Share:
If you own or intend to own a horse it is vital that you have at least some basic knowledge of equine behaviour, including what may be classed as natural versus nurtured behaviour, as well as what behaviour should be deemed problematic or symptomatic of a problem.
This knowledge will help you not only to be a better rider and trainer but also help you to form a closer bond with your horse, as you will be better placed to fulfill his behavioural needs and to deal with any issues that may arise that might impact on his wellbeing.
There is a good chance that you will not be your horse’s sole caretaker, especially if you keep him at a communal stable, and even more than likely that you will not have raised nor trained him from birth. By understanding your horse’s formative development, social requirements, and how his environment might dictate some of his behavioural responses, you will be better able to limit or even prevent unwanted behaviours from developing in the first place. And should they occur, you will be able to deal with them quickly and effectively, in a manner that your horse might comprehend, as well.
The result will be a happier, more trusting steed, secure in the knowledge that his caregiver truly understands him.
While in the wild a herd of horses tend to comprise of breeding mares, their offspring of the previous two to three years, and one or two stallions, when it comes to stabling horses and turning them out together we tend not to maintain such familial-based groupings. Instead, we treat them as non-breeding groups that are also seen in the wild when some juveniles that have recently left their herd stick together or in which bachelor stallions form a loose grouping of their own. These tend to be horses of a similar age and dominance rank that have congregated together for companionship and protection.
While in the wild social hierarchies tend to be quite clearcut, with the dominant stallion taking the lead, for captive horses with no familial link there tend to be a range of dominance hierarchies within each group that may shift according to context or when related to a particular resource, such as the water trough.
Most social interactions tend to be affiliative, such as touching and mutual grooming, as horses tend to practice avoidance to prevent confrontation or dispute. When disputes do occur, they tend to extend only so far as threatening displays, such as the pinning back of ears and extending the neck, bumping against one another, or performing a foot stamp or a kick that does not actually land. Violence within a wild herd is rare, but when it does occur amongst domestic horses it tends to be due to a lack of space so that each horse is unable to practice avoidance.
Allo- & Auto-Grooming:
Horse both groom themselves (auto-grooming), as seen in the bottom photo, as well as groom each other (allo-grooming), as seen in the top photo. This mutual grooming, which often occurs simultaneously, helps to both create and maintain social bonds within a herd.
While auto-grooming often involves licking, nibbling, and scratching their shoulders and sides, it can also involve rolling in dry and sandy patches of ground.
When horses groom each other, they tend to focus on those hard-to-reach places, such as the other horse’s neck, withers, and rump. A horse may swat at another horse with its tail as a precursor to allo-grooming.
© Rokopix / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
© vprotastchik / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
When it comes time to birth, which occurs mainly at night, a pregnant mare will often withdraw from the herd, sometimes with a few other mares who will stand watch over her. If a pregnant mare is being kept within a domestic group, it is important that this option to withdraw be made available to her, and so the field in which the herd is being kept should be set up to allow for her to seek privacy and shelter away from the rest of the group.
While it is more than likely that you will not be present at the birth of your horse nor necessarily play a part in its upbringing through to adolescence, having some awareness of the stages of a foal’s development and the foundations that it lays for its adult behaviour should give you greater insight into your horse’s nature as well as an understanding as to some of its behavioural responses.
It should also further reinforce the importance of finding and working with good, knowledgeable breeders, who not only factor in hereditary and breed-line characteristics but also the importance of positive handling during a horse’s formative years in relation to its future development.
Horses are precocial, which is to say that their young are born in an advanced state that allows for them to move and feed themselves almost immediately after birth. As in many precocial species, offspring will imprint onto their mother (or dam), and it is through carefully managed introduction and habituation to people during this critical period that many breeders and trainers are able to produce manageable and human-focused horse. This process is a delicate one, however, and should only be performed by experienced horse breeders and owners.
It begins within the first ten to sixty minutes after birth, during which time the foal will stand up and begin to orient itself through both hearing and sight. Very soon thereafter, it will seek out its mother and begin to suckle, and it is during this phase that imprinting will occur.
The first milk, called colostrum, is vital to a foal, for it provides it with much-needed antibodies and boosts the foal’s immune system. Even so, it is important that the foal’s umbilical stump be disinfected for a few days after birth, in case of infection.
Soon after initial feeding, the foal will begin to explore its surroundings, perform some elementary grooming, and may even display some playful behaviour. The foal will be able to perform all types of gaits, including walking, trotting, and galloping, all of which helps to develop both its muscular strength and its coordination.
