What is a horse?
Horses are large and can do a lot of damage to humans. It's surprising that horses don't realise this and apply their physical advantage more often. New Zealand ACC statistics confirm the high accident rate caused by horses!
Horses bite, kick with both front and back feet, and crush, and they can combine these for simultaneous delivery! They also have good memories of their handlers and events and this is a major problem in trying to correct problems, as a handler may fix a problem and the horse will have learned to behave with him/her.
But there is no guarantee that the cure will be applied to other people or be long-term and a smart horse will wait for the right opportunity to get its own back. The main question is whether the problem can be corrected, and how reliable the "cure" will be in relation to the experience, age and size of the
owner/rider/driver.
1. Aggression
Horses show many forms of aggression from mild to very severe.
There are many causes of aggression, both genetic and environmental. The latter is more important as genetically aggressive horses usually end up as pet food.
Aggression is a normal part of stallion behaviour around mares, but they can be very tractable outside the mating season and are regularly ridden and raced. Some famous thoroughbred stallions have been man-killers but were kept for the high racing success of their progeny - only accepting being handled by certain individuals.
Even after you have found a "cure", the question will remain of whether you can trust the horse after that?
Possible cures/Prevention
Try and work out how the horse learned the habit as you may be able to use this to evaluate your chances of coming up with a "lasting" and reliable cure. It may not be.
Go back to building a strong bond with the animal and always be alert to the things that trigger the aggression.
Have a short, sharp reprimand ready as soon as you see the action about to happen so the horse is surprised and associates the shock with its action. A delay in the action will not work as the horse will not associate it with the action.
An example is a horse that bites when you tighten the girth. A sharp blow with the elbow as it's teeth come round is usually very effective if the problem is mild.
If the risks of failure and human safety are too great, consider euthanasia.
2. Boredom
This is a common problem for confined horses in stables and small paddocks and it can lead to:
Self mutilation.
Standing weaving in stall or paddock.
Stall walking or fence walking in the paddock.
Stall digging or digging holes in the paddock.
Kicking the back wall of the stall.
Eating the bedding - especially when it is soiled.
Chewing gates and fences - often made of chemically-treated timber.
Crib biting, cribbing or wind sucking.
Cutting down feed to prevent obesity or reducing high-protein pasture to prevent founder of the foot adds to boredom.
Possible cures/Prevention
Feed hay to keep the horse busy as hay has low nutritional value.
Make the horse work to get its hay by putting it in a raised hay rack.
Provide toys in the box, e.g. hang beach balls from the ceiling.
Let the horse see other horses next door. They should be in sight, smell and sound of each other.
Give regular exercise and lunging is the easiest way.
3. Sexual problems in stallions
Stud stallions live a most un-natural life being the theoretical Alpha male of his stud of mares, but only having contact with them for very short periods when they need mating. He is not even allowed to go visit the mares to identify those on heat as this is done by a teaser stallion that he would like to kill.
After a couple of mounts he returns to his physical isolation, and its not surprising that boredom and breeding problems can result.
These are such a major problem that specialist equine behaviour veterinarians travel the world to help solve stallion libido and infertility problems that cost millions of dollars.
The causes of the problems have been surprising from major issues to very minor ones. It may have been an unfortunate early mating experience, the stud groom's behaviour, the place where the mating takes place, injury to the stallion when mounting, the smell of the place or the people, and many more.
Possible cures/Prevention
Allow the stallion to have as near a natural life as possible in close contact with other horses that do not threaten his status.
Provide plenty of exercise.
Provide plenty of visual contact with other horses (not stallions).
Provide "a paddock friend" if the stallion is run outside. Or if boxed all the time, provide some form of activity like a hanging ball. In one case a hen living in the stallion's box was shown to be effective company for him!
4. Horses hard to catch
Not being able to go up to a horse and put a halter on it is very frustrating. It can waste hours of time if you have to chase the animal, try to block it in a corner of the paddock with the risk of being kicked, or run it into a yard.
The horse often becomes more cunning with time, and other horses can learn the habit from it.
It often starts with the horse having a bad experience once it was caught- and remembering it. If the habit is well entrenched, then it's sometimes not worth trying to try to correct it.
Possible cures/Prevention
Form a good bond with the horse during its initial schooling so it always associates you with security.
Get the horse to want to come to you – because of the mutual bond which it wants reinforced.
