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The Psychology of Handling Horses
R. D. Scoggins, D.V.M.
Equine Extension Veterinarian
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois
It has become increasingly popular to use the horse's "natural instincts" to aid in the training
process. There have always been individuals who seemed to have an inherent sixth-sense when
working with horses. They were capable of getting along with horses branded as rank or broncy or
mean. With little apparent effort, they were able to get horses to do nearly anything the
handler or rider desired.
Over the last 20 years, a more organized attempt to document some of these methods has
occurred and more people have become interested in this type of approach to training. A list
of some of these names is attached. It is suggested that persons interested in these methods
look for articles, videotapes, and clinics put on by the individuals on this list.
The methods are not new. Writings by Arnold "Chief" Rojas, Ed Connell, and Monte Foreman
during the 40's and 50's emphasize the need to teach, not force, horses to work.
Writings by J. Frank Dobie and Will James emphasized the importance of quiet handling and
developing trust while training or breaking colts. While some methods were pretty "Western,"
considering the age of the horses and the lack of human socialization, abuse, or even
unnecessary roughness was not tolerated.
Today's horses are higher strung emotionally, more sensitive and thinner skinned than in the
past. Many are "overfed and underworked" compared to previous times. Frequently, young horses
raised for show are kept isolated in stalls from the time of weaning. This prevents them from
maturing socially with other horses and fine-tuning their social skills as horses. As a result,
training is sometimes traumatic for them, both physically and emotionally.
Briefly looking at the horse's evolution and development may help explain why horses respond
as they do. More importantly, what can be done in handling horses that will improve response and
decrease the risk of problems?
The horse evolved as a socially oriented, continuous grazing, continually moving prey species.
They possess good long-distance vision that is particularly adept at recognizing movement. Their
close-up vision is not very good. Horses possess monocular vision or the ability to see with each
eye independently. With their eyes placed on the side of their head, they have excellent
peripheral vision being able to see what's going on all around them with only slight head movement.
Their ability to see motion, i.e., a stalking predator, is one reason horses are often restless on
windy days when EVERYTHING is moving. With everything moving, they cannot isolate the possible
predatory movement.
The horse possesses excellent hearing and the ability to rotate its ears individually. If the wind
blows significantly, it's difficult to determine where a sound is coming from and the horse becomes
apprehensive about its surrounding. The bottom line--don't expect horses to train well out of doors
on a windy day.
Another sense that is well developed in the horse is that of smell. Horses recognize and will
relate scents with past experiences. Liquor, perfume, aftershave, cologne, medications, and
especially, disinfectants often cause an unexpected response. If a prior experience was negative,
the horse may suddenly explode for no apparent reason. In its own mind, the horse relates the odor
to a previous unpleasant experience. Veterinarians and farriers most frequently experience this type
of reaction.
Horses do not make plans for the future. They live in the present, drawing on past experience
to determine how to respond to situations.
Self-preservation is the horse's strongest instinct. It overrides hunger, fatigue, and even sex in most
instances. Since horses do not have horns for defense, nor do they group together like the bovine
species, especially the Yak, their primary defense is flight or escape.
In order to escape danger, the horse runs away in a straight line for whatever distance it feels is
necessary to place it out of danger. This is the horse's flight zone or "bubble." It's "personal space."
As long as the perceived danger is outside of this personal space, the horse may show curiosity,
wariness or even fear. If the horse does not feel threatened or in serious danger, it will be willing to
stick around. Taking away the horse's ability to escape is a method frequently used in training. The
Round Pen, a lunge line or a lead rope and halter all reduce the horse's ability to escape. Hobbles,
snubbing posts, casting harnesses, blindfolds, twitches, and other forms of restraints, are all
designed to restrict the horse's ability to escape.