Domestic foals that have been kept in a barn or stable during this period may express greater tendency to be easily spooked later in life while those given too much free rein may prove harder to handle. Having its dam remain calm and confident throughout this period is key, as the foal will learn many of its coping strategies from her.
As the foal grows in confidence and explores more of its surroundings, it will invariably meet others of a similar age. Social interactions are then not only limited to its mother but will include other foals. And so interactive play will ensue, along with mutual grooming.
One very early form of social communication that the foal will express is submission, usually in the form of chattering of its teeth, which is often referred to as ‘snapping’ or ‘champing’. Some subservient horses will carry this trait on through to adolescence and even on to adulthood.
It is important during this phase of development that a foal receive a broad range of positive interactions from both horses and humans in order to build its confidence. Equally, it is important that those interactions with humans adhere to consistent rules and boundaries that do not promote bullish behaviour from an overly assertive foal.
Foals will continue to interact with other members of their herd in a manner that will shape their personality and behaviour into adulthood. It is also around the first few months of this period that those foals under human management are weaned from their mother’s milk in order to ready the mare for future breeding. Foals that have been weaned this early are referred to as weanlings. In the wild, this process of weaning does not usually take place until the end of the first year.
While foals should not be ridden or driven, some basic training such as halter-breaking and being handled by a groomer and farrier should begin. Introducing a foal to a new experience should be carefully managed in order to build in a positive association, for any negative experiences can stay with the horse for life.
When a horse begins its second year it is referred to as a yearling. Adolescence will extend to the fourth year of a horse’s life. Adolescent males are referred to as colts, and adolescent females are known as fillies.
Fillies are sexually mature by two years of age, but it is best practice that they not be bred from until they have fully grown and matured, which does not occur until they have reached four to five years of age. Even so, as a filly comes into season for five days every three weeks in the summer, she may prove more temperamental and therefore difficult to handle at these times. Fillies tend to pair off, forming friendships with other fillies that may last a lifetime. They will mutually groom one another and allow each into the other’s personal space more frequently and to a greater degree than they would ordinarily allow another horse.
In the wild, colts would have been driven out of their herd by the herd stallion as they came of age, and would then form their own bachelor herd. Unless they are intended for breeding, most domestic male horses will have been castrated prior to reaching sexual maturity. These male horses are known as geldings. While not all stallions will react badly to the proximity of a gelding, it would be wise not to keep geldings with a stallion, certainly not without having properly assessed the stallion’s attitude toward other male horses, intact or otherwise.
A horse will be fully mature by its fourth or fifth year. As with many prey species, its default response to any external stimulus will be driven by the perceived level of threat that a given stimulus poses. Some horses are more naturally bold or curious while others are easily spooked, but often this flight/avoidance reaction will be borne out of learned experience and the manner in which that horse has been raised and exposed to stimuli in its formative years.
A young adult horse will still be consolidating all these experiences, and so may still prove challenging to a new owner. He may come across as willful, stubborn, or overly anxious. Those that have had the chance to be properly worked and developed so as to become comfortable and relaxed when handled or ridden are the best choice for the horse enthusiast, especially for those that are considering getting their first horse, hence why it is recommended that first-time buyers consider getting a horse that is fifteen years of age or older.
Passive-Stay Apparatus in a Horse:
The physical arrangement of bones and tendons in a horse’s fore and hind limbs allow their joints to lock in place so that a horse may dose while standing. This is not to say that horses do not benefit from lying recumbent but generally do so for no more than 30 minutes at a time in order to achieve the REM phase of sleep.
© Anastsija Popova / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
The adult horse desires routine, spending much of its time either grazing or resting, preferably in the company of a herd. As such, training, grooming, and riding sessions should be similarly planned according to a consistent programme so that the horse is turned out and stabled at set times. Even so, just because a horse may value routine does not mean that it does not enjoy engagement or stimulation.
A horse is an incredibly intelligent animal that will need the freedom to explore and engage with its environment, to interact and play with fellow equines, and to be stimulated by having a purpose, all while feeling safe and secure. It is when one of these elements is missing that anxiety, boredom, or frustration may arise, which can then result in the development of a problem behaviour.
Many behavioural issues in horses stem from an underlying issue related to their environment, their training (or lack thereof), and their inability to perform a natural function to a sufficient degree. Without understanding the root causes of these behaviours, one will never be able to eradicate them completely, and in fact any harsh discipline or punishment may in fact make matters only worse.
It is also worth mentioning that some of these problem behaviours may be as a result of a medical issue or injury, and so it is important to have your horse regularly checked by a qualified equine vet, especially if a problem behaviour begins to manifest itself.