If it's an older horse, then try to rebuild the bond by lunging the horse in a round yard using the Monty Roberts principles. Donkeys have been used in times of war for transport and food. Owners stress the very special bond that can be built between donkey and caregiver and is much different between man and horse.
Use feed to catch the horse - but this can have problems the day you forget the feed!
Make coming into the yard or stable a positive experience for the horse - generally to an attractive feed.
5. Bolting
This is a terrifying and dangerous experience for both human and horse and can lead to very bad injuries.
Horses are a panic species and use speed to get away from predators and threats so the cause is often a fright or fear of the unfamiliar.
Possible cures/Prevention
Get the horse checked by a veterinarian to see if there are any physical problems such as pain that could trigger the action.
Try to find out why and how the horse developed the habit - it was most likely some bad experience in its early schooling and a poor bond with the owner.
If you can find the cause - condition the horse to the threat so it builds up the trust that it will be safe with you. But then you will have to check that the horse will apply the same trust with other humans.
Anticipate the trigger to the action so you can be ahead of the horse's thinking to stop the action.
The horse may not have been "mouthed" correctly when initially broken in and has learned not to respond the bit. It may even be able to get its tongue over the bit. Check that the correct tack is being used and everything is the correct fit.
6. Bucking and rearing
Again these vices can lead to terrible accidents to both humans and horses.
Horses buck to free themselves from threats and predators - seeing their riders in this light.
They rear again to get rid of their threat or predator or in reaction to a sudden fright or novelty item
that they are not familiar with.
Possible cures/Prevention
Try to find out how and when the problem started as it may indicate how to fix it.
Get the horse checked by a vet to see if it has any physical problems.
Check all the tack to see everything fits well and is correctly adjusted.
Re-socialise the horse with the trainer and proceed with schooling to see if this solves the problem.
Then check if its new manners apply to other riders. This is often seen with children's ponies that don't buck off adults but will start their tricks again when the kids remount.
The horse even after re-training may not be trustworthy and should be disposed of before they cause serious human injury.
7. Refusal to go on a float or truck
This problem arises with a horse that either has never been loaded on to a horse float before, or that goes quite happily on to certain vehicles but not on to others.
The horse sees the float or truck as a dark hole full of lurking predators.
It can be dangerous for both humans and horse because as frustration builds and the horse becomes more stressed, it is much more likely to kick someone.
Panic and noise is generated and when the whips come out, the horse becomes more determined not to go into the vehicle.
Possible cures/Prevention
Horses should be trained to go on to a range of different vehicles from being foals.
If it is your own float, put the horse's feed inside so it gets used to going in.
Then try and borrow a different float to test the horse.
Use a double-horse float and put a horse in there to attract it in.
Get it to follow another familiar horse moving into a double float.
Blindfold it and lead it into the float.
Make sure the ramp has good foot grips.
It's better to put a rope around the rear of the horse to push it in than drag it from its halter. Keep well clear of its back feet.
Try to avoid hitting the horse unless you see it will bring positive results. If the horse thinks it has won the battle - it will be all the worse next time.
You may need to get veterinary help to tranquilise the horse to load it.
8. Problems of the horse in work
Work or harness horses show a range of problems such as:Refusing the collar.
Failing to take the load and pull forward.
Failing to push backwards.
Failing to stop when going backwards.
Taking little notice of the bit or the reins.
Getting its tongue over the bit.
In double harness, one horse learns to stop pulling.
Possible cures/Prevention
Try to find out what caused the problem in the first case.
This may not be possible if the horse was purchased as an older animal.
Be aware of the circumstances that trigger the behaviour and try to preempt it.
The horse may be well entrenched in its behaviour and is too much of a danger to people by keeping it and trying to break the habit.
A horse with a hard mouth has developed this by poor initial schooling and apart from using a severe bit, not much can be done. Get a specialist to check it's mouth.
Refusing the collar. Make sure the horse comes up against a solid object with its rear end when it backs to avoid the collar.
Pulling forward and backing problems can lead to great danger for the human driver. The horse usually has developed the habit because of fear and panic. Check all the harness for correct fitting and blinkers may help. Use an assistant to hold the horse's head until it gains confidence to be directed by the driver.
The problem may be too entrenched to be effectively cured so disposal of the horse should be considered before some human gets seriously injured.
In double harness the horse that stops pulling can usually be fixed by a sharp reprimand but it will keep trying to get away with it thinking that you have stopped taking notice!
Horse welfare problems
Feral horses and their mustering and slaughter to reduce numbers and prevent environmental damage.
