Equuality: Reflections on Life with Horses

Freedom Through Understanding

About the Book

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. -Henry David Thoreau

In traditional modes of training horses there is a lot of emphasis put on discipline through punishment. The trainer sets a firm expectation, often before he even begins a session, and then informs the horse that he is "wrong" for doing or thinking anything outside of that expectation. Little or no thought is given to the motivations or issues of the horse and any perceived "disobedience" is met with punishment. This kind of mentality is one of the many reasons that I shy away from using the word training to describe the way I try to interact with horses.

I am of the opinion that disobedience is not a natural reaction in a horse. As herd animals, horses instinctively understand that their survival depends on being a member of a smoothly functioning group. Each member of the herd has specific talents and responsibilities in terms of detecting predators, finding forage, navigating during migration, standing watch at different times of day, rearing foals, and many other activities. Without the support of her companions, a horse will quickly fall prey to one of the many dangers of life in the wild. Disobedience on her part can do nothing but disrupt the equilibrium of the group. She knows instinctively that this will put not only herself, but the entire herd in danger.

While horses are born living by some genetic imperatives, much of their behavior is also learned in their adolescent phase of life. This instruction would usually come from their mother, other members of the herd, and interactions with the environment. When we have a horse in captivity, we control all three of these factors and in so doing have a profound influence on the development of the horse. This allows us to take credit for many behaviors that are desirable, but also makes us take responsibility for most undesirable behaviors as well.

When we combine the knowledge of our power in the development of the horse with the understanding that they naturally want to be helpful members of a herd, we see that any horse who is "disobedient" has learned to be so through their interactions with humans. We have the ability to condition a horse to act in ways that are outside of their natural norms. This can be very useful. We can teach a horse to have their feet trimmed or take vaccinations without fear. We can help them learn to perform tasks that give them a useful purpose. We can coach them in overcoming their fears so they live a fulfilling, contented existence. We also have the ability to teach them to be distrustful, neurotic, fearful, stubborn, and, yes, disobedient.

I think that most unwanted behavior that develops in a horse comes from three factors: a lack of understanding of the their motivations, a lack of empathy for their fears, and a lack of clear, consistent communication.

As is true for each of us, horses are unique in what motivates them. Some are looking for a strong leader and are motivated by being shown that leadership. Some are highly playful and will be motivated by games. Some are nervous, and will work hard to overcome their fears. Some love food, and will give you anything for a treat. To form a solid bond with our horses, we must understand what fires their furnace and work with them from that direction. If we can put our requests in line with what they naturally desire, showing them that we understand their needs, they will offer us anything we ask for.

Fear is a prime motivator for any sentient creature. It is the emotion that protects life by warning of immediate or imminent danger. No creature, horses and humans included, can sustain themselves in an environment where they are incessantly being pushed past their thresholds into the rushing waters of fear. We must understand what our horse is afraid of and be respectful of those fears. As with motivations, each horse has a different battery of fears. By helping our horse to dismantle those fears in a positive, nurturing way, we will earn their deep gratitude and esteem.

In order to leverage our awareness about what motivates our horses and what fears hold them back, we must be able to communicate with them in a way that they can understand. A mistake I often see made is that people believe a horse should understand any cues a human gives, simply because the human gives them. This is not the case. We speak to the horse in a language of sounds, movement, and energy. The combination is a compromise between horse and human and a synthesis of what is natural to both parties. As with any other language, comprehension must be built from the ground up. We begin by asking simple questions that are easy for the horse to answer, and then we use those answers to build an increasingly complex lexicon.

Whether we are working with a young colt or a horse who has learned many "bad" modes of behavior from poor training, it is possible to wash away any walls of distrust and build a relationship of trust and enjoyment. Once we understand the factors that motivate our horses, feel the fears that block their actions, and can communicate with them in a respectful, meaningful language, they will have no reason to be disobedient. We will have freed the horse from any bondage, allowing him to become our joyful partner rather than our slave.