The Psychology Of The Horse

How many times have you heard people say that horses are stupid, unable to reason, and extremely selfish? But who stops to take the trouble to find out what really makes a horse "tick"? Admitted, there are stupid horses just as there are stupid people, but this large animal is full of fears, emotions, and affection. The answer behind all this is, simply, that horses are most dependent on people. There are many stories of stallions protecting their herds with tricks that only a good mind could manage. Range horses know the dangers they are up against and react much differently than pasture-raised animals.

The domestic horse is protected with shelter, good food, and care by an honest owner. He seldom has to think about more than play or having his own way. His reasoning comes from boredom, the desire to get out of work, and a search for forbidden food. Horses copy each other. If one animal sees another break a fence, raid the hay barn, or find the grain barrel or even open a gate, he immediately wants the same and follows the same procedure to get it.

Perhaps the people who least understand the horse's way of thinking are the horse dealer, the commercial breeder, and the average stable owner. These people are not sufficiently interested in the animal's personality to care how the individual horse thinks. A horse has a one-track mind, but what he can do with such straight-line thinking would amaze you. Divert his attention and you change his mind. Learn the different expressions of his eyes, his mannerisms, his likes and dislikes.

Watch your horse for an indication of what he is going to do. Actually, an animal telegraphs every move he will make. It is up to the owner to learn to "read" his horse. When an animal is going to shy or buck, the muscles of of his back tense and can be felt through the saddle. The ears tell volumes. Ears stiffly forward means the animal is acutely alert. This means interest, curiosity, or fear. The conditions presented will tell the rider what it means. One ear forward and one back means he is listening for the rider and keeping an ear pointed for something ahead.

Ears laid slightly back means he doesn't like something or doesn't want to do what is asked. Ears laid back flat against the head means the animal is vicious or angry. He will try to fight, either the owner or another horse. Horses have a pattern of thought, and once you know them you learn how they react to different situations. But remember, these big animals are afraid of everything they cannot understand or see. If a horse realized his strength, we would never handle him. But he is dependent on man. This is the secret of handling a horse and making a useful animal out of him.

A horse needs something to depend on. You seldom see him alone by choice. At the racetrack the thoroughbred has a chicken on his stall door, or a goat to share his hay, or a dog to lie at his feet, or a cat to rub against his legs. Sometimes a small pony shares his stall; he may look for a favorite groom who talks to him; often there is a quiet understanding between the trainer and the horse, but. . . there is always something .. . someone.

When a horse becomes accustomed to your presence and your voice he will begin to take on personality. A quiet, authoritative voice that can also soothe and give confidence will win an animal quicker than anything else. The horse may be able to understand only twelve command words, but the tone of your voice will speak many things to him. Although the horse is normally timid, he will develop confidence in you to the point where he will trust you implicitly. I remember having a mare who almost trampled me when she was frightened. If she had been a small dog, she would have leaped into my arms. This big animal thought all she had to do, when she became frightened, was to get close to me for protection. She shied at everything along the roadside. I finally taught her to quiet down when I said, "That won't hurt you." She still danced along warily, of course, but under control. She was still afraid, but the tone with which I spoke the phrase told her that she was safe.

The horse demands attention and craves affection. However, it must be remembered that a horse is made to do things by fear, hunger, thirst, and biological urge. So we use these things to our advantage without forgetting the other requisites that round out the complete picture of the horse, such as attention and affection. He does things only to satisfy his hunger, demands for comfort, and curiosity and attention. He cannot concentrate for long periods of time.

He learns by habit, and, once taught, seldom forgets. His memory is remarkable. It doesn't take him long to learn what reward means. And reward may be food, a show of affection, or a soothing word. Reward will make him more attentive the next time. There are so few ways in which a horse may offer affection, but he will thrive on yours. However, I have had a horse protect me from a dog. My horse circled me, with his ears back, and struck at the dog every time it tried to get close enough to bite me. I was a little afraid of being trampled, but I was more afraid of being bitten by the dog.

Horses are not born mean, but one that is not handled with firmness and understanding can become so. Meanness is too often caused by spoiling rather than by timidity. Naturally, a horse will have likes and dislikes that do not always follow your desires. He is an individual. Let him remain so as long as he is easy to manage and does no harm. Remember, a horse is a sensitive animal with a highly developed nervous system. Stop to think what the average horse endures from rough hands and a bobbing rider who does not know the fundamentals of horsemanship. Can you blame him for fighting back? If he rears and bucks, what other way does he have of voicing a complaint?

