FIRST LIFE LESSONS

for a horse.

Story and Photos By Alessandra Deerinck

When we welcome a horse into our lives, we always prefer to know his personality, and experiences, and aside from the training a horse received, the first life experiences are always very important because they leave a strong influence on an individual. It often is difficult to be able to access this kind of information, but knowing the instinctual behavior of a horse and the behavioral traits that are characteristic of the equine species is definitely always possible and helpful. ne day, Obefore beginning to train horses I took a moment to meditate, and did it while standing by the pasture where the new foals were housed. These horses always attract the attention of people that come by the ranch. On that day the last newborn was just attempting to stand up, the mare was very comfortable and was watching her foal, while the owners were standing by, with their dog on the leash. Foals start learning immediately to stand up, to suck milk from their mother’s udder, to use their senses to perceive and to be alert. Their behavior is a blend between instincts and newly learned behavior from the very first moment. The most important thing that happens is the bond that starts between the mare and the foal, which will have an influence on the rest of the foal’s life, and it is very important for us human beings not to interfere in its mechanics. When horses live naturally the bond is created easily, while in the domestic environment there can be many interferences. There are even training techniques that actually have the purpose to intrude in this bond and train the horse to think that we are his keen. To me it is trying to put the circuits of a small radio into a large appliance.

One fact that is always easy to see is how a horse responds to movement since the first moment, and how this behavior stays with the horse for the rest of his life. Every foal instinctually moves away from something that approaches him, even his mother, because otherwise he could get stepped on. At the same time the foal learns to always follow his mother, which is the source of his nutrition and safety. Being with the mother is a necessity. Being next to the mother is instinctual, and probably related to the ability that horses have to move in tune with their herd, or with another individual they trust and respect.

We can be present to the birth of a horse but we should make sure that the mare is comfortable with our presence and actions. Working with horses that have freedom of movement, and developing a positive relationship socially significant from the equine point of view, makes it possible to get the horse to interact with us as it would with another of its kind.

Behavior is the most complete expression of each individual, and it is influenced by the situation of space, time and

We can be present to the birth of a horse but we should make sure that the mare is comfortable with our presence and actions.

the presence of other objects and living beings. It is the result of the combination of instinctive elements, which may have constant characteristics in individuals of the same species, and other elements learned from the life experience that influenced the original natural behavior. Behavior also has emotional components, largely involuntary, which are characteristic of each specific individual.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

of the RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT

Observing what happens when we approach a horse that has freedom of movement and is looking at us, like when we approach to put the halter on, before we start working, can let us see that there is no problem in putting the halter on if we get close, and the horse sees us, and stays alert and still. On the other hand, if the horse turns the head away and looks around, or moves away, the more we insist in the approach, the more he will tend to move away. At the first sign of the horse moving away, we should stop immediately, but then try again to get closer only if he is standing still, while we look at him, and he looks at us. It is very important to stop if the horse moves away or hesitates, because stopping our approach tells the horse, in terms of movement, that his message has been understood. The horse expresses himself very clearly through movement. His act of walking away means that he does not trust us to approach him, so if we continue to chase him, we show that we have not understood his message or, even worse, that we do not care. The next step is to make him curious and inspire him to allow us to shorten the distance that separates us, and eventually let himself be touched. It is not necessary to use food to attract the horse, the simple act of stopping can intrigue him to the point that the horse decides to approach us to perceive who we are and what we want using his touch, smell and taste. From a distance, in fact, he can only use sight and hearing, so our body language will be what inspires him to approach. Once we are close, we both will have other sensory resources to draw upon to communicate.

Working with horses that have freedom of movement, and developing a positive relationship socially significant from the equine point of view, makes it possible to get the horse to interact with us as it would with another of its kind.

The foal learns to always follow his mother, which is the source of his nutrition and safety.

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How the horse responds to movement can tell a lot about his mental status. If a horse moves with the same intensity as the object that approaches him, it can be said that he is attentive, comfortable and respectful. If, on the other hand, his speed is higher, it may be that he is afraid or that he has been surprised. Knowing how to interpret the response to the horse’s movement can not only be useful on the ground in building a relationship with the horse, it can also be useful when riding. Everything around us can move and influence the horse, even when he is under saddle, knowing how to predict what the horse will do in every situation we are in together can help us make the best choices and not be surprised by its reactions. • Reduce time spent cleaning pastures or paddocks • Reduce risk of parasites • Easily towed behind a golf cart, lawn tractor or utility vehicle • Vacuum your bulk shavings- and dump them into the stalls • Save money, shavings and labor! • 101 uses for your Pasture Vac!

