to work in Horsemanship is always a 48 www.EliteEquestrian.us fascinating subject, even more when thinking that it results from the intersection of the behavior of two different species. Each one has its preferred way to transmit meaningful concepts to others: humans talk, while horses act. Traditionally, this difference in communication has been overcome by training the horse to respond to our cues. By doing so, human and horse can interact, but as we all have experienced, this kind of preset and controlled relationship is not free of flaws, and limits the possibilities of the interaction to the narrow space of the trained behavior. nother very evident difference, between human and equine species, is in size and strength. We always need to be very aware that the horse will not interact with us differently than how he would do with another animal, and that we cannot take some of the actions, like kicking, biting, and pushing, that would be normal between equines. Aside from that, some problems in horsemanship are also attributed to the instinctual behavior of the horse. Instincts are defined behavioral responses that are constant in time and displayed, from the beginning, always in the same manner. Instincts are genetically transmitted, and in the field of animal behavior, I think they are comparable to the laws of chemistry. I think that knowing beforehand how animals behave instinctually can facilitate overcoming some of the communication barriers between our species. Instinctual behavior is something the horse is “trained” to do before he is even born. An example is the instinctual response to movement horses display, which we can use to make them go away from us, or come closer just by approaching or getting away from them. Being able to know beforehand an individual’s behavioral response to our action is a state of mind that should make us confident in our choices; it shows leadership, which naturally appeals to horses. Any individual at birth, in order to survive, is equipped with a set of instinctual responses, which are typical for its species. Instincts used to be considered a fixed element of behavior, but this is not a firm point anymore. It is now scientifically accepted that, through real life experience, even instinctual behavior can undergo some change, which is not genetically transmitted to the offspring, but can be transmitted through the learning process. When the newborn lives and grows at the side of its mother, he learns from her what he experiences, and this is how the mother’s non-instinctual behavior can be transmitted to her offspring. As we all know horses are instinctually highly social animals, very aware of their surroundings, and that they respond promptly to movement in the surrounding space. These instinctual traits can also be very helpful if considered when riding, or when we have to train a horse for a certain purpose. When interacting with horses I aim to establishing a human to horse relationship that can have an immediate purpose and social meaning with horses. It is possible to interact with a horse spontaneously and with purpose, by modulating the communication though the sense receptors and with concepts of which horses know the meaning without the need to be trained for it. This makes the exchange of the information between the two species a very easy process, where communication is spontaneous and not mediated by the training process. The main difference is that the result of the communication is not just giving a command to the trained horse that has to respond by executing it. It can be appropriate to any instantaneous interaction we encounter in horsemanship. The horse is interested in the action because we give him a reason to be so, and generally it is something the horse sees by himself, like for example a target he wants to reach. As I already mentioned, horses are much bigger than human beings, and can physically express themselves in a manner that can be dangerous for human beings. This is a very important fact, to always keep in mind for safety reasons. It is the reason why I almost always have a whip in my hands when I am with a horse on the ground, known or unknown. The whip is not to be used to hit the horse, but to manage space. It is an extension of my body, can indicate a direction, is used to make noise, and in an emergency to create a safe area to keep the horse from endangering me. As we all know, horses always show how they feel about a whip based on how it has been used towards them. When a horse does not show to fear it, we can assume that the whip has been always used properly in that horse’s presence. Behavior is the most complete expression of any individual, and changes with circumstances, space, and time. If we can introduce correct spontaneous communication be- Putting INSTINCTS HORSEMANSHIP By Alessandra Deerinck A Two stallions, sire and colt, are learning how I ask for space. When we care to establish a social relationship it is possible to interact purposefully with more than one horse at the time.
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