Transport of horses to slaughter premises in unsuitable vehicles.
Slaughter of surplus horses and exporting their meat for human consumption.
Starvation - horses grazing horse-sick paddocks with no feed.
Horses used in rodeos - for calf roping, barrel racing and buck jumping.
Horses used in circuses.
The whipping of horses in flat and harness racing.
Injury to sport horses in show jumping and cross-country events.
The shoeing of horses which some people see as unnatural and stressful.
RACING
How do these horse, about to come under the whip, view this
experience - as pleasure or pain?
History
The horse is a ‘panic species’ and escapes its predators by running away, so the faster a horse can run, the greater its chances of survival. Man soon realised the vale of this trait for in war and then for leisure. Clearly, the person with the fastest horse would soon gain elevated status in human society, and very soon after this you could see the emergence of betting.
So horses have been bred for generations to race in various forms for human entertainment, the main one being flat racing by ‘thoroughbreds’ and trotting and pacing in ‘harness racing’ where the driver is carried in a sulky pulled behind the horse. Racing horses over jumps is simply a modification of flat racing.
The Domestic Contract
When considering the points below, remember to consider ‘The Domestic Contract’ which is about man and the animal coming to a compromise or ‘Win-Win’ situation. Remember that man has to do the negotiation fairly for both parties as the horse cannot. Consider the main forms of racing below.
Horses have been bred for racing so suffer little stress when pushed hard by rider or driver.
The training of these horses provides more conditioning, which again ensures minimal stress when performing, especially at their peak speed at the end of races.
Many trainers, drivers and jockeys state that horses actually enjoy racing, and this can be seen in the way they get excited immediately before starting an event.
The whipping of horses in the final stages of a race is minimal, and causes little pain or distress to the horse over a very short time interval.
Whipping in moderation is acceptable and is needed to help the horse ‘concentrate on its work’.
The massive racing industry employs many people and in New Zealand and money from betting also goes into the general community.
The industry also contributes to national wealth through the export of horses.
From the horse’s viewpoint
Is this horse being saddled up to race, looking forward to the next half hour?
If it had a choice, what would it do?
If horses, even those bred for racing were given a choice, they would not want to race, which is equivalent to having a session of ‘panic stress’.
The hide of the horse is a very sensitive organ, as it can feel and flick off a fly from a specific area.
So whipping is something the horse must view as a stressor.
To inflict such distress on an animal for human entertainment is not acceptable in this modern age.
It is humans who have decided how much whipping is acceptable, and the horse has never been tested for reaction.
Limiting jockeys in flat racing to six successive cuts with the whip, then six whip-less strides before another six whippings before it is deemed to be ‘unfair’ is an outrageous rule made by man ignoring the desires of the horse.
Research to check the physiological response of horses to whipping should have been done before rules were made. Remember that the Animal Welfare Act prides itself on the fact that recommendations should be based on good science.
Whipping causes distress and pain to a horse and goes against all the principles in the current law.
Some other points
To protect the horse, the MAF Code of Welfare on Horses No 7 (1993) states that ‘except during races under the control of the New Zealand Racing Conference or New Zealand Harness Racing Conference, no person may inflict upon a horse more than three consecutive strokes with a whip, and ‘No person may strike any horse around the head or genitals with a whip or other object’.
The argument is confused under the definition of ‘cruelty’ which the law does not allow under any circumstance. Whipping of racehorses by the industry has clearly been deemed by humans not to be cruel if it is limited to six consecutive strokes at a time.
It would be interesting to know how six was decided and why six strides before another six lashes.
Was this based on reliable research of some human ‘feeling? Did anyone volunteer to be whipped to try to get an idea of what the horse was feeling?
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing changed the rules from August 1 2009 to ban the old style whip and make the use of the 'padded whip' mandatory. This follows extensive trials in UK, Ireland, India and Australia which showed that the padded whip makes more noise and causes less stress to the horse.
Jockeys in these countries and New Zealand argue that a whip is needed to steer the horse and not inflict pain.
The MAF Horse Code has a lot of comment on ‘discipline and restraint methods’ where as most people know, the whip is a recognised tool of trade. But the Code is very clear that ‘training methods which involve cruelly ill-treating horses is unacceptable’.
There is such a surplus of race horses that don’t make the big time, and not enough people who are willing to take them, that they form a major part of the pet food industry. At least this industry is tightly controlled so they do have a humane death. Thoroughbreds especially, are not suitable for family horses.
