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WHAT AFFECTS
HORSE
BEHAVIOUR?
Of course, horses are not
robots. They have feelings, moods and personalities. However,
there are similarities between the behaviour of horses and that of
machines. A robot responds to a given set of information according
to the way in which it bas been programmed. A horse's behaviour has
also been programmed - by evolution, selective breeding and the
individual's previous experience. The set of information that he is
given comes from his field-mates, his rider, his stable and, in
fact, everything in his environment. Therefore, to have a clear
understanding of why horses do what they do we must consider the
effects of numerous factors in their lives, and indeed, in both
their species and their individual development. The object of
this chapter is to illustrate the myriad ingredients that influence
equine behaviour. Only by paying attention to these can we truly
get to know the individual characteristics of the animals that
occupy not only our stables but also an important place in our
hearts and in our culture.
1)
GENETICS
2)
GENDER
3)
EXPERIENCE
4)
MANAGEMENT
CURRENT
CONDITIONS
Given that long-term factors like genetics, past
experience, diet and confinement can affect behaviour, it makes
sense to consider the influence of shorter-term conditions such as
the effect of companions and their behaviour.
When one animal's
behaviour prompts the same behaviour in another we describe it as
social facilitation. This feature of horse behaviour has its origins
in the fact that horses have evolved to live in herds. Graphic
examples include mass visits to watering-holes which are often
initiated by an individual herd member, and the escape maneuvers
demonstrated by a group of ponies when only one of them has actually
perceived a possible danger. The extent to which a ridden horse can
be controlled in galloping equine company is related to the need
that he has to behave in response to his peers.
Even the season of the
year can have an influence on a horse's behaviour, in that
prevailing weather conditions seem to affect the way he or she
feels. For example, some horses abhor getting wet. These are the
ones who seem to try to curl themselves into a hall while being
ridden in driving rain but only succeed in pulling the most
miserable of faces, with ears pinned back and lips pursed. Then
there are those who find windy days particularly stimulating
stimulating in the purest sense of the word, since the rapid passage
of air sends a cascade of smells into their nostrils while flying
leaves and debris provide rushes of movement and noise. Thus
horses' tendency to spook at things unseen by their riders seems to
peak in the leafy days of autumn. Winter then brings a deal of
muddy rides and sometimes days with no exercise at all which, for
the stabled horse, must be a source of considerable frustration.
When the ice that has kept him in his stable has melted, the first
outing is always the time when he displays more joie de vivre than
anyone has bargained for.
So, the complete answer to
the question, 'What affects a horse's behaviour?', has to include almost everything in its genetic make-up, its past experience and
its current environment'.
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