12/02/2023
All of this. But especially, "The most dangerous horse is the stressed horse."
Something I find particularly interesting is the response from some people on my post about harsh training being more encouraged and accepted than gentle and soft training.
A few commenters took my non-specific reference of gentle and soft training as synonymous with poorly behaved horses and not teaching boundaries.
I find this interesting because I think it further illuminates the real issue,: people view softness as weakness. As not setting boundaries, as letting horses get away with things…
They cannot comprehend how to teach horses how to behave safely without using what may be viewed to be as some form of harshness.
When physical punishment is the only tool available for fixing unwanted behaviours for so many horse people, there is a problem.
Physical punishment is a behavioural suppressant. It doesn’t actually deal with the underlying reason behind the unwanted behaviour and leaves horses at high risk of developing new, potentially equally as unwanted and dangerous, behaviours to replace the purpose of the old one.
This isn’t just my words, it’s researched fact. In virtually every species studied, physical punishment increased reactivity, unpredictable behaviours, general frustration and risk of fallout behaviours.
Behavioural scientists almost unanimously recommend avoiding physical punishment because of the risk factors.
And yet the horse world is so far behind that they think the only alternative to physically punishing unwanted behaviours is having a poorly behaved horse…
There is such a disconnect that many people don’t realize that some of the most dangerous horses they’ll deal with are ones who are routinely physically punished.
The most dangerous horse is the stressed horse.
Flight behaviours are what create unpredictability and injure people.
Chronic stress (or pain) is what creates aggression that can hurt people.
Want to know what stresses a flight animal significantly? Being hit.
Pain.
A lack of predictability and clarity.
Punishment never tells the animal what the “right” answer is. It just says “don’t do that” and then the correct answer is left to ambiguity, which is frustrating to the animal
On top of this, if unwanted behaviour stems from pain or neglected needs, suppressing it is essentially just shaking a bottle of champagne with the cork on… when that cork comes off, it is going to explode.
If you find yourself thinking the only alternative to harsh physical corrections is a poorly behaved horse, this is an invitation to learn more about the science of behaviour and behaviour modification so you can develop your toolbox.
It is very archaic and misguided to hold such views and we are in a time where there is enough research on these topics to unequivocally say that it is straight up untrue to insist the only means of correcting unwanted behaviour is physical punishment.
It is time for the horse world to start to be more accepting of science rather than just relying on biased personal beliefs and anecdotes as it harms both horses and people.