With the ability to escape prevented, only two options are left; give up and submit or fight. The
more quality and refinement that is bred into horses, the less apt they are to submit to physical force,
thus, more likely they are to fight back, sometimes, quite violently. When this occurs, the horse has
no regard for its own safety and, certainly, none for the handler or rider. This would seem to go
against its self-preservation interest.
Another aspect to handling horses is they appear to be claustrophobic. While that usually
means a reluctance to tolerate small or tight spaces, it also means an inability to tolerate tight
confinement of any kind. Tying, cinching, shafts, trailers, narrow spaces, tie downs or any other
restriction of movement from the horse's perspective can cause the horse to resist violently. Once
the horse has learned to resist any of these or similar conditions, the more difficult is be to overcome
this resistance.
It is absolutely normal for the horse to push back against pressure. It is the human's
responsibility to teach the horse to give to physical pressure. Interestingly, horses that are cinchy are
also prone to pull back when tied and are more prone to fight the trailer and/or resist loading into a
trailer. It is important to begin to understand that horses do not have a problem tying, or saddling, or
trailer loading. They have a problem giving to pressure and/or relaxing. If this can be overcome, the
other problems usually vanish.
-
2
Using the horse's natural instincts in training places greater responsibility on the handler. This
responsibility is primarily to become more aware of how the horse prepares to react to its
surrounding. Once the reaction has occurred, it's too late. The key is getting the horse to prepare
properly, i.e., to get ready. Prepare to stop, to start, to turn, to back up. The next step is to get it to
happen at the time it's needed and at the speed it's wanted. It does no good to stop and turn if we
miss the cow. There is little value in having the horse back up if the judge has given up on waiting for
a response and is four horses further down the line when it finally happens.
The goal is to develop a horse that does what we ask, exactly when we ask, at the speed
requested, and for the time/period it's requested without resistance or resentment and to the best of
the horse's ability.
Simple?
In order to attain this, there are four basic steps.
1. Obtain the horses attention.
2. Direct the horse's attention, i.e., steering.
3. Obtain a response; the horse MUST do something.
4. The response must occur with respect.
a. Speed (Rheostat) or effort.
b. Direction--steering.
c. Attitude--willing, relaxed.
d.
Horses have a tremendous sense of feel. They feel a fly land on the surface of their body. As a
result, it doesn't seem necessary to use the force sometimes seen to obtain a result. Often, results
are not obtained because conflicting directions are being given. Pulling on the mouth to "set" the
head while bumping or squeezing to move forward. The horse's response is often times, "Make up
your mind, what am I supposed to do."
Step-wise requests are more clearly understood, and any try must be rewarded immediately to
be understood.
A one-two-three approach is well understood by horses. It has purpose, it's fair, it's consistent,
and it's simple. You ask; then, you tell; then, you demand a response. The key is to recognize the
slightest try, and reward it immediately. Making requests in a step-wise fashion allows the horse to
try without getting more reaction than can be handled. Horses seek peace and quiet from both
emotional and physical pressure. Dogs work to please the handler. Praise and attention and/or
treats (a form of attention) is sufficient with them.
Horses primarily seek avoidance of pressure; this is what makes it so important to immediately
relieve pressure whenever the horse offers a correct response. Praise has little meaning in the
beginning; especially, verbal praise. Feed is only effective as a reward if they are hungry.
Horses are basically non-competitive, so winning has no significance, except in hierarchy
adjustment. Horses raised as an individual with little or no socialization are often very difficult,
even dangerous, because they do not understand submission to anyone or anything. Young horses that
have been raised in groups are much more apt to understand the pecking order and be more willing
to submit to discipline from a handler. Sometimes, the leader of the pack may be difficult. By
being aware of the reasons for why horses respond, it becomes easier to get the response wanted.
Becoming more aware of the horses response, results in recognizing a try and rewarding it. This
causes the horse to "learn to learn."
Ray Hunt repeats and repeats to his clinics, "Recognize the smallest change, the slightest try,
and reward it!" His other favorite comment is, "Fix it up, and let the horse find it." And a final
saying is, "Make him the best offer possible." Out of context, these comments don't make much sense.