One of the most common causes for problem behaviours in equines is insufficient exercise. In the wild, horses roam freely and can cover great distances, while domesticated horses are limited to a relatively small field, often fed energy-dense meals, and may spend a fair amount of their 24-hour cycle contained in a loose-box. This can very quickly lead to the development of respiratory and circulatory issues as well as boredom, stress and the manifestation of stereotypical behaviours.
While punishing a horse with behavioural issues is not a solution, neither is training. Certainly training comes into it, but training a horse out of an ingrained behaviour can be very different from training a horse into one, particularly if the cause is deep-rooted and formed from a trauma.
When it comes to training, it is perfectly possible for owners to train their horses themselves, although it may be preferable to have a trainer on-hand to at the very least provide both guidance and support. However, when it comes to correcting behavioural issues, it is a absolute necessary that the owner seeks support and guidance from a qualified equine behaviourist, who will be able to not only assess the horse but also provide a dispassionate assessment of the horse’s environment and routine that may have brought on this unwanted behaviour and be able to recommend any changes.
Some of the tools that an equine behaviourist will use to correct unwanted behaviours include:
Horses are prey animals, whose very survival depends on their ability to form strong associational biases. Reprimanding or punishing them for something done only minutes before, or for behaviour they are presently doing, but that is based on a history of negative associations, would not only be unsuccessful but also counterproductive. Nor is it a good strategy to ignore unwanted behaviour. Often these bad behaviours are self-rewarding, and so if allowed to continue will only grow worse. Addressing them early on, before they take root, is the only viable solution.
Aggression between horses tends to occur when there is upset within the herd hierarchy, usually involving access to a resource or when a newcomer is introduced into the herd. It may also come about due to a lack of socialisation, in which a horse, having been removed from a herd at a young age and never having the opportunity to form social bonds with others of its kind, is thrust into an established herd with little chance for gradual integration.
Sustained aggression can be of a dominant, maternal, or sexual nature, either involving a horse with too much testosterone, a dam protecting its foal, or a stallion defending its harem. It may also be brought on by illness or injury in which a horse is feeling pain.
For some horses, such aggression may extend toward humans, as well, especially if the aggression is pain-related and a human becomes associated with an action that results in that pain. Territorial and resource aggression may also be directed at humans when dominant signals, such as the pinning back of ears, is not picked up on and then unknowingly reinforced.
In order to tackle aggression – be it dominant or fear-based – one needs to discern the root cause. Medical-related issues should be ruled out. In relation to fear-based aggression, protocols should be put in place for desensitisation and counter-conditioning. When it comes to dominant, resource, and territorial aggression, it may mean separating the affected horses until a proper integration programme can be initiated (see our page: ‘Horses & Other Pets’) or providing more space and greater access opportunities to resources.
When inhaling deeply a horse will expand its diaphragm, which may make for an ill-fitting saddle if done whilst the horse is being girthed up. Deep inhalation is indicative of a horse that is tense, feeling stressed, or in pain, so the key here is to help him to relax.
As always, it is important to rule out discomfort or pain as the root cause for this behaviour. This discomfort may be related to back pain, an ill-fitting saddle, or a too hard or too narrow girth strap. It may have also come about by the horse having been girthed up too quickly or too tightly in the past, so it is important to girth up gradually and in stages, allowing the horse to remain relaxed throughout. Be mindful how you mount the horse, preferably from a mounting block, and then have someone check and adjust the girth strap once you are on and the horse has relaxed.
Probably the only thing worse than a horse that runs away from you while you’re trying to catch it in a field is when it runs away when you’re sat on it. This flight response might be borne out of playfulness or fear, but either way it is an issue.
For those horses that move away from your approach, try using a carrot instead of a stick. Quite literally, a carrot. Also, instead of approaching the horse directly, try to saunter at an angle or in an arc, avoiding eye contact with the horse but examining the ground instead. You can even munch on a carrot, so long as you bring a spare one for your horse when you reach him. Take your time, because horses, like most prey animals, do not like to be rushed. Crouch down and examine the ground and the grass while you ruminate on how nice it is to spend some downtime in the company of your horse. Take another bite of that carrot. You may find that your horse approaches you to examine the same piece of earth that you clearly find so fascinating. If he does so, offer him the spare carrot and let him enjoy his reward before taking him in hand. And then set aside time to train him to approach you, preferably inside a smaller paddock!
