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Are You Unintentionally
Scaring Your Horse?
If your horse seems to spook at everything, the problem may be YOU.
Kelly loved her mare, except for one thing: She seemed to spooked at EVERYTHING. Trail riding often turned into a nightmare, and even the arena seemed to be filled with scary things only horses can see.
If this sounds like your horse, it’s time to learn a little animal psychology.
How YOU May be Unintentionally Scaring Your Horse
It turns out that people frequently scare their horses without even realizing they're doing it. That is the striking discovery reported by equine researchers. Here’s how it happens.
Horses are prey animals that live in herds. They are keenly attuned to the emotional states of other herd members, and react swiftly to any cue from a fellow horse that something might be dangerous. The problem is that the “fellow horse” may be a nervous human.
Does that sound like you?
How Researchers Found Out That People Scare Their Horses Without Even Realizing It
Linda Keeling, PhD, and colleagues at the Swedish University of Agricultural asked 20 people with varying levels of horse experience to walk and ride 10 horses from Point A to Point B four times. The participants were told that an umbrella would open on the fourth pass.
Now the thing is, the umbrella never actually opened. Nonetheless, the heart rates of both horses and humans increased during the fourth pass, when the human expected the umbrella to open. Since the horses couldn't understand what the researchers said, the only way that could happen is if the human handler felt anxious in anticipation of the umbrella opening, and the horse picked up on it. Of course, the ironic thing is that the humans weren't afraid of the umbrella. They were afraid of the horse spooking when the umbrella opened. So this is a catch-22 situation: The horse is afraid because the human is afraid, and the human is afraid because she thinks the horse is going to feel afraid!
"In the wild, horses are adapted to respond to other animals in their group”, Keeling points out. “A startle reaction is more likely when the horse is very alert." So next time your horse seems spooky, check your own anxiety level. If you’re worried or nervous, take a deep breath and exhale slowly to slow down your heart rate and calm yourself. You and your horse will benefit from a little animal psychology!
(The study was published in the July 2009 issue of the Veterinary Journal.)
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD March 2016; Updated June 5, 2024
Opening Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Google Search, Labeled for Reuse
As long as you’re here, check these out:
If this sounds like your horse, it’s time to learn a little animal psychology.
How YOU May be Unintentionally Scaring Your Horse
It turns out that people frequently scare their horses without even realizing they're doing it. That is the striking discovery reported by equine researchers. Here’s how it happens.
Horses are prey animals that live in herds. They are keenly attuned to the emotional states of other herd members, and react swiftly to any cue from a fellow horse that something might be dangerous. The problem is that the “fellow horse” may be a nervous human.
Does that sound like you?
How Researchers Found Out That People Scare Their Horses Without Even Realizing It
Linda Keeling, PhD, and colleagues at the Swedish University of Agricultural asked 20 people with varying levels of horse experience to walk and ride 10 horses from Point A to Point B four times. The participants were told that an umbrella would open on the fourth pass.
Now the thing is, the umbrella never actually opened. Nonetheless, the heart rates of both horses and humans increased during the fourth pass, when the human expected the umbrella to open. Since the horses couldn't understand what the researchers said, the only way that could happen is if the human handler felt anxious in anticipation of the umbrella opening, and the horse picked up on it. Of course, the ironic thing is that the humans weren't afraid of the umbrella. They were afraid of the horse spooking when the umbrella opened. So this is a catch-22 situation: The horse is afraid because the human is afraid, and the human is afraid because she thinks the horse is going to feel afraid!
"In the wild, horses are adapted to respond to other animals in their group”, Keeling points out. “A startle reaction is more likely when the horse is very alert." So next time your horse seems spooky, check your own anxiety level. If you’re worried or nervous, take a deep breath and exhale slowly to slow down your heart rate and calm yourself. You and your horse will benefit from a little animal psychology!
(The study was published in the July 2009 issue of the Veterinary Journal.)
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD March 2016; Updated June 5, 2024
Opening Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Google Search, Labeled for Reuse
As long as you’re here, check these out:
- Horse Facts That You Absolutely Need To Know
- Basic Horse Care--What Every Horse Owner Needs to Know
- Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
- Horses Can Read Human Facial Expressions--So What is Your Face Saying?
- How To Earn Your Horse's Trust and Respect
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