In the midst of working with a difficult horse, they sometimes appear like a neon sign. Not always at the
most needed moment, however.
Utilizing this approach requires much more responsibility on the part of the trainer or handler. If
their timing is off, if they ask too much or too little, if they are in the wrong position,
if they haven't got the horse in the proper position; each of these affect the results and
are not the horse's responsibility.
Awareness of the horse, accompanied by proper timing and adequate feel for what's happening,
creates the final result.
Techniques are best demonstrated on the live horse. Circumstances can change so rapidly as
to be nearly impossible to describe. Seeing what can occur is much more effective.
Another saying of Ray Hunt is, "What happened just before what happened, happened." In
other words, how did the horse prepare? The key to making the system work is anticipating what's
about to happen, encourage or allow what's wanted, try to redirect or prevent what's not wanted.
How to do this depends on circumstances, the person's skill, the horse's attitude, what has
happened before.
Handling horses is not a simple mechanical procedure; do this, get that. Horses think, feel,
react, get hot, get sick, get cold, get sore, get tired, and recover. Everything is constantly
changing. To be effective in handling, it's necessary to recognize these changes.
Read the horse's gauges, its expression. Read the whole horse; eyes, ears, tail, position of the
head, relaxation or rigidity, sighing, licking the lips, chewing, release of tension, the evident
willingness to come to the handlers bubble, to accept the emotional pressure and to give to the
physical pressure.
Once a person begins to use this type of program, it becomes a game. Lead a horse through a
gate, move its hips away, step the front end over, back four to five steps, move over the other
direction. "Load" the horse through a stall door from either side. Teach it to lower its head on
command before clipping it or bridling or unbridling. It is a never-ending list of possibilities!
These are like mental calisthenics to supple and strengthen the mind. How soft, how supple,
how responsive can the horse become? That will be entirely up to you. Try it, you will like it!
R. D. Scoggins, D.V.M.
Equine Extension Veterinarian
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois
It has become increasingly popular to use the horse's "natural instincts" to aid in the training
process. There have always been individuals who seemed to have an inherent sixth-sense when
working with horses. They were capable of getting along with horses branded as rank or broncy or
mean. With little apparent effort, they were able to get horses to do nearly anything the
handler or rider desired.
Over the last 20 years, a more organized attempt to document some of these methods has
occurred and more people have become interested in this type of approach to training. A list
of some of these names is attached. It is suggested that persons interested in these methods
look for articles, videotapes, and clinics put on by the individuals on this list.
The methods are not new. Writings by Arnold "Chief" Rojas, Ed Connell, and Monte Foreman
during the 40's and 50's emphasize the need to teach, not force, horses to work.
Writings by J. Frank Dobie and Will James emphasized the importance of quiet handling and
developing trust while training or breaking colts. While some methods were pretty "Western,"
considering the age of the horses and the lack of human socialization, abuse, or even
unnecessary roughness was not tolerated.
Today's horses are higher strung emotionally, more sensitive and thinner skinned than in the
past. Many are "overfed and underworked" compared to previous times. Frequently, young horses
raised for show are kept isolated in stalls from the time of weaning. This prevents them from
maturing socially with other horses and fine-tuning their social skills as horses. As a result,
training is sometimes traumatic for them, both physically and emotionally.
Briefly looking at the horse's evolution and development may help explain why horses respond
as they do. More importantly, what can be done in handling horses that will improve response and
decrease the risk of problems?
The horse evolved as a socially oriented, continuous grazing, continually moving prey species.
They possess good long-distance vision that is particularly adept at recognizing movement. Their
close-up vision is not very good. Horses possess monocular vision or the ability to see with each
eye independently. With their eyes placed on the side of their head, they have excellent
peripheral vision being able to see what's going on all around them with only slight head movement.
