Do we need horses?

Do we need horses?

Often from a person who is not indifferent to horses, one can hear such phrases: “I love her, I treat her with carrots, but she bit me!”, “I treat her well, I don’t beat her, I feed her, but she doesn’t let herself be caught in the field … “,” I did not demand anything complicated from her, but she threw me off … “.

All this is said solely from the point of view of a person who NEEDs horses. Who likes to communicate with them, feed, stroke, ride … But few people think about whether horses need us? .. Because, if you face the truth, you can see that horses DO NOT NEED us.

Let me explain…

Horses are herd herbivores. Why would they voluntarily accept into their company a creature with a fundamentally different system of values, different behavior and different views of the world, which, moreover, almost constantly requires the performance of incomprehensible and meaningless (from a horse’s point of view) actions.

As an example, I want to give a few simple situations.

1. A person approaches a horse and strokes its muzzle. And then the question arises: “Why did she bite me, but I didn’t do anything to her”? What many don’t know, however, is that the vast majority of horses don’t like having their heads touched. Yes to you and they themselves will not like it very much if a stranger immediately climbs with kisses, or instead of extending a hand to you, pats you on the cheek in an familiar way. If you want to make a good impression, it is best to touch the horse in the area of ​​​​the withers, neck.

2. A man comes to a herd walking in a field and treats horses with carrots. The same question arises: “Why were the horses not happy with me, angry and biting”? But because, firstly, horses are really not happy when they are prevented from leading their own, equine lifestyle. When I sent my horse on vacation to the fields and after a couple of weeks I came to visit him, he was not very happy and did not show any dog ​​loyalty. If a person comes to a group of horses, you need to understand that there is a hierarchy in it. The “guest”, be it a horse or a person, can immediately begin to check, determining what place in the hierarchy he occupies. And, if biting and light kicks are considered the norm for horses, such actions can be extremely unpleasant for a person.

3. The man was just riding a horse in a circle, and suddenly she abruptly decided to “get out from under him” in the other direction, leaving the rider to sit on the ground and wonder: “Why did she throw me off, I didn’t demand anything complicated from her” ? Well, first of all, the horse owes us NOTHING. She is not obliged to ride us, and in principle to show obedience. And, secondly, it could be banally boring for her to monotonously walk in a circle, doing a simple, but also uninteresting business. In order for a horse to be comfortable with a person, it needs to be interested in cooperation, and it’s not sweets that play a decisive role here …

Perhaps I will disappoint someone, but I want to voice a few simple truths that horse lovers, alas, sometimes simply do not think about …

1. Horses do not treat each other with their food. In the herd, the leader eats first, and then everyone else. Therefore, a person who feeds a horse with carrots or breadcrumbs must understand that the treat itself will only lower his authority in the eyes of the horse. In order to correctly use food rewards, you need to have some experience and understand exactly when and for what it is worth treating a horse, and when it should not be done. in no case. Ideally, you need to hone interaction with a horse without treats, and treats should be put into work only when your authority becomes unshakable. If a horse perceives a person only as a bag of crackers, it is unlikely that he will treat him like a leader. So, it is premature to talk about any respect.

2. Horses don’t like being interrupted from their horse business.. In nature, horses eat and move almost around the clock. By and large, if we have not provided our horse with round-the-clock access to hay and water, round-the-clock exercise and a round-the-clock need for communication, it’s not worth saying at all that the horse “owes” us something. SHE DOES NOT owe us anything! And if in such a situation she still sometimes obeys us, this is a great favor on her part … But suppose that the conditions of keeping our horse are ideal. Then we have some right to demand attention from her … Although she does not suspect anything about this right. So, we need to work hard and make sure that the horse is safe, comfortable, interesting with us. How to do it? This is where you need to use your human imagination. However, within reasonable limits and on the condition that we perfectly know the basic psychology of the horse, observe safety precautions and understand what we are doing. If the horse is not interested or comfortable with us, it is very naive to demand attention and cooperation from it.

3. The horse will not do what he is not interested in.. Any cooperation between a horse and a person is based on the fact that the person was able to prove to the horse the benefits of this cooperation. Even when relationships are built on fear and punishment, the horse knows that if he fulfills the requirements of the owner, he will not be beaten and will be left alone for a while. All animals instinctively seek comfort. So, the least we can do is provide the horse with comfort in response to the performance of the tasks assigned to him. In addition, the horse may be interested – in this case, she will prefer an exciting conversation with a person, rather than an extra hour of walking in the field. However, at the same time, she must know that later she will be released again.

Of course, it pleases when your horse willingly goes towards you, calmly lets itself be caught. When you know that she will obey you, regardless of the presence of a bridle, saddle, and other ammunition on her. When you see a lively interest in her eyes and a willingness to cooperate.

How can this be achieved?.. First of all, observe the “technical conditions” of keeping the horse: provide it with access to food, communication, and a long exercise. Secondly, to carefully study the psychology of the horse – with the help of books, articles, or watching the animals in the herd for hours. Third and most important: work on yourself, honing your body language, landing, intonation, learn to use your energy and mood, control emotions …

The main thing to remember is: THE HORSE DOES NOT OWN US ANYTHING. By and large, she does not need our society at all. But it is in our power to make sure that she herself begins to strive for cooperation, showing sincere trust, respect and interest!

Ksenia Krotova, horse riding and hippotherapy instructor, author of the book “Horse, rider, instructor: how to understand each other?”