Horses are one of the most magnificent and graceful of all the animals. They have been a friend and fellow work companion to man for many years. Their history spans back millions of years and let’s hope they’ll be around for millions more.
So here’s to “The Horse“…………………..
A horse can be a very loyal and loving friend and many a bond has been formed between a human and a horse. But all to often horses are misunderstood and as a result can be mistreated. So the reason I’ve created this blog is to share some of my own philosophies and ways and to build a resource full of information and facts to help horses and horse lovers out there get a better understanding of each other and hopefully to see a lot more horses treated with the respect they deserve.
As horses can’t speak to us we seem to forget that they are living, breathing creatures with thoughts and feelings both physical and mental. Studies have proven that the majority of animals have nervous systems similar to ours therefore they feel physical pain similar to us. Also it’s proven that animals have emotions and are effected by their surroundings and experiences just like us.
However it is a mistake to put human mental traits on to an animal. An animal will never think like a human so a human has got to try and think like an animal. For example if your trying to get a horse on a float quickly, the horse will not recognize your haste and think “I’d better hurry up and get on board we must be running late!”, your haste will probably unsettle the horse and make the job a lot harder and longer. If you stay calm and repeat your requests in a cool manner there’s a far better chance the horse will remain calm and give in and go on board for you.
Studies have also proven that horse’s seem to learn from memory and association. They remember you trying to get them on a float and depending on whether the experience was calm and easy or aggressive and hard, they may react accordingly. Also it can depend on a horse’s personality, some horses are submissive and wont put up a fight while others can become aggressive if pushed.
Another fact about the horse is it is an animal of prey and has the natural instinct of flight. That is why horses often sleep on their feet, It stems back from their beginnings of being able to take flight easily if danger approached. The average horse, being close to half a ton, has a fair amount of weight to move off the ground. So as big as they are, horses can get scared quite easily if you make a sudden movement or if something suddenly catches their eye or makes a noise while your riding or leading them.
Being around horses can be a life changing experience. Having these huge animals respond to you and letting you into their lives is something more than words can describe.
So thanks for reading and I hope you really enjoy The Outback Hoof blog,
Elizabeth
