Equimed

06/12/2023

Exactly...horses are not a replaceable tool to use, but they are a lifetime commitment 🤎

Image credit: Ethical Art- A believer in a kinder world

06/12/2023

💞👏🏻💞

We are not a horse.

We are not their herd.

If they don’t feel safe, they need horses and their herd, if we are the ones making them feel unsafe or putting them in unsafe situations and then we are definitely not their horse, their herd, their leader or their safe space. Of course they’ll want to go where they feel safe.

This is an instinctive thing they feel when we create that environment and it drives their behaviour to seek safety. They don’t have to think about it, it’s reflexive.

Just like our behaviour is reflexive to blink if something flies at our eyes or pull our hand away from something hot or back away from our horse if we feel unsafe.

If we step back from our horse because we don’t feel safe, or feel worried or anxious, we don’t think about it, it’s an autonomic response we do to keep ourselves safe. We don’t consciously decide and we don’t do it deliberately, it's unconscious. It has nothing to do with our energy, chakras or crystals or indicates that we need to be a better leader or wave a flag at our horse to ‘get their attention’ and make us scarier than whatever it is they’re scared of that makes them want to run back to the herd.

Around and around it goes.

If we scare horses, wave flags at horses or put them in situations they don’t feel safe, they will want to be with us less and less. They will feel less safe around us and therefore cause us to feel unsafe as well, because they become unpredictable, erratic and unsafe in their behaviour.

If your horse is behaving or has behaved in a way that you don’t feel safe and need to step back from them, the horse is probably not caring about your behaviour or what you are thinking or feeling. They're looking around checking for danger, scanning for exits, looking for escape and just trying to survive. They’re not looking out for you or being careful not to run into you or step on you.

They’re just trying to survive, and if you step back from your horse, then so are you.

If you want your horse and yourself to do more than just survive, but to have fun, have a great trusting relationship and of course feel safe, Positive Reinforcement training is the solution.

06/12/2023

Whenever we walk in the paddock Mamba doesn't stop to greet all of the horses, he just doesn't care about the mares either, but he precisely chooses just the ones he has something open with...For example whenever we meet this horse outside too he often plays the bossy role with Mamba, who consequently feels the need to always stop and "talk to him" a bit, just to clarify his position ☺️❤️

06/12/2023

A wild Mustang...reminding me so much of Mamba and making clear how the Paso Fino breed originally comes from crossing between the Lusitano horses and just the Mustangs 💕

06/12/2023

I just love this video...always listening to me, no matter the excitement 🥰

06/12/2023

Our Ferdinando is having some sort of contusion on one front foot lately, so he's forced to rest and cannot go for our usual daily walks...But he's having much cuddling and treats, so he's being even more spoiled than what he usually is ❣️

05/12/2023

This is Crumble from Munchkins Miniature Shetland Rescue...I had to share such an adorable face, simply cuteness overload 😍😍😍