Physical punishment should be used only when it is the last alternative. It must immediately follow the action and not a second later. Many times a sharp word will work, but a smart crack with a whip is necessary for biting and kicking. Don't think, however, that a horse's reactions are always from mistreatment. Normally, the animal is lively, mischievous, and full of tricks. He bucks on a crisp morning because he feels good and perhaps hasn't had enough exercise. He nips and kicks and strikes because that is the way he plays. The horse does not realize his own strength, so a playful blow from a striking hoof could kill or maim you. Don't put yourself in a position to receive one. In other words, don't play with your horse. A horse will play just like a dog. I've seen horses grab a hat and run away with it, dashing about whenever you come near. However, any play must be of a safe sort. He must be made to understand that there are certain ways he cannot play with his owner. He will have more respect if he is taught that there are certain things you will not tolerate. Watch for his natural inclinations and develop them. I heard of a horse who walked along with his head down looking for a foot-long stick. Finding it, he would pick it up and then reach around and scratch his back with the stick. We had a mare who liked her tail scratched. She would back to you all the way across the corral and stand waiting to have her tail scratched. Another horse, in the same corral, watched a few times and then started backing in the same way. Seeing a horse backing toward them frightened some of our friends, but this little mare didn't kick. However, horses are great bluffers.

If an animal discovers he can frighten you he will take advantage of the fact and make your life miserable. If you stand your ground and strike him smartly across the nose, when he comes at you with teeth bared, he will stop and walk away foolishly. This refers to a horse you know well and the average horse; the vicious horse is another matter. You must be able to distinguish between the two. Your own mount may not try anything with you but lay his ears back and whirl to kick with strangers. No one can fathom why a horse will like one person and not another. A woman trained horse may not like a man and vice versa. Unless an animal has been mistreated and teased he will always like and tolerate children. I've seen a baby toddle forward and grasp a mare between the back legs, and the animal didn't move. If an adult, without some kind of warning, had come up behind this same horse he might have been kicked.

A horse is extremely emotional. A happy animal has no problems. A nervous, worried animal will withdraw into himself and appear to take no interest in anything but food. And he will lose weight no matter how much he eats. He will either walk the fence or stand, hour after hour, in a corner with his head down. A definite creature of habit, he wants to be fed at the same time every day. He wants the same stall. He wants the same type saddle used. A horse that has been ridden with a western saddle will balk at the first sight of an English saddle. Everything he meets must be examined by "feel." As soon as the animal is convinced that the offering will not harm him, he will quiet down and accept it.

In the first handling of the foal confidence is the primary accomplishment. Foals are afraid of anything taller than themselves. In getting acquainted with the foal, you sit on the ground. Curiosity gets the better of him. He smells, feels with the tip of his muzzle, tries an experimental bite. It is a plain case of selling the colt on the idea that he will not be hurt. As the colt grows, he will take on definite personality traits. He will want all your attention. A horse is a jealous animal and will fight another horse to keep him away from you. It is not safe to get between two horses who are vying for your attention. A colt will welcome your company any time and will do many things to be with you. A loose rail will invite him to crawl through the fence. Many horsemen will insist that a horse should not be made a pet. This makes a horse a nuisance, they say. A well-disciplined, well-loved horse is never an annoyance. It is a pleasure to see the understanding your horse has. If he is intelligent, he will get into mischief and will figure out clever antics as well.

Ask any horse owner about the animal he's fond of and he will tell you many stories. And these stories belie the fact that a horse doesn't reason. A retired cutting horse stood watching a man on foot trying to corner and catch a horse in a pasture. Finally, after many attempts by the man to reach the horse, the cutting horse trotted forward and cornered the animal himself and kept him in position until the man could walk up to him. The cutting horse is the intelligencia of horsedom. He is directed by his rider to a certain steer and then cuts that steer from the bunch without further reining, preventing the animal from returning to the herd by anticipating every move. He works entirely on his own until the rider directs otherwise.

There are always the gate openers. The first thing a horse usually learns about his new home is the position of the gate. Most stock gates have a slide bar for easy handling. One mare discovered she could pull the handle with the tip of her muzzle. Somehow the top of the handle was broken off even with the top rail of the gate, making it necessary to grasp the handle below to pull the bar back. In two days the mare had solved this problem for herself. Finally, a hole was bored just back of the handle and a nail shoved through the hole, preventing the bar from being pulled back when in place. The mare discovered by jiggling the gate that she could work the nail out of place, and the gate opening continued. It was necessary to put a chain around the gate with a snap before it remained closed. But a dozen times a day she would go to the gate to try the handle to see if anyone had failed to snap the chain. But these acts of mischief can be avoided and give the horse owner a chance to brag about the cleverness of his horse.

Understanding the horse in the early days of civilization was almost unheard of. Training a horse was a simple matter. The animal was caught, mounted, and ridden until exhausted, and then kept worn down until he finally accepted his lot. There are stories of the courageous animals that offered more than ordinary resistance and refused to give up, even in exhaustion. Some finely bred animals often fought to the death rather than submit. Finally, when the horse became the principal means of transportation, it was found necessary to develop good horses and devise ways of breaking and training so they would be safe and efficient. Some early trainers had a special gift of training, and it is these who, maybe unknowingly, discovered the psychology of the horse. And so for you to understand your animal you must search for instincts and natural inclinations and frame your training and understanding on these natural instincts. The most satisfied owner will be the one who appreciates what the horse is up against and makes allowances. And the big thing is patience.

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