It’s a bit difficult to offer your horse a carrot while he is bolting and you are on him, lest you end up examining the ground a lot more closely than desired. Avoid pulling on the reins, because if he is doing so out of fear then the pain of the bit may make matters worse. Instead shift your own body weight, drawing on one rein and then the other to slightly unbalance your horse without pulling too sharply and risk him keeling over. Alternatively shift your balance and gently draw on one rein to turn your horse into a wide arc, gradually increasing the degree of turn. Eventually your horse will come to a halt, especially if you have him facing back toward the thing that spooked him in the first place.
So what can you do about that thing that scared him? First of all, you will want to ascertain what actually is your horse’s bogeyman. It could be anything from a human being to an inanimate object. It could be an inanimate object that has become animated, such as a flapping piece of tarpaulin or a fluttering flag. It could even be something as innocuous as the wind that causes the tree branches to wave and the leaves to rustle.
It is worth bearing in mind that sounds have their effect on horses, too. While higher pitch sounds tend to upset horses more than lower pitch sounds, a consistent din will disturb a horse as much as a sudden explosive sound, such as a car backfiring. It doesn’t matter whether through sudden fear or a creeping anxiety, a horse’s flight reaction will kick in as a response to any perceived threat.
Signs of Stress in a Horse:
A stressed horse may not always bolt but will display signs of stress that include: Repetitive movement coupled with hyper-vigilance, constant lip licking, chewing, or grinding of teeth, excessive whinnying, flared nostrils, tail swishing, stamping hooves, pawing, or kicking, head shaking, ears held back with whites of eyes showing, and stereotypical behaviours, eg. Cribbing, wind sucking.
© Paul Briden / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Once the bogeyman has been uncovered, a combination of counter-conditioning and gradual desensitisation should be employed to habituate the horse to its presence. This process cannot be rushed, and progress can only be made at the horse’s pace. Be sure to reinforce desirable behaviour by pairing it with a reward, and ensure you remain calm at all times, for if your horse picks up on your frustration or stress during these calming exercises it will only make him think he was right not to trust that bogeyman.
Many horses will tolerate being groomed, especially if they have been habituated to being touched from an early age, but this does not mean that they actually enjoy it. In fact, few horses enjoy the grooming process, and even fewer horses enjoy having their hooves handled.
Because horses are intensely wary of novel items, especially those with which they are brought into physical contact, it is important to allow the horse to examine each grooming implement before it is used.
Chances are you will not be the first person to groom, clip, or hose down your horse, but you may certainly be the first to do it with the welfare of your horse in mind. Previous carers may have simply secured the horse using cross-ties and then proceeded to groom whilst paying no heed to the horse’s anxiety. This may have got the grooming job done, but it would have instilled a whole heap of negative associations for that horse that might express itself elsewhere and most certainly would express itself during future grooming sessions.
Thus you may have inherited a horse that becomes rather recalcitrant when he senses he is about to be groomed. Or you may have a horse that has developed bad habits due to your prior methods of grooming. The best way to deal with either scenario is to desensitise the horse to the process and counter-condition him into accepting it as a rewarding thing.
You will want to break each aspect of grooming down into tiny steps, rewarding your horse for his positive engagement at each stage. Should your horse show reluctance to engage with you at any point, simply take him back a step and reinforce him again.
First you will want to get him comfortable in the space that you have set aside for grooming. To do this, guide your horse to that space, treat him, and then guide him back out. Continue to do this until your horse appears thoroughly relaxed in that space. When it comes to grooming brushes, you will present each one for him to sniff and inspect prior to using it for the first time, rewarding him for his curiosity. When it comes to clippers, you will present them to him while they are turned off, and then gently press them against different parts of his body while they remain turned off. Notice any tail swishes or twitching when you touch any part of his body, as your horse is feeling sensitive about being touched there. These are areas of the body that you will want to spend a bit more time on, simply touching him with turned-off clippers while rewarding him for being relaxed. Only when he is thoroughly relaxed around the clippers should you then turn them on, and then at a distance so that he is not startled by their sound. Briefly touch them against the part of the body that showed the least amount of sensitivity, then remove them and reward him. As his confidence grows you can commence clipping, keeping sessions initially short and extending them as he becomes habituated to the process. Remember, you don’t need to clip him all on the same day.
For hosing your horse down, first allow your horse to see the hose at a distance without having the tap turned on. Lead the horse in-hand past the hose and reward him for being relaxed as you pass by. Once he has done this a few times, walk him up to the hose and offer it to him for inspection, rewarding him for his interest and curiosity. Without turning on the tap, run the hose over your horse as if you were hosing him down, all the while praising him for being relaxed. Once your horse has shown himself to be completely relaxed around the hose, including having it passing over him, repeat this process again, but this time while the water is running. It is best to turn the hose on while the horse is not present, as the initial gush of water can be quite sudden and come with a sound that might spook him. If you wish, you can present the hose with running water for him to drink but try to avoid splashing his face.
