Sometimes the toughest question trainers, instructors, and equestrians of all levels of experience may face is how to approach interacting with an unfamiliar horse. In a word, the answer is “Courtship.”
Have you ever courted a cat? it’s usually done by, in one’s very sweetest voice, repeating several times, “Here Kitty, here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.” until the cat in question finally gives up other pursuits and comes to the caller’s side to receive a stroke down the back and something tasty to eat.
Dogs are usually a bit easier to court. A slap on the knee, a smiley face, and a cheerful voice calling, “Here Fido.” once or twice is all it takes to entice Fido to come over for a rub on his rear end.
Those initial activities are the beginning of interspecies relationships that can become more meaningful and fascinating as months and years go by. But, those beginning attempts would never occur without a few previously determined assumptions. First, that cats and dogs are fairly harmless creatures; second, that they have some degree of intelligence; third, that they can read the emotional content of the caller’s tone of voice and facial expression; and forth, that they can draw conclusions regarding the caller’s intention.
Compared to dogs and cats, human courtship is a much longer process. When my husband decided that I was the person he wanted to spend his life with, he plied me with flowers; Sees chocolates; long, meaningful, conversations; helping hands; empathetic ears; and fun-filled activities. After a while, I was convinced that he was truly a man of intelligence, humor, and integrity.
Horses, especially those who suffer chronic pain, or were previously traumatized, can also be cautious about trusting humans. In fact, courting horses takes perseverance! Not only do horses have fine intellects, and long memories, but they can make unforeseen conclusions based on previous events. One of my horses had a traumatizing episode at the hands of a previous handler, a bearded man. So, when a friend of ours, who also sported a beard, came to visit, my horse ran away. He had associated the scary event with bearded men!
In a 2018 study, “Animals Remember Previous Facial Expressions that Specific Humans Have Exhibited,” by Proops, et al.1, 24 horses were shown photos of people either looking happy or angry. Later, the horses were invited to meet the people in the photos face-to-face, however, this time, the people wore neutral faces. Still, the horses were attracted to or avoided the people depending upon the expression they wore in the photograph!
It’s important that equestrians realize the significance of this study. It reminds us that creating an environment of fear and intimidation does not work well with horses. Yes, some equines will submit, but their enthusiasm and fluidity will be lost to muscle tension (and eventual lameness), dullness, and internalization of fear that can weaken their immune system.
The tragedy is that horses, as herd animals, want nothing more than the appreciation of those above them in the herd hierarchy. When we encounter an angry horse, it is usually a horse who is either in pain or has given up trying to please people. This can happen to horses who are chased around round pens; longed in a way that scares them; reprimanded when they do not understand or are unable to do what is being asked; subjected to painful tack and equipment including ill-fitting saddles, bridles, bits, spurs, and whips; or asked to perform when they are sore, fatigued, or ill.
Ultimately, it is so much faster and easier in the long run, to treat every horse we meet as if it is their first encounter with a human, and begin courting and convincing the horse that we are friends worthy of their trust. The courtship process will take longer with a horse who is recovering from physical pain or trauma, but is well worth the effort.
Does that mean allowing a horse to hurt you? Of course not! We must always keep ourselves out of harm’s way. But it does mean that we must not blame the horse for defensive behavior. Instead, we must recognize when a horse is reacting due to fear or pain. When we punish or intimidate a troubled horse we only make matters worse.
In fact, the best thing we can do is to teach the equine to enjoy human contact- a soft touch, a calming voice, and a gentle brushing. Besides grooming, we can teach it to enjoy walking a few steps with us, then more grooming, then more steps. If, after days of gentle coaxing, a horse won’t allow itself to be touched, a veterinarian should thoroughly examine the horse for dental or other physical problems.
The bridge of trust must be built carefully, a little at a time. Slow hands, slow feet, and a soothing voice are always necessary. At this stage, we must resist the desire to trot or canter! Walking in hand, halting, munching grass, grooming, resting, and an occasional “Nice” followed by a kibble or piece of carrot are the foundational building blocks to friendship and healing. Courting an equine puts a different spin on romance but it could be a match made in heaven!
1 Proops L, Grounds K, Smith AV, McComb K. Animals Remember Previous Facial Expressions that Specific Humans Have Exhibited. Curr Biol. 2018 May 7;28(9):1428-1432.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.035. Epub 2018 Apr 26. PMID: 29706519. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29706519/
Other articles on the subject include:
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