While relating with horses during riding or on the ground,
with Human Horse Sensing method we have found several
key points that work in helping horses get comfortable
with the situation they experience. At the present time we
are investigating this matter in partnership with Antonio
Meridda, an Italian ethologist and with Hylofit, a company
that produces a heart monitoring device. Their monitor is
designed to assess rider and horse at the same time, and
has a phone application that allows to follow the action
in real time, and to refer to videos taken at the same time.
This format is allowing us to document the recordings in
a complete manner, coupling measurable values to the
behavior of the horse.
We are measuring the heart rate and observing the behavior
of horses that we have been able to take to many
different kinds of experience, obtaining a positive behavioral
response, for the first time without training them for it.
The scope of the experience ranges from traditional equestrian
disciplines to everyday human life tasks, like going out
shopping, to a drive-through fast food, to a school, to the
farmers market, to a church Christmas party, to check on
our car at the dealership or even to a political rally.
Our hypothesis is that when horses perceive the environment
the heart rate will increase, showing the evidence
that perception happened, but what matters for the
interaction between human and horse is the behavior that
the horse displays. It shows how the perception has been
integrated with their organism. Based on the experience, in
the lifelong learning process an individual will build memories
and base on them the future behavior. In our observation
we are monitoring the heart rate, and the behavior,
with the purpose of determining how effective is what we
do to help the horse perceive and cope with situations that
can be difficult.
In our way of interacting with horses they always have a
choice and when we approached every situation, according
to our method, we constantly obtained comfortable
behavior. If a horse raised his state of awareness, following
Human Horse Sensing method we were able to help him
perceive, and become comfortable. Now, we want to see
how this instance impacts the heart rate. We will study the
results and draw conclusions that may open new perspectives
for the wellbeing of our domestic horses. Dr Meridda
and I will also be working in translating the structure of
Human Horse Sensing to the interaction between human
beings and other social animal species.
Unfortunately, people interacting with horses traditionally
do not allow them to freely perceive the environment,
to respond to it, but just want horses to perform the trained
action, therefore the equine input in the interaction with
human beings is limited, or even completely avoided.
Human Horse Sensing is a method of interacting with horses
that actually welcomes the horse in the relationship. It is
not based on conditioned training, but purposefully channels
the communication through the senses, structures the
content according to social criteria that can be managed
spontaneously because they have an instinctual meaning
for the horse.
I want to highlight the importance of letting horses have
a choice in behavior when we interact with them. A horse
has naturally a strong ability to adapt to what surrounds
him, and can face difficult situations by himself. We would
like to team up with horses without guessing, and be able
to share any situation with them, not just when we artificially
construct a “safe environment”, where we make the horse
do what we want. Horses shared our life and helped us
build our civilization, now that they are a pleasure instead
of a need, can we be a support for our horses instead of a
hindrance?
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At a rally
Checking in at the
dealership
At a fast food drive
up window Polo clinic
More...
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