If you want to get along better with horses, you have to understand their anatomy and history.
That’s the bottom line from a “Horses 101” seminar conducted by Muffy Knox, an educator who trains both people and horses.
Her history lesson stretched back to the ancestors of modern horses, which were just 14 inches tall but shared the planet with dinosaurs.
“Whenever it heard something strange or saw something move quickly, its reaction was to run,” said Knox. “This is why the horse has been able to survive for as long as it has.”
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Some horses may be desensitized or trained not to run, but when they are really spooked, the age-old instinct to flee kicks in.
“The more you as a rider realize that this is going to be its reaction, the safer you’re going to be,” she said.
Another key to getting inside a horse’s head is to consider the outside of it.
Since a horse’s eyes are on the side of the head, it has blind spots right in front as well as behind the tail. Horses can look forward, but most of its vision is limited to only one eye or the other, with the best field of vision on the sides.
“When a horse stands straight, it can see out of the left eye all the way back to the left hip without turning its head,” she said.
Humans are at a disadvantage when they are leading or riding a horse because they cannot see what the horse is seeing (and reacting to) behind it, said Knox. Horses can see separately with each eye, and this can cause panicked reactions and fear when a horse sees something unfamiliar. Horses have extremely poor depth perception, which also affects their reactions.
Horses are curious creatures, but curiosity can change to fear very quickly, said Knox. When that happens, horses may flee in a hurry and riders should be prepared. Horses show fear by focusing one or both eyes on the object that is scaring them. They raise their heads to look at the fearful object. Their ears follow their eyes and the muscles of their bodies tense up.
“The horse’s whole focus is on what it is scared of,” she said. “That’s more important to it than you standing there patting it.”
Rider behaviour
Riders can contribute to their horse’s fear by reacting in ways that remind the horse of a predator. Scared riders will react to their horse’s fear by grabbing onto the horse with their legs, holding their breath and pulling on the reins. This will escalate the horse’s fear and can cause it to flee.
Horses are social and like to be in groups where there is a boss.
“They will figure out who will be the boss as soon as there is food involved. Whichever one gets the choicest food, or more food, is the boss horse,” Knox said.
Horses are hierarchical and have a definite pecking order. They are very aware of personal space and do not like to let others who are lower in the pecking order into their personal space.
Horses are also claustrophobic and have a fear of trailers because it restricts their ability to flee, said Knox.
“Once a horse steps into a trailer, it can feel that it is not firm ground,” she noted. “It might have a different sound or a different feel. It might be dark or have no front exit, which means that there’s a very good chance for it to be caught by predators.”
Trust is the key to getting horses into trailers and force will never work, she said.
“Once food is involved, horses’ manners often go out the window,” said Knox. “They are so focused on food that they will challenge and come into your personal space. We should be higher in the pecking order, so we can go into their personal space, but they should not be able to push into ours.
This is especially important when people are going into a group of horses. They can go into a group of horses, but carrying food is dangerous. Respect the animal’s personal space, and don’t approach too quickly or stare too intently, she said.
“If you just sit there, stare at your shoes or walk towards the fence and not towards them, their curiosity will probably make them come to you,” she said.
The Horses 101 seminar was organized by the Horse Industry of Alberta Association and presented at Edmonton’s Farm Fair.
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“Oncefoodisinvolved,horses’mannersoftengooutthewindow.Theyaresofocusedonfoodthattheywillchallengeandcomeintoyourpersonalspace.”
MUFFY KNOX
HORSE TRAINER
