In our quest to keep our horses relaxed, focused, and confident, we must understand involuntary reflexes and distinguish them from voluntary actions. Although involuntary reflexes are essential to horses’ survival, they certainly impact equestrians as well. Some equine involuntary reflexes keep us safe as we ride our horses. Other involuntary reflexes, such as spooking and kicking can endanger us if we are not prepared.
Reflexes are innate automatic reactions or movements initiated in the spinal cord, rather than the brain, in response to internal or external forces. This allows for faster reaction time. For instance, a withdrawal reflex reaction to a hot burner is almost instantaneous because the discomfort message from the skin travels directly to the spinal cord (the lower part of the central nervous system) which sends a message to the muscles to pull away from the heat. Some messages originate at the top of the spinal cord (the brain stem) out to the muscles. Because of the quick reaction time, reflexes enable animals to automatically stand, move, and protect themselves without thinking about it. In fact, brain participation would only increase reaction time.
Involuntary reflexes can be divided into three categories:
1. Physiological reflexes: Automatic, spinal cord generated responses to exterior stimuli such as blinking, pupil constriction, shivering, swallowing, chewing, scratching, and yawning.
2. Postural reflexes : Those reflexes that keep horses upright and balanced. Postural reflexes fall into two categories.
- Righting reactions align the horse into a straight line from head to tail. Righting reactions are reflexes that support, adjust, and readjust the position and alignment of a horse’s head and body. After movement or an impact from an outside stimulus, righting reflexes realign the head horizontally and aligns the vertebrae to create a straight line from the head through the end of the spine. Those riders who pull on the reins to cause a horse to turn are unknowingly using the righting reflex.
- Equilibrium reactions are reflexes that maintain a horse’s balance while standing or moving. It is the equilibrium reflex that allows horses to gallop over uneven ground or to land safely after jumping over an obstacle.
3. Defensive reflexes are protective reactions that maintain a horse’s balance against outside pressure. They include: jumping, ducking the head, withdrawing limbs, the startle reflex, kicking, rearing, the postural fixation reflex (bracing) and hopping. These spontaneous reflexes protect horses from losing their balance. There are two types of defensive reflexes:
- Withdrawal reflexes, immediate reactions to pain or discomfort, such as the immediate withdrawal of a leg from the heat of a fire or the kick of another horse.
- Escape reflexes that cause a horse to move away from pain or fear of pain such as when a horse gallops away from a perceived threat.
In the wild, a horse’s reflexes allow him to survive. His reflexes allow him to untangle himself from brush, avoid stepping on a rattlesnake, and outrun or shake-off a mountain lion.
A newborn horse’s reflexes enable him to stand, walk to his mother, and nurse shortly after birth. The newborn’s reflexes also cause spontaneous leaping, twisting, kicking, and other actions which can frighten or injure him and those around him until he learns to control them. Much of a horse’s first several years are spent playing so that he can master his reflexes and learn how to control those movements. Watching young horses showing off their skills galloping, jumping, rearing, and kicking is always fun! My two youngest horses, Mak and Luke, still enjoy testing who can rear the highest.
A horse’s lack of control of his reflexes presents few problems in the wild. But, humans can easily be injured if they are not aware of these natural reactions. Horses can earn a reputation for being “vicious” when they simply have very sensitive involuntary defensive reflexes. The problem becomes even more complex when a horse is punished for exhibiting a reflex.
Let me illustrate:
• When attempting to pick up a horse’s leg, a handler may engage one of a horse’s protective reflexes such as kicking or withdrawing the leg. If the handler punishes the horse for the reflex the horse’s central nervous system associates the human’s touch with pain or discomfort which may trigger the escape reflexes as well.
• Many riders unknowingly utilize the righting reflex when they pull the horse’s head to make a turn. While this may cause the horse’s body to automatically turn to re-align its head and body, the pain or discomfort in the mouth may trigger escape reflexes. Postural fixation reflexes may also come into play to prevent the head from being moved and the horse may become stiff, “hard-mouthed”, and resistant.
• Kicking a horse to ask it to go forward can cause an automatic arching of the back and bucking reflexes. Applying punishment only makes matters worse.
• Pushing a horse’s hindquarters over may engage equilibrium and protective reactions such as a lateral propping reflex that causes the hind leg on the other side of the horse to pop out and take more weight. At the same time the horse’s postural fixation reflex braces against the pressure.
• An unexpected sight or noise can trigger spooking, a typical startle reflex. Unfortunately many riders automatically kick their horse in the sides to regain its attention and cause additional reflexes to fire.
These are only a few of a horse’s reflexes in action. The horse is not intending to hurt or annoy the human since these reflexes occur below the horse’s awareness. The problem becomes even more complex when a horse is punished after an involuntary reflex was triggered. Many equestrians believe that punishment is an effective solution to reducing involuntary reflexes. However, punishment triggers the escape reflex. Over time the effect of utilizing pain, discomfort, or fear of pain or discomfort to control the horse causes muscle tension or physical break-down. This may go unnoticed until the horse is unusable, or the horse may become distrustful of humans and increasingly difficult to catch or ride.
Here is a better strategy for addressing these problems:
• Reward your horse for allowing you to touch its leg or raise its foot for a moment and build from there.
• Remove bits and spurs and forego kicking and pulling. It is easy to teach your horse to balance and follow the movements of your seat to move forward, halt, change gaits, and change directions.
• Reward your horse for stepping to the side when asked.
• If a spooked horse is given reassurance and a moment to regain his composure, he will learn to trust his human companion and develop confidence in himself and his human.
Also:
• Learn to distinguish between reflexes and learned behavior.
• Work as a team so that you and your horse become experts at utilizing and building upon the equilibrium reflexes.
• Arrange your horse/human activities so that you maintain relaxation, focus, and confidence and do not incite escape reflexes.
Ideally we want our horses to learn to master their reflexes. However, the easiest way to accomplish that task is to use the same strategy that horses use during their youth: by making learning fun and rewarding.
What is most important is to engage your horse’s intellect, sense of play, self-confidence, and desire to enhance its skills. Reward every improvement, ignore mistakes, and you will be amazed at how quickly your horse will learn to control its reflexes.
by Chris Forte
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Further reading:
Fraser MRCVS, MVSc, Andrew F.; The Behavior and Welfare of the Horse, 2nd Edition (2010).
Waring, George H.; Horse Behavior: Second Edition, (2003).
McDonnell, Sue M.; Poulin, Amy; Equid Play Ethogram, Equine Behavior Laboratory, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, _Applied Animal Behavior Science 78 (2002) 263-290.
Kurvers, DVM, C. M. H. Chantal; van Weeren, DVM, PhD, P. René; Rogers, PhD, Chris W., Machteld C. van Dierendonck, PhD; Quantification of spontaneous locomotion activity in foals kept in pastures under various management conditions, (2006).
De Beer, F.R.S., P.L.S., G. R.; How Animals Hold Their Heads, Presidential Address from Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 159, Issue 2, pages 125–139,( December 1947).