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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question Why do some horses behave badly? Answer Horses like us are individuals, some cope with life better than others - the short answer to a big Question! To understand why our horse is behaving dangerously we need to analyse all that we do with our horse. Horses behave in a dangerous or unwanted manner because of Pain, Memory, Learned Behaviour or Daily Conflict/Stress. It may well mean that as an owner we may need to address, one or more of the following: pain/health issues; stable management; nutrition; tack; our riding (where and how we ride); ground handling; social species contact; etc. Please remember that what one horse seems to cope with another may not - it is just that they are individuals like us - they are not being stupid or naughty, they will be scared… of something - you have to identify what that is! Another reason why horses are deemed to behave 'badly' may be behind our long held views and because of the terminology we use to traditionally describe horses behaviour - we describe 'Problem' horses with 'Vices' as if, they are in some way culpable, determined to undermine us at every turn! This may be why excessive force is deemed an acceptable necessity in traditional horse training and used to pressure or force a so called 'Naughty' horse to comply. Force only serves to create further conflict between horse and handler. In fact we need to recognise that horses are actually often displaying 'learned' behaviour in order to get them out of a situation they don’t want to be in. (Rearing when they see a tractor and running home minus a rider springs to mind!) Back to Questions | |
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