Hello again, in this lesson will review the natural environments that shape the horse's behavior and look at the evolution of the human horse partnership. By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to describe the traits of prey animals and recognize how these manifest in domesticated horses when they must interact and depend on humans for their survival. It's estimated that horses were first domesticated sometime between 3500 and 1500 BCE, and have been serving humans for thousands of years. Their speed, power and trainability made them ideal partners in transportation, agriculture and battle. With domestication came a gradual alteration of their free roaming natural environments. The modified environment included confinement and storable forage as a main food source to suit the needs of humans. As we became more dependent on horses, they too became more dependent upon us. They had to rely on us for survival, but many of their natural instincts as a prey animal remained. This interdependence coupled with our growing understanding of equine behavior has shaped our modern management practices. Our understanding of the human horse bond continues to evolve, and inform our approach to equine welfare. Let's talk about freedom from fear for a moment and how that impacts the human equine bond. As we discussed in a previous lesson, life for horses on the open plains was fraught with predators and required constant vigilance. Fear was a part of their daily lives, but their anatomy and behavior evolved to help them cope with this reality. The anatomy of the horse allowed for scanning of the horizon while grazing, the eyes of the horse are placed laterally on the head to monitor the horizon for movement. The neck is long and able to reach the grazing surface, where the horses forelimbs are planted and ready for action. As flight animals, horses have evolved to flee away from unfamiliar movement with significant power and speed. They find comfort in numbers and rely on herd mates to signal threat, dominant mares and stallions lead herds and fend off possible predators such as lions, wolves and coyotes. Although domestication has removed many of the threats of life on the open plains, the horses natural fear responses to situations they perceive as threats remain part of their behavior. So, we can expect to see and experience these fear responses in our everyday interactions. Providing for freedom from fear takes on meaning beyond simply keeping lions away. This is where proper management and training become an important element of providing for the welfare of the horses in your care. Domestic horses still have the propensity to spook or react with speed to sudden movements or noises, or strange sights and smells, just as they would on the open plains. However, instead of being in an open area to flee, they are constricted by stall walls or pasture fences, and are often in the company of humans. This confined reality of domestication impacts the horse and human safety and welfare. Efforts to design and control the horses environment are vital to ensure everyone's freedom from fear, and ensure well-being of the horse and the handler. Horses will burst into speed away from approaching unfamiliar objects such as strollers, umbrellas, loud vehicles, balloons, blowing fabric, bright raincoats, you name it. This propensity to spook with significant power requires careful consideration of their environment, one in hand or mounted. A horse in flight mode has survival on its mind and may temporarily forget its manners around humans, especially if not well trained or accustomed to their environment. This means as he is fleeing from his perceived danger, he will run over a human, and objects in his path or run for open space through narrow doorways or make rapid movements to remove the person or equipment attached to the body. His buddies will heed the alarm and may want to join in the herd in flight. Since we will often have the advantage of knowing what will elicit a fear response in our domesticated horses, it is our responsibility to set up stable and pasture spaces that are perceived as safe from a horse's perspective, and to protect them from frightening situations to the best of our ability. Horses need to have clear lines of sight, space to move freely and appropriate gear attached to their bodies when necessary. This protection from fearful situations also includes our own controlled calm demeanor and actions when handling and riding them. It is critical to consistently build trust if we are to have a healthy and safe working relationship with our equine partners. We've discussed the importance of creating a clean, hazard-free environment for our horses, avoiding dangerous circumstances and providing adequate training. These guidelines are for the horses health and safety, as well as our own safety. This concept of providing safety in the context of the horse's survival instincts should be a familiar theme to you. While we can't avoid all precarious environments, we can make an effort to develop an understanding between a horse and human with basic training to avoid injury and promote a lasting healthy fulfilling relationship. Most horses are trained to be approached, handled and mounted from the left side. This consistency gives the horse a sense of comfort because he'll know what to expect. The left shoulder area is the safest place to stand when handling a horse because it is a familiar configuration for the horse, and because this routine will likely allow your body to respond automatically in a quick and smooth manner. It's not just the horse that's being trained, this left shoulder area is also a safe position to be in because you are less likely to be accidentally run over, bitten or kicked. If you are in front of a reactive horse, the horse could accidentally jump into you or strike you with a front foot. You could be hit by the horse's head, be bitten and if you are near the hind end, you could be kicked. Most horses will move away from gentle pressure on the shoulder and will willingly walk on a loose lead alongside a handler who is on their left. By now, you'll understand you should try not to stand directly in front of a horse or walk behind a horse. When these positions can't be avoided, you should take extra precautions. It's generally a good idea to let the horse know what you are doing, by talking in a calm reassuring manner, approaching and moving slowly, and when possible maintain contact with their body. For example, remember when we are approaching the hind end to take the horse's temperature, we run our hand along the top line so the horse knows we are confident in our motions and knows exactly where we are. These seemingly simple physical gestures make a large contribution towards minimizing fear in the horse. Now, let's talk a bit about the human horse interaction, and food and how it relates to fear and stress. Horses as we know have evolved as nomadic herd animals. Horses roamed the plains foraging on what they could consume and finding water as they wandered. Their physiology functions best when grazing for the majority of the day, ideally 12 to 14 hours a day. Free roaming and grazing protected the stomach lining from acid buildup, and facilitated the regular dental wear. The exercise from constant movement promoted hoof wear as well. Their nomadic movement also facilitated normal gut motility, gas expulsion and manure production. Manure build up and grazing areas was minimal because of continual movement of the herd, which reduced parasite exposure. As horses became domesticated, access to free roaming, grazing and exercise diminished. Most domesticated horses now rely on humans to bring food to them and to provide adequate exercise. Food and water are a key element of survival along with avoiding predators. So, when there is a lack of access to food or water, the horse's physical health is impacted, the horse may get stomach ulcers from acid secretion, suffer from constipation or impaction and have problems with overgrown teeth. In addition, confinement and lack of exercise can lead to excessive hoof growth and high exposure to parasites. These issues affect the horses overall health and also put the horse in a vulnerable state of mind if they are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Hunger can lead to aggression, they may panic if they experience excessive confinement or become submissive from lack of energy, from damaging parasite infestation or a weakened musculoskeletal system. So not only does the horse's physical health suffer if not properly cared for by us, but their psychological state is also affected. Less than optimal care leads to fear and stress, which manifests in short-term and long-term abnormal behavior. Domesticated horses are no longer in control of their survival, we are their partners. It makes sense this loss of control might result in fearful reactive behaviors, and the responsibility to prevent and address these behaviors lies with us. The key to a safe and successful basic human horse interaction is no surprises, establishing consistency in handling, feeding and exercise protocols, recognizes the horse's prey instincts and builds trust. This working relationship will reduce fear and stress for the horse, while ensuring health and safety for both of you. In our next lesson, we'll talk more about how to recognize fear, and the stressors that can contribute to fear. See you soon.
