Being a prey animal signifies that the horse has highly developed survival instincts, particularly the instinct to flee. In the instant that a horse perceives danger - even just the hint of a possibility - the right brain will kick in and he will go into flight from fear mode. That is, run first and ask questions later.
The right brain (instinct) tells him to run away. After a time his curiosity will come up, over-riding his fear, then he will slow down, turn to see if the danger is still imminent and decide whether it is safe to stop or whether he needs to keep running. In this instant when he turns – disengaging his hindquarter - his left-brain will kick in, momentarily enabling him to think and make a decision.
You may have seen your horse do this – perceive danger (either real or imagined), run a certain distance with his head in the air then stop, turn and have a good look at what the scary thing is and see if it’s after him. In this instance comfort may be to move. Your horse knows that if he stands still and waits to see what the scary thing is, he may not get a second chance to run later.
Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? You are out riding, your horse sees something (or thinks he does), gets scared, his life comes up, you feel him start to shake and shiver – poised and ready to run. You try to take him over to the scary thing and show him it’s nothing to be afraid of, but he just seems to become more agitated and get worse! Maybe you can imagine how he feels. All of the instincts that have kept both he and his ancestors alive and thriving for millions of years, are telling him to run and get out of there. His head is high, triggering adrenalin to be pumped through his body, enabling him to run even faster. He is not thinking, just acting on his right brain instincts alone and you are telling him he has to stay-put and maybe even get closer to what’s scaring him. In this case, comfort is to move; standing still will only make him get worse.
The distance any horse runs will vary, depending on the type of horse, eg breed, spirit, confidence levels. This distance is called the Flight Distance and understanding it will dramatically improve your success with horses.
Think of situations where perceiving whether comfort for your horse is to stand still or to move, will prove valuable. How about when you are trying to catch your horse, saddle him, in the show ring at judging time, getting on in a tight spot or maybe just chatting with friends. Trying to make your horse stand still when he needs to move can be not only frustrating but un some situations quit dangerous. What may start as a simple desire to shift his feet, can soon grow into an explosive situation if your horse feels he is being confined or trapped in any way. Being extremely claustrophobic and prone to panic, the release of adrenalin will heighten all the horse’s survival instincts and can set off a chain reaction.
In a herd situation, the horse that controls the flight response and direction of the other horses, is the horse in charge – the Alpha Horse. In your herd of 2 ( you and your horse) the Alpha Horse must be you.
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- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.