Their ability to see motion, i.e., a stalking predator, is one reason horses are often restless on
windy days when EVERYTHING is moving. With everything moving, they cannot isolate the possible
predatory movement.
The horse possesses excellent hearing and the ability to rotate its ears individually. If the wind
blows significantly, it's difficult to determine where a sound is coming from and the horse becomes
apprehensive about its surrounding. The bottom line--don't expect horses to train well out of doors
on a windy day.
Another sense that is well developed in the horse is that of smell. Horses recognize and will
relate scents with past experiences. Liquor, perfume, aftershave, cologne, medications, and
especially, disinfectants often cause an unexpected response. If a prior experience was negative,
the horse may suddenly explode for no apparent reason. In its own mind, the horse relates the odor
to a previous unpleasant experience. Veterinarians and farriers most frequently experience this type
of reaction.
Horses do not make plans for the future. They live in the present, drawing on past experience
to determine how to respond to situations.
Self-preservation is the horse's strongest instinct. It overrides hunger, fatigue, and even sex in most
instances. Since horses do not have horns for defense, nor do they group together like the bovine
species, especially the Yak, their primary defense is flight or escape.
In order to escape danger, the horse runs away in a straight line for whatever distance it feels is
necessary to place it out of danger. This is the horse's flight zone or "bubble." It's "personal space."
As long as the perceived danger is outside of this personal space, the horse may show curiosity,
wariness or even fear. If the horse does not feel threatened or in serious danger, it will be willing to
stick around. Taking away the horse's ability to escape is a method frequently used in training. The
Round Pen, a lunge line or a lead rope and halter all reduce the horse's ability to escape. Hobbles,
snubbing posts, casting harnesses, blindfolds, twitches, and other forms of restraints, are all
designed to restrict the horse's ability to escape.
With the ability to escape prevented, only two options are left; give up and submit or fight. The
more quality and refinement that is bred into horses, the less apt they are to submit to physical force,
thus, more likely they are to fight back, sometimes, quite violently. When this occurs, the horse has
no regard for its own safety and, certainly, none for the handler or rider. This would seem to go
against its self-preservation interest.
Another aspect to handling horses is they appear to be claustrophobic. While that usually
means a reluctance to tolerate small or tight spaces, it also means an inability to tolerate tight
confinement of any kind. Tying, cinching, shafts, trailers, narrow spaces, tie downs or any other
restriction of movement from the horse's perspective can cause the horse to resist violently. Once
the horse has learned to resist any of these or similar conditions, the more difficult is be to overcome
this resistance.
It is absolutely normal for the horse to push back against pressure. It is the human's
responsibility to teach the horse to give to physical pressure. Interestingly, horses that are cinchy are
also prone to pull back when tied and are more prone to fight the trailer and/or resist loading into a
trailer. It is important to begin to understand that horses do not have a problem tying, or saddling, or
trailer loading. They have a problem giving to pressure and/or relaxing. If this can be overcome, the
other problems usually vanish.
-
2
Using the horse's natural instincts in training places greater responsibility on the handler. This
responsibility is primarily to become more aware of how the horse prepares to react to its
surrounding. Once the reaction has occurred, it's too late. The key is getting the horse to prepare
properly, i.e., to get ready. Prepare to stop, to start, to turn, to back up. The next step is to get it to
happen at the time it's needed and at the speed it's wanted. It does no good to stop and turn if we
miss the cow. There is little value in having the horse back up if the judge has given up on waiting for
a response and is four horses further down the line when it finally happens.
The goal is to develop a horse that does what we ask, exactly when we ask, at the speed
requested, and for the time/period it's requested without resistance or resentment and to the best of
the horse's ability.
Simple?
In order to attain this, there are four basic steps.
1. Obtain the horses attention.
2. Direct the horse's attention, i.e., steering.
3. Obtain a response; the horse MUST do something.
4. The response must occur with respect.
a. Speed (Rheostat) or effort.
b. Direction--steering.
c. Attitude--willing, relaxed.
d.
