05/17/2020
A well written and scientifically supported post explaining the faulty psychology behind “natural horsemanship.”
I share this as a trainer who is well versed in and has experience in with natural horsemanship. While the skills the method intends to teach the horse are valid, the approach can be traumatic.
I highly recommend anyone looking for a better way of understanding ethical training to research Equine Science International and Andrew McLean.
My take on the idea of ”moving their feet”.
Photo by Dustin Cox from Pexels
The Myth of Moving Your Horse’s Feet
“Move your horse’s feet” is a suggestion often made by trainers especially those utilising Natural Horsemanship. It is often done with the aim of either calming the horse, as a punishment of a perceived misbehaviour by the horse, to gain the horse’s “respect” and assert dominance or as a way to aid learning. The idea of gaining respect is based on misunderstanding of equine behaviour, equine ethology (the natural behaviour of horses) and of the equine/human relationship. (Hartmann et al, 2017, Rees, 2017, Fenner et al , 2019). The notion of respect is a human construct that is most often used by Natural Horsemanship trainers (Birke, 2007, Fenner,et al, 2019).).
Respect is defined as:
a) A feeling or understanding that someone of something is serious or important etc. and should be treated in an appropriate way.
b) A feeling of admiration for someone or something that you believe has good qualities or ideas.
c) Politeness, care and honour and care shown towards someone or something that is considered important.
d) A feeling that something or someone is right and important and you should not attempt to harm or change it.
(Cambridge Dictionary, 2020).
Natural Horsemanship trainers incorrectly seek to emphasise the relevance of hierarchy in the horse/human interaction . (McGreevy et al, 2009, Henshall and McGreevy. 2014, McGreevy et al , 2017, Fenner et al, 2019). The most concerning aspect of the notion of respect is that it implies subjective mental states that horses may not have. (Cozzi et al, 2014, Schmict et al, 2019). As a consequence the concept of respect may predispose people to resort to punishment which has negative implications for both welfare and the horse/human relationship. (Fenner et al, 2019, Hartmann et al, 2017). An alternative explanation for the horse is showing “respect” towards the human when they stop and face them is that it is most likely the result of the behaviour being shaped via negative reinforcement (Goodwin et al,2009, McGreevy et al,2014) and it is also not likely an affiliative social strategy shown towards the person although it is possible the horse may be showing an appeasement behaviour (Hartmann et al,2019, McGreevy et al,2009, Kieson and Abramson,2019). Furthermore, research also suggests that speed and movement are more influential than posture (Birke et al, 2011) in influencing a horse to move when approached. This could indicate that it is not a social strategy employed by the horse but instead is a flight response intended to escape the human (Fenner et al, 2019). It also is more likely to increase reactivity than promote relaxation.
From a nervous system point of view the idea of movement having beneficial effects and being calming has been well documented in humans, (Levine. 2010), although there is little research into horses specifically ( Schmalzl et al, 2015, Hartmann,et al,2017). However , rapid, forced movement such as spinning the horse in tight circles, lunging or chasing a horse can trigger a flight response and is not conducive to learning it can also lead to the horse losing their balance and creating more uncertainty and worry. . (Hartmann et al, 2017, Fenner et al, 2019). Flooding a technique where the horse is subjected to an aversive stimulus such as being chased or flag waving at full intensity without opportunity for escape is also at play in these situations (McGreevy et al, 2014, Hartmann et al,2019). The thwarting of the flight or escape response results in high levels of stress ( Fenner et al,2019,Budzynska,2012) and fear in the horse ( Hall et al,2018,Panksepp, 2004, Panksepp and Van Biven,2012 ,Payne and Crane -Godreau, 2015). The frequent use of aversive equipment also exacerbates the fear response through pain. From a Polyvagal Theory perspective may lead to a state of “shutdown “ or freeze (tonic immobility) and learned helplessness (Hall et al, 2008) . This state occurs when the sympathetic nervous system (accelerator/gas pedal) and the dorsal vagal complex (abrupt vagal brake/emergency brake) (Porges,2012) is on high (high tone) ( Porges 2017, Schlote, 2017 a, Schlote,2017b , Schlote, 2020, Schwartz and Maiberger,2018) simultaneously. This is a blended state (Schlote,2018). As a consequence that horse may “shut down”, freeze (enter a state of tonic immobility) which if prolonged or repeated may result in a state of learned helplessness (Hall et al, 2008). This also occurs when there is an absence of safe connection and co-regulation from the trainer which frequently takes place in these situations (Schlote, 2017 a, Schlote, 2017,b, Schlote, 2020, ). In contrast when the dorsal vagal complex is on low (low tone) it has the opposite effect and supports a restorative state (rest and digest). (Porges, 2017). Freeze or tonic immobility is distinct from the “arrest” response which is associated with orienting within the environment to assess threat (Levine,2010). During training such as this the HPA axis is repeatedly activated leading to the production of Cortisol and other hormones especially when Co-regulation is absent frequently leading to both physiological and emotional damage leading to behaviour issues or difficulties with emotional regulation (Schlote, 2017 a, Schlote, 2017 b, Schlote, 2020, Porges, 2017).
From an ethological standpoint there is a misinterpretation of equine social behaviour and ethology ( natural behaviour) (Rees,2017, Fenner et al,2019). There is no evidence for a rigid dominance hierarchy within horse herds instead roles are more fluid and flexible (Rees,2017, Kieson et al,2019) . Instead there are learned relationships that are intended to reduce overt aggression to threats and ritualised or symbolic submissions (Rees,2017). Aggression is higher in domestic horses due to high levels of stress and environmental limitations (Rees,2017,Hartmann et al,2012, Pierard et al, 2019,). It is important to understand that aggression or repeated activation of the fight or flight response is metabolically expensive and damages social bonds and group cohesion Fureix et al, 2012, Rees,2017). A horse would rarely chase or “ move another horse’s feet” and if this does occur it is typically very short lived and ceases once the horse doing the chasing has access to the desired resource or enough personal space (there are exceptions but these are not typical) . It is certainly not a frequent occurrence (Pierad et al,2019, Van Direndock and Sprujit,2012).
Finally the suggestion of “moving their feet” fails to address root cause and if the undesirable response does disappear it is most likely a result of behaviour suppression through punishment rather than resolution. It also does not encourage people to investigate the behaviour the “ moving of the horse’s feet” is intended to resolve. Behaviour is multifaceted and complex involving a horses genetics, early history, health status, diet , current environment and human and equine relationships amongst other factors.
References
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Respect (2020) : In The Cambridge Online Dictionary
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©️Jessie Sams (2020) Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service and Beeching Horse Behaviour
