05/08/2024
I so wish this would stop!
A while ago I shared a fantastic post from Evidence Based Horsemanship here on my FB page.
“Did you know that horses lack a large, developed frontal lobe? That’s the part of the brain responsible for making plans, forming strategies, and reasoning.
Knowing that, horses don’t have it in for us! They don't lie, plot, or laugh at our expense. They literally don't have the brain power to do those things.”
I shared it because this is one of those myths in the horse world that bring the most pain in horse-human relationships.
The belief that the horse is doing things “to” you, to “test you”, to “annoy you” is exactly what leads to a lot of harsh corrections and emotional outbreaks from riders.
It justifies abuse and violence against horses.
Because of this myth, so many horses are misunderstood. Are labeled as “bitch”, “sassy”, “dominant” or even dangerous.
It is this myth that brings people so often into dangerous and frustrating situations with their horses.
And you know what? Within 5 minutes of sharing this post, I had a nasty comment underneath it. I could almost not believe it but confirmed to me how deeply rooted this myth is still today in the horse world.
“Science may say this but I've seen horses calculate and purposefully do things. Seemingly out of spite. They say that a lot of animals lack this ability but yet if you take any length of time and watch their behaviors you start to see that some of them truly are just as****es and do things purposefully.”
This is exactly the attitude that has to stop! Once people start calling horses ***holes, this is where the fun really stops. I mean, come on!
There is a reason as of why the horse feels so triggered that it feels the need to behave like a so called “***hole”!
And it is usually the person on the end of the lead rope or in the saddle that triggered this behavior in the first place.
How about rethinking our own behavior and way of acting around the horse?
Because horses are just doing their best with the information they get from us and their surroundings.
Yes, horses can become resentful and aggressive towards people. But this is never without reason!
What about starting to ask questions in a way that the horse doesn’t feel aggressed, offended, or scared and that it can answer the questions we ask with YES instead of with a big fat NO?
By saying things like “the horse is doing this on purpose to test me” or “he is just trying to get out of work” etc, we are refusing to take responsibility for our own actions.
Facing the truth is humiliating and painful. So, people take the easy way out by blaming the horse.
Once we start to treat the horse according to its cognition, we can make great progress and enjoy a much more peaceful relationship.
Because we won’t take things personally anymore - now we know that the horse isn’t doing things “to” us in order to “test” or “annoy” us, but simply doing the best he can with the information he has.
Then we can set up situations in a way that the horse can say yes with confidence.
Then we can meet the horse with an open heart and with empathy.
But it also means that we have to learn, study, get better and consistently question our approach. And this seems to be uncomfortable for many.
Because we can’t refuse responsibility anymore.
If I had one wish to come true, it would be that every horse person on this planet would abandon dominance theory.
This would bring a huge change in the horse industry. Fewer accidents, less abuse, better horse welfare.