Horses have a tremendous sense of feel. They feel a fly land on the surface of their body. As a
result, it doesn't seem necessary to use the force sometimes seen to obtain a result. Often, results
are not obtained because conflicting directions are being given. Pulling on the mouth to "set" the
head while bumping or squeezing to move forward. The horse's response is often times, "Make up
your mind, what am I supposed to do."
Step-wise requests are more clearly understood, and any try must be rewarded immediately to
be understood.
A one-two-three approach is well understood by horses. It has purpose, it's fair, it's consistent,
and it's simple. You ask; then, you tell; then, you demand a response. The key is to recognize the
slightest try, and reward it immediately. Making requests in a step-wise fashion allows the horse to
try without getting more reaction than can be handled. Horses seek peace and quiet from both
emotional and physical pressure. Dogs work to please the handler. Praise and attention and/or
treats (a form of attention) is sufficient with them.
Horses primarily seek avoidance of pressure; this is what makes it so important to immediately
relieve pressure whenever the horse offers a correct response. Praise has little meaning in the
beginning; especially, verbal praise. Feed is only effective as a reward if they are hungry.
Horses are basically non-competitive, so winning has no significance, except in hierarchy
adjustment. Horses raised as an individual with little or no socialization are often very difficult,
even dangerous, because they do not understand submission to anyone or anything. Young horses that
have been raised in groups are much more apt to understand the pecking order and be more willing
to submit to discipline from a handler. Sometimes, the leader of the pack may be difficult. By
being aware of the reasons for why horses respond, it becomes easier to get the response wanted.
Becoming more aware of the horses response, results in recognizing a try and rewarding it. This
causes the horse to "learn to learn."
Ray Hunt repeats and repeats to his clinics, "Recognize the smallest change, the slightest try,
and reward it!" His other favorite comment is, "Fix it up, and let the horse find it." And a final
saying is, "Make him the best offer possible." Out of context, these comments don't make much sense.
In the midst of working with a difficult horse, they sometimes appear like a neon sign. Not always at the
most needed moment, however.
Utilizing this approach requires much more responsibility on the part of the trainer or handler. If
their timing is off, if they ask too much or too little, if they are in the wrong position,
if they haven't got the horse in the proper position; each of these affect the results and
are not the horse's responsibility.
Awareness of the horse, accompanied by proper timing and adequate feel for what's happening,
creates the final result.
Techniques are best demonstrated on the live horse. Circumstances can change so rapidly as
to be nearly impossible to describe. Seeing what can occur is much more effective.
Another saying of Ray Hunt is, "What happened just before what happened, happened." In
other words, how did the horse prepare? The key to making the system work is anticipating what's
about to happen, encourage or allow what's wanted, try to redirect or prevent what's not wanted.
How to do this depends on circumstances, the person's skill, the horse's attitude, what has
happened before.
Handling horses is not a simple mechanical procedure; do this, get that. Horses think, feel,
react, get hot, get sick, get cold, get sore, get tired, and recover. Everything is constantly
changing. To be effective in handling, it's necessary to recognize these changes.
Read the horse's gauges, its expression. Read the whole horse; eyes, ears, tail, position of the
head, relaxation or rigidity, sighing, licking the lips, chewing, release of tension, the evident
willingness to come to the handlers bubble, to accept the emotional pressure and to give to the
physical pressure.
Once a person begins to use this type of program, it becomes a game. Lead a horse through a
gate, move its hips away, step the front end over, back four to five steps, move over the other
direction. "Load" the horse through a stall door from either side. Teach it to lower its head on
command before clipping it or bridling or unbridling. It is a never-ending list of possibilities!
These are like mental calisthenics to supple and strengthen the mind. How soft, how supple,
how responsive can the horse become? That will be entirely up to you. Try it, you will like it!
