You own or work with a wonderful horse. You
ride or work with it at least a couple of
times every week. This horse has never shown
aggression. Suddenly, it bites you! Does
this scenario sound familiar to you? Was
this horse’s behavior so unpredictable?
Maybe not. Sometimes we do not know the
warning signs of aggression; sometimes we
ignore the signs. Either way, it can lead to
a dangerous outcome.
What are the warning signs? Well, your horse
may pin its ears at you, but he may only do
it for a second the first time. You think,
“Well, he didn’t bite or continue pinning
his ears; he really didn’t mean it,” and you
decide to ignore this signal. Maybe the next
time the horse flattens his ears at you, he
does it for a longer period of time, but you
decide not to reprimand him. This continues
for a week or so until finally… OUCH! The
horse bites you! You think, “Now where did
that come from?” Perhaps you did not notice
the warning signs. That means you must
pay more attention to what your horse is
feeling.
Here is how the horse’s thought process
follows:
Day 1 Thought:
bite
Day 2 Thought:
bite
Day 3 Thought: Bite
Day 4 Thought:
Bite
Day 5 Thought: BITE
Day 6 Action:
BITE!
This thought process may take place in a
longer or a shorter period of time. If you
ignore the warning signs and do not punish
the horse before the “action” takes place,
then you have just “taught” your horse that
thinking about and finally biting is
alright. For example:if your horse pins his
ears at you and you ignore it, you have just
taught your horse that thinking about biting
a person is okay. Continue with this train
of thought and you can see that your horse
is learning from your reactions on what is
allowed and what is not allowed.
If, however, when you see your horse pin its
ears at you, you decide to slap his muzzle
sharply, causing your horse to start, you
are teaching him that that kind of thought
is not proper.
Make sure that your horse is not allowed to
make his own rules. That is your job.
