PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
of the HORSE
Within these pages I hope you'll read
with a sense of wonderment, curiosity and intense desire to learn all you can about what
makes horses tick. The more we know about WHY a horse behaves the way it does, the more we
can adjust our thinking to gentleness, patience and only goodness in training, riding and
handling of these wonderful animals. Those things which humans do not understand are those
things that cause uncertainty and fear. If humans relay fear to the horse, the horse
reacts in kind. This sets off more behavioral issues than we care to fathom.
As an introduction to the psychology
and behavior of horses let's briefly examine what kind of animal we are working with to
begin with.
Horses are animals of prey. This means
that they do not eat meat but, rather, they are eaten by other animals. The horse's body,
mind and spirit are all wrapped up in one central focus ... that of survival. Their knees
lock while standing so they can cat nap but still take off in flight at the very first
hint of danger. They are gregarious animals and look out for one another's safety. They
have a strict hierarchy which puts the strongest mare in the leader's role. They have
about 210 degree vision which allows them to see almost completely around themselves. They
can see two fields of vision vision at once but have the ability to focus on just one when
needed. They can see clearly in dim light and their distance for seeing is far superior to
man's. Their main instinct is that of flight or fight. If they feel their lives are in
danger, they flee if they can. If not ... they stay and fight for their lives. Their
hearing capabilities are acute as are their olfactory senses. The intuitive sense of the
horse is far superior to human's. They have distinct body language and vocal
communications. Their bodies are built for strength and power as well as for speed. The
digestive system of a horse is different from a human's in that they are meant to eat a
little bit alot of the time. All these physical and psychological realms mixed into a
giant, 1200# body of gentleness, forgiveness, kindness and curiosity. Horses are not
aggressive animals. They do not have the capabilities to worry about the future. Horses
live second by second. Man can learn much by studying the living and survival habits of
the horse. Read with an open mind and an open heart.