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THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF MOVEMENT THROUGH THE SENSES

We experimented with the communication through movement and senses to train horses to participate in all different equestrian disciplines, and even parades. This activity requires a very tolerant and solid behavior on the part of the horse, and the ability to stay in environments that are not normally suited for horses. For this reason, we trained our horses by going to public parks, and on busy city streets. On one of these occasions, we were able to observe that when horses are able to perceive and understand what is happening, they immediately decide to change their behavior in a radical way without the need of external intervention. One morning, when I took Allegria de Los Cielos to the park, we were surprised by the presence of a group of athletes training for a marathon. Unlike the other people we meet on the streets, the athletes did not interrupt their running when we approached because they were working hard on their training. Allegria initially froze, as she always does when something makes her attentive, then, as I let her stand and observe for a few seconds, she was able to run alongside the athletes, in complete harmony of movement with them.

The senses are the window of every individual, man or horse, on what surrounds him, be it the environment or other individuals. Different kinds of information reach us through the various sensory receptors that are specific for a stimulus. Based on what reaches us and with the contribution of our personality, we will express ourselves, we will relate to other individuals and we will be perceived by them. Focusing on the sense that the other individual will use to perceive our message, and by using behavior as a means of communication, we can bypass the difficulties that human language poses in connecting with animals. We should always have a greater awareness for what transpires from our actions, and a consideration for the horse’s behavior, that goes beyond training and include in the relationship the feedback that the horse offers us about what we are doing. This way of relating to the horse builds a constructive relationship and the possibility of being able to apply it to all equestrian disciplines. Some information that each individual perceives is more immediate in influencing the behavior of the individual that perceived it. For example, stimuli that provoke instinctive reactions, such as the response to movement in the horse, use nerve pathways that exist from birth to generate a behavioral response, while stimuli that elicit a conditioned response, such as those used in training, employ more complex nerve pathways. Knowing how to use instinctive responses in communicating with the horse is what facilitates our interaction and the training process. The spontaneous communication phase, if done in freedom of movement, and behavior choice, causes the horse, through the memorization of positive experiences, to develop a willingness to give us his attention. Another important element in the interactions through the senses with the horse in freedom of movement is knowing how to receive his answers, which are always expressed by movement, and see if they are in accordance with what we have asked for. For example, if we have approached the horse with the intention of making him move away, and instead he stops maintaining his position, we

When we approach a horse that has freedom of movement and is looking at us we should only continue the approach if the horse stays still and is comfortable

must realize that the horse is not responding but reacting, and that therefore we must present our request in a different way, because it was not understood or perceived. Continued...

Foals are still relatively free of memories, and they tend to live in the present

Horses that have a very tolerant and solid behavior develop the ability to stay in environments that are not normally suited for horses Horses have the ability to move in tune with their herd, or with another individual that they trust and respect.

Man, horse and emotions

One of the most difficult things in the relationship between human and horse is dealing with the emotional element. This is a factor that it is absolutely necessary to take into consideration from the beginning, and especially when we work in freedom of movement, since the horse without tack and constraints expresses itself freely manifesting emotions, and (more importantly!) perceives ours, whether we want it or not. For example, if we are tense and insecure, the horse perceives it and often tends to not want to approach us. The emotional element is part of the social sphere, is often overlooked and can become dangerous when we ride. At Human Horse Sensing we firmly believe that it needs to be addressed appropriately, taking into account both the human and equine point of view. Working on the emotional sphere of the horse, however, involves making some considerations, including the difference in species between human and horse, and our tendency to humanize the behavior of other individuals. The way in which we suggest to enter this delicate aspect of the relationship between man and horse is to implement interactions that are not just the ones based on conditioning, but come from some actions we actually observed between horses, tested and standardized them finding a common code between the two species, human and equine. In terms of the emotions, the starting point is the awareness of our emotional state and of the fact that the horse always reads our emotions and will always and invariably respond to it. Likewise, by interacting with the horse who is free to express himself, we will learn to better understand his emotions and respect them instead of ignoring them or using them as an excuse for our lack of leadership. An example we have already mentioned is when we approach a horse and, even if he backs away in fear, we continue to approach, clearly demonstrating to the horse that we intend to approach and that we do not care if he walks away, and does not trust us. This attitude is perceived by the horse from our behavior and we are often so set on wanting to capture the horse that we do not notice the problem we are creating between us. Of course, for us this problem disappears when we finally manage to put the halter on, while for the horse it subsists and often gets bigger. At the basis of the distancing that the horse performs there are voluntary and instinctive elements, since the approach of an object evokes the well-known flight response and our ignoring it puts us further and further away from the coveted leadership position. Our emotions, if expressed inappropriately, can certainly be counterproductive in the relationship with the horse. In the absence of other resources, at least, let us become aware of our emotional state, and try to behave in a way that is consistent with our intentions to have a good relationship with the horse. Foals are still relatively free of memories, and they tend to live in the present, staying relevant to what happens to them. Keeping this in mind can allow us to always have our “life manual” open. We don’t have to go to the library to find it, it’s written in the DNA, developed and tested across time and space, the energy of movement and social relationships between living beings. Each individual builds his own future with the actions he performs. Actions that an individual is aware of doing, build more useful memories to draw upon in the future. ���������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ ������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������� EE

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