Some countries are considering a ban on whipping horses in races, and it would be a great opportunity for New Zealand to lead the way.
Steeplechase racing over jumps has the added issue of making horses jump fences risking injury, on top of being whipped in the last stages of a race when they are exhausted.
‘Eventing’ has gained a bad press when at the highest level of the sport, (e.g. Olympics and Badmington), horses have been injured on the cross-country course and have to be put down. The human making courses wanted to make it more challenging (harder) for the horse, in theory to sort out the very best horse and for crowd entertainment, and the welfare of the horse was compromised.
The public outcry has done some good, in that designers of courses have had to give human and animal safety a much greater priority.
RODEOS
America is the home of the Rodeo, and they are legal in New Zealand, but many countries in the world have banned them. Here’s a summary of the main points from each side for you to test the ‘Domestic Contract’ idea.
Man’s viewpoint
(My interpretation of points put forward by the NZ Rodeo Cowboys’ Association)
The ‘sport’ is tightly controlled by the Association.
It is also controlled under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 by the MAF Rodeos Code of Welfare 2003, No
2. Here a veterinarian must be in attendance at al times at any event to ensure animal welfare.
Rodeos are part of New Zealand culture and history so are a legitimate sport.
Horses kept for rodeo work are well fed and looked after at all times. It’s in the interests of the owner of these horses to keep them fit for their performances.
A horse only has to buck for a very short time, so any stress caused is very short.
From the horse’s viewpoint
Rodeos never were part of Kiwi culture or history where horses needed to be broken in by letting them buck to submission. It can never be claimed to be a legitimate sport.
Bucking by a horse is its way to dislodge a predator, so when it does this, it is in panic mode and highly distressed.
Rodeo horses may be well looked after most of their lives, but the cruelty they are subjected to cannot be justified under the ‘Five Freedoms’ which underpins the Animal Welfare Act.
The horse has no choice as to whether it would prefer to be ridden by a predator.
Some other points
The practice of rodeos is not based on scientific research on the welfare of the horse, which again is the basis of the Act.
As a country exporting animal products, allowing the sport of rodeos does not create a good image when we try to tell customers that New Zealand is ‘clean, green and humane’.
The Code says that ‘The judges and the animal welfare officer should be empowered to disqualify any official or contestant who compromises the welfare of an animal’.
So when does the riding of a horse and spurring it to ensure it keeps bucking (which is scored for points) NOT compromise the welfare of the animal?
Dr Clive Dalton
How do these horse, about to come under the whip, view this
experience - as pleasure or pain?
History
The horse is a ‘panic species’ and escapes its predators by running away, so the faster a horse can run, the greater its chances of survival. Man soon realised the vale of this trait for in war and then for leisure. Clearly, the person with the fastest horse would soon gain elevated status in human society, and very soon after this you could see the emergence of betting.
So horses have been bred for generations to race in various forms for human entertainment, the main one being flat racing by ‘thoroughbreds’ and trotting and pacing in ‘harness racing’ where the driver is carried in a sulky pulled behind the horse. Racing horses over jumps is simply a modification of flat racing.
The Domestic Contract
When considering the points below, remember to consider ‘The Domestic Contract’ which is about man and the animal coming to a compromise or ‘Win-Win’ situation. Remember that man has to do the negotiation fairly for both parties as the horse cannot. Consider the main forms of racing below.
Horses have been bred for racing so suffer little stress when pushed hard by rider or driver.
The training of these horses provides more conditioning, which again ensures minimal stress when performing, especially at their peak speed at the end of races.
Many trainers, drivers and jockeys state that horses actually enjoy racing, and this can be seen in the way they get excited immediately before starting an event.
The whipping of horses in the final stages of a race is minimal, and causes little pain or distress to the horse over a very short time interval.
Whipping in moderation is acceptable and is needed to help the horse ‘concentrate on its work’.
The massive racing industry employs many people and in New Zealand and money from betting also goes into the general community.
The industry also contributes to national wealth through the export of horses.
From the horse’s viewpoint
Is this horse being saddled up to race, looking forward to the next half hour?
If it had a choice, what would it do?
If horses, even those bred for racing were given a choice, they would not want to race, which is equivalent to having a session of ‘panic stress’.
The hide of the horse is a very sensitive organ, as it can feel and flick off a fly from a specific area.
So whipping is something the horse must view as a stressor.
To inflict such distress on an animal for human entertainment is not acceptable in this modern age.
