by Alison O'Donoghue

Created on: July 25, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Getting inside the mind of a horse is a challenge, but one that can definitely pay off. By understanding a horse's thought processes, you can gain his respect, develop a strong rapport and improve your horsemanship. First of all, its important to remember that the horse is a gregarious, social animal. An isolated stable is anathema to him and prevention of access to companions breeds separation anxiety. If you cannot stable your horse with other animals, then try and allow him regular access to other horses during exercise. The mutual grooming process will relax him and provide a good environment for learning and reward.

Riding in a group brings out the instinct of "herd obedience", an innate survival mechanism. You can see this aspect of horse psychology when he senses ground vibrations from other horses running nearby and demonstrates concern and the desire to "follow the pack". Wild horses were led by a dominant stallion, but today it is the human who provides leadership. Therefore you need to make him feel secure and remind him that he is safe with his pack leader.

Why does a horse become agitated by something mundane, or a situation you know he has encountered many times before? Horses have a good memory and, because they don't reflect and analyse like humans, their memories of specific events and places remains clear for many years or even a lifetime. Therefore, if your horse is confronted by a environment even slightly different to the last encounter (e.g. a trailer with a new door), this can provoke caution or even fear. The horse's primary defense mechanism is flight understanding this element of your horse's psychology means that you can handle him patiently, utilizing approach and retreat, until he conquers the anxiety and becomes confident once more.

How does your horse learn? Well the most commonly used thought process is trial and error e.g. nudging a door latch to see what happens. As the horse's memory is good, he'll remember the escape through the open and keep trying to replicate it! Seeing another horse trotting, eating or jumping will stimulate the animal to copy the behavior. This is observational learning triggered by seeing a behavioral sequence which is then replicated and remembered.

Inside your horse's mind he is still prey to an unknown predator. Therefore, you need to approach him in the right way, especially when you are first getting to know him. So, don't stride up to him, take a relaxed meander and, when he acknowledges you, take a backward step. Gently rub and scratch him before putting the halter on. These techniques will help build trust, confidence and mutual respect. Also remember that the senses are another element which contribute to horse psychology. Horses have poor vision, so you need to communicate by using your voice, your hands and your legs. A horse's poor vision means that he will have to concentrate hard when he is covering rough ground this is not a good time for learning something new.

Overall, the horse has a great capacity to learn and to adapt to new situations. If you appreciate how his mind works you''ll also quickly become aware that he is often being pushed to do things against his natural instincts. However, if he trusts you, he will have the confidence to adapt to an unfamiliar situation. Horses and humans are a powerful partnership, especially when their thought processes are aligned.

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