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Basic Horse Psychology and Handling Safety Kimberly A. Foushee
NCSU Extension Horse Husbandry
A handler must remember to exercise caution when
working around horses. The horse, regardless of its size, is a strong, agile animal
capable of reacting instantly to any situation. When cornered, a horse’s natural
instinct is to first flee and then fight. The animal will have no concern about your
safety when frightened and may even run over you to avoid what has scared it. In order to
give the handler more control over the horse’s reaction, one must understand how the
horse thinks and processes stimuli. The goal behind understanding equine psychology is to
be able to identify the possible behavior of the horse under different situations and use
that knowledge to have the horse respond as desired. Improper handling, in many cases,
validates an action not necessarily consistent with our intended goal and can ultimately
lead to injury of the horse and/or handler.
Although today’s horse has evolved immensely from the small plant eater of millions
of years ago, he has retained the same survival tools of his early ancestors. These tools
included: sight, memory, reflexes, feeling, hearing and smell. A brief description
follows:
Sight - poor; must lower or raise head
to locate best area of vision; eyes adjust slower to dark than humans; color blind, sees
some gray shadows; sees movement instantly; has blind spots directly in front of head and
behind the rear.
Memory - has good memory; remembers
training whether it is good or bad; can be conditioned to accept objects or activities as
common place with repetition; cannot associate overeating with a bellyache; cannot
transfer information between the two halves of the brain, each side must be taught.
Reflexes - very quick, panic-like;
enhanced by the body design.
Feeling - skin is extremely sensitive;
long face hairs used to test/feel objects; very receptive to ground vibrations.
Hearing - quite good; capable of
hearing high- pitched sounds; loud noises can cause pain; rotating ears and long necks are
an advantage.
Smell - great sense of smell.
The horse utilizes all the information provided by
its environment to determine whether to stay or flee. Understanding how the horse
processes this sensory information is vital to gaining any measure of control over his
actions. Remembering the natural survival instincts of the horse will make the
handler’s job easier and ensure that the horse does not endure any unnecessary
stress.
Horses communicate via their ears, eyes, nostrils,
tail and body position. A good horseman can read these clues and make an effort to
understand what the horse is "saying." Ears forward indicate interest or
suspicion. Ears laid back or "pinned back" means the horse is angry or faking
anger. Eyes and nostrils show emotion and reflect the horse’s temperament. Dilated
nostrils reflect curiosity or apprehension. However, when eyes widen, nostrils dilate and
the muscles tense - beware. The animal could buck, rear or bolt. A horse that keeps his
rear to you indicates that he is uncomfortable with your presence and may kick if you get
too close.
Handling the Feet
Regardless of whether the horse is tied or a handler
is available, make sure the horse is standing with his weight evenly distributed on each
foot. As you stand on the left or near side of the horse facing his rear, rub firmly on
the horse’s neck with your left hand, as you make your way to the shoulder and down
the front leg without removing your hand. To ask the horse to give you his foot, gently
squeeze the back of the fetlock. Should he resist, lean into his shoulder and/or ask the
handler to shift the horse’s weight. Another method is to squeeze the chestnut. Once
you have the foot, make sure the horse is comfortable and quiet before beginning your
work. Switch hands when working on the right or off side of the horse.
The process for picking up a left or near side hind
foot is very similar to the front. With the horse standing relatively square, start
rubbing with the left hand at the neck and work to the hip maintaining contact with the
horse. Keep your left hand on the hip, to easily detect movement of the horse, such as
kicking. Work your right hand down the hip to the foot and ask the horse to give you the
foot. Pick it up, wait for him to relax before beginning your work. Reverse the procedure
when working on the right or off side of the horse.
Rules of Safe Horse Handling
1) Never forget to approach any horse, particularly
a neglected or injured horse, with caution.
2) Make sure the equipment (halter, lead line, etc.)
is in good working condition.
3) Approach a horse from the front, taking care to
avoid the blind spots, after making him aware of your presence. Watch his body language as
you approach. Do not crowd or force him to flee. Move slowly, but confidently and speak in
a soothing tone of voice.
4) Horses can sense fear. Do not attempt to approach
any animal you are afraid of.
5) Avoid sudden movements. A scared horse is a
danger to himself as well as you.
6) Your first contact with the horse’s body
should be at the shoulder and neck in a firm rubbing motion. Do not go straight to the
head. If he is gentle and trusting, halter him at this point. Grain can be used to attract
a shy horse, but do not grab at its head or halter immediately. Allow him to eat and
become accustom to your presence first.
7) Never stand in front of or directly behind a
horse. All horses are capable of striking while being handled. When moving around the
rear, keep one hand on the horse to feel for tensing muscles and walk close to the rear.
Staying close to the rear will lessen the force of a kick to more of a pushing away
motion.
8) Do not tie a horse unless you know he is broke to
tie.
9) Have the handler stand on the same side of the
horse as the person attempting to work on the horse to reduce the chance of either
individual getting run over. The handler can maneuver the horse away from the person
working on the horse should he act up.
10) Always end each handling session on a positive
note.
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