It is humans who have decided how much whipping is acceptable, and the horse has never been tested for reaction.
Limiting jockeys in flat racing to six successive cuts with the whip, then six whip-less strides before another six whippings before it is deemed to be ‘unfair’ is an outrageous rule made by man ignoring the desires of the horse.
Research to check the physiological response of horses to whipping should have been done before rules were made. Remember that the Animal Welfare Act prides itself on the fact that recommendations should be based on good science.
Whipping causes distress and pain to a horse and goes against all the principles in the current law.
Some other points
To protect the horse, the MAF Code of Welfare on Horses No 7 (1993) states that ‘except during races under the control of the New Zealand Racing Conference or New Zealand Harness Racing Conference, no person may inflict upon a horse more than three consecutive strokes with a whip, and ‘No person may strike any horse around the head or genitals with a whip or other object’.
The argument is confused under the definition of ‘cruelty’ which the law does not allow under any circumstance. Whipping of racehorses by the industry has clearly been deemed by humans not to be cruel if it is limited to six consecutive strokes at a time.
It would be interesting to know how six was decided and why six strides before another six lashes.
Was this based on reliable research of some human ‘feeling? Did anyone volunteer to be whipped to try to get an idea of what the horse was feeling?
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing changed the rules from August 1 2009 to ban the old style whip and make the use of the 'padded whip' mandatory. This follows extensive trials in UK, Ireland, India and Australia which showed that the padded whip makes more noise and causes less stress to the horse.
Jockeys in these countries and New Zealand argue that a whip is needed to steer the horse and not inflict pain.
The MAF Horse Code has a lot of comment on ‘discipline and restraint methods’ where as most people know, the whip is a recognised tool of trade. But the Code is very clear that ‘training methods which involve cruelly ill-treating horses is unacceptable’.
There is such a surplus of race horses that don’t make the big time, and not enough people who are willing to take them, that they form a major part of the pet food industry. At least this industry is tightly controlled so they do have a humane death. Thoroughbreds especially, are not suitable for family horses.
Some countries are considering a ban on whipping horses in races, and it would be a great opportunity for New Zealand to lead the way.
Steeplechase racing over jumps has the added issue of making horses jump fences risking injury, on top of being whipped in the last stages of a race when they are exhausted.
‘Eventing’ has gained a bad press when at the highest level of the sport, (e.g. Olympics and Badmington), horses have been injured on the cross-country course and have to be put down. The human making courses wanted to make it more challenging (harder) for the horse, in theory to sort out the very best horse and for crowd entertainment, and the welfare of the horse was compromised.
The public outcry has done some good, in that designers of courses have had to give human and animal safety a much greater priority.
RODEOS
America is the home of the Rodeo, and they are legal in New Zealand, but many countries in the world have banned them. Here’s a summary of the main points from each side for you to test the ‘Domestic Contract’ idea.
Man’s viewpoint
(My interpretation of points put forward by the NZ Rodeo Cowboys’ Association)
The ‘sport’ is tightly controlled by the Association.
It is also controlled under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 by the MAF Rodeos Code of Welfare 2003, No
2. Here a veterinarian must be in attendance at al times at any event to ensure animal welfare.
Rodeos are part of New Zealand culture and history so are a legitimate sport.
Horses kept for rodeo work are well fed and looked after at all times. It’s in the interests of the owner of these horses to keep them fit for their performances.
A horse only has to buck for a very short time, so any stress caused is very short.
From the horse’s viewpoint
Rodeos never were part of Kiwi culture or history where horses needed to be broken in by letting them buck to submission. It can never be claimed to be a legitimate sport.
Bucking by a horse is its way to dislodge a predator, so when it does this, it is in panic mode and highly distressed.
Rodeo horses may be well looked after most of their lives, but the cruelty they are subjected to cannot be justified under the ‘Five Freedoms’ which underpins the Animal Welfare Act.
The horse has no choice as to whether it would prefer to be ridden by a predator.
Some other points
The practice of rodeos is not based on scientific research on the welfare of the horse, which again is the basis of the Act.
As a country exporting animal products, allowing the sport of rodeos does not create a good image when we try to tell customers that New Zealand is ‘clean, green and humane’.
The Code says that ‘The judges and the animal welfare officer should be empowered to disqualify any official or contestant who compromises the welfare of an animal’.
So when does the riding of a horse and spurring it to ensure it keeps bucking (which is scored for points) NOT compromise the welfare of the animal?
Dr Clive Dalton
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