Habituating your horse to farrier work comes with an added complication in that the horse has to endure this work while balancing on three legs. For this reason it is best to get your horse used to raising each foot and keeping it raised before even considering to introduce your horse to a farrier. Most horses will have become accustomed to this, but in case your horse is not, the process is fairly straightforward. Ensure that your horse is securely tethered and then, while standing beside the front leg with your back to the horse’s head, reach down and gently run your hand down the inside of the leg. Gently press your shoulder into the horse so that he shifts his weight onto his other front leg, gently squeeze or pinch just above the fetlock, and then gather the lower leg in your hand and raise it up. If your horse is not used to having its foot raised or if this is the first time with this particular horse, return the foot back down straight away, and then repeat the process, gradually increasing the duration that the foot is raised. Always ensure the foot is maintained beneath the body of the horse and not pulled out from under him. Repeat this process with each of the other legs.
You will also want to have your horse used to the sound of hammering, never mind the feeling of pressure from a hot shoe being placed against his hoof at the same time. Break down each component of the work involved, and introduce them to him gradually.
Target training can also be beneficial when teaching a horse to accept farrier work. For more information on target training your horse, as well as other forms of training, please refer to our page on ‘Training Your Horse’.
It’s not only pushy, dominant horses that can crowd you. A horse may do so when it is spooked and seeks protection, or it may do so because it is feeling playful or desiring a treat. Whatever the reason, it is vitally important that your horse learns to yield to you and to give you space, for to do otherwise is not only showing a lack of respect for you but in fact can prove dangerous.
It is therefore essential that your horse learns to yield to you and to step back not only from up close but also from a distance, and to do so without rearing up or striking out.
Be mindful of the type of behaviour you are fostering when providing food rewards. If you allow your horse to crowd you or to nuzzle you for a treat, you may be creating a situation in which your horse will not respect your personal bubble of space. Instead, reward a horse for giving you space and refer to our page on ‘Training Your Horse’ for further information on essential training.
Horses are herd animals that are used to roam over vast areas. They are not used to being cooped up in isolation, though many have become habituated to being kept under these restrictive conditions. That being said, many horses will suffer from boredom and stress during such confinement, especially if not given the opportunity to frequently engage with the rest of their herd or to allowed to exercise. In these instances, stereotypical and repetitive behaviours may begin to materialise.
These behaviours include stall-walking and circling, in which the horse will pace around in the limited space available to him, box-weaving, in which the horse will shift its weight and move its head from side to side while tethered, cribbing and windsucking, in which the horse will grab an object with its incisor teeth and draw in gulps of air, and pawing and kicking, in which the horse will paw or kick at the walls or stall door. Finally, there is self-mutilation, where the horse will bite or kick itself.
Cribbing & Wind Sucking:
Crib-biting, or cribbing, is a stereotypical behaviour that involves a horse gripping an object such as a rail or stall door with its incisor teeth, arching its neck, and swallowing gulps of air. The behaviour is self-reinforcing, as it results in endorphins being released within the body.
This can lead to wind sucking, in which a horse sucks in air without grasping an object, and can occur even when the horse is turned out into a paddock. Horses that perform these behaviours are more prone to colic and weight-loss.
These behaviours are most prevalent in horses that have had an insufficient amount of exercise, been kept in a stall too long, or are suffering stress. It is also commonly associated with other repetitive behaviour, such as box walking, weaving, and self-mutilation.
© Tunatura / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
The difficulty in resolving many of these problem behaviours once they begin is that they are in themselves self-soothing, as they stimulate the brain to release endorphins as well as lower the heart rate to produce a calming effect. These behaviours are therefore incredibly addictive as the horse becomes reliant on the pleasure chemicals they produce, even once removed from their sterile or stressful environment.
Traditional methods of resolving some of these stereotypical behaviours have generally focused on removing the horse’s ability to perform these functions without dealing with the underlying cause. This can only be counterproductive and detrimental to the horse’s welfare. A larger portion of roughage and reduced amounts of concentrates in a horse’s feed would certainly help, but at the same time the horse should be given the opportunity for social interaction along with adequate time to exercise and roam while grazing.
Share:
FIND OUT MORE:
Now you can promote yourself with and through us.
Find out more >
