HORSES REACT TO CHANGE or the UNEXPECTED

By Amy Snow & Nancy Zidonis, Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Resources

Most horses don’t take kindly to change and unexpected events. They are hardwired to be rather disgruntled with changing facilities, new horse is added, traveling cross country to a show, or even something different in their paddock. An unexpected, sudden event calls for a big reaction. These responses have to do with herd behavior and survival.

Herd Behavior

Herd structure is essential to equine survival and every horse knows it. Every horse knows his place and, for the most part, wants to keep peace within the herd. It’s the herd that protects the individual horse and it’s the individual horse that’s responsible for maintaining the integrity and strength of the herd. In the wild traveling 20-30 kilometers in a day, knowing their place gives them a sense of safety. When a horse’s sense of safety is taken away, he will feel vulnerable, fearful, and self-protective.

Some horses seem to manage change easily while others react badly when there’s even a minor routine change because he feels threatened. A sudden threat can be even worse. This can lead to behavior issues, dangerous situations, as well as physical and emotional reactions such as colic and manic behavior. As a prey animal, a horse’s reaction to a threat is to take flight. Domesticated horses retain this spontaneous urge to take flight. However, in a domestic situation fright flight can present a difficult problem at best and a fatal outcome at worst.

Anticipating Change & Possibilities

The best course of action is twofold. First know how your horse reacts to change of any sort, but don’t assume you know exactly how he is going to react to a threatening stimulus such as the wind catching a nearby door and slamming shut. Second, assess the environment by looking, listening, smelling, and even feeling, when possible, for any hazard or potential sudden, unexpected event. Horses are highly attuned to their environment, the people around them and other horses. This is how they have evolved and survived.

Acupressure has been used in China to help military horses for thousands of years to adapt to frightening battles.

Adjusting to Change & The Unexpected

Horses love and thrive on routine. We all can see that routine gives our horses a sense of well-being. When a horse is faced with change or an unexpected event, they usually experience it as a threat and become either hypervigilant or reactive. If you anticipate your horse’s reaction, you can help your horse adapt to the situation before it gets out of hand. You can offer your horse a simple acupressure session before heading into a situation that may lead to a dangerous response. Acupressure has been used in Chinese to help military horses for thousands of years to adapt to frightening battles.

Acupressure Session

The intent underlying “Adapting to Change” acupressure session is calming, reducing fear, and creating trust. These are the three elements needed to help your horse to not over-react in a scary moment. The acupoints selected for this session are known to restore the horse’s sense of well-being and have the added benefit of helping you bond with the horse, which gives the horse a greater sense of safety.

Offer this session with love one day prior to heading to a show or adding a new horse to your herd. If your horse tends to be spooky, you can give this session every third day to help him feel generally more comfortable and safer. To perform the acupressure, use the soft tip of your thumb on the acupressure points for a slow count to 20 and then move on to the next point. Remember to stimulate the points on both sides of the horse’s body!

Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are the authors of ACU-HORSE: A Guide to Equine Acupressure, ACU-DOG: A Guide to Canine Acupressure and ACU-CAT: A Guide to Feline Acupressure.

They founded Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Resources offering books, manuals, DVDs, apps, meridian charts. and consulting services.

Visit: www.animalacupressure.com

Email: tallgrass@animalacupressure.com