Equine Behavior In Horses

1774 Words8 Pages
Horses are notorious for their compatibility with mankind. They are used for transportation, various sports, and pleasure riding. Many horse owners do not have a proper understanding of equine behavior. Oftentimes, a horse's instinctual reaction is misunderstood. This causes retaliation by trainers who aren’t properly educated on equine behavior. This ignorance can lead to unwarranted discipline; the fault of the trainer, not the horse. Furthermore, not having a proper understanding of equine behavior is dangerous and compromises the safety of oneself and others. It is important to understand equine behavior to provide a safe environment and better care for horses. This essay will look at certain behavior traits found in horses, their causes,…show more content…
When a horse is displaying false aggression, he will pin his ears at feeding time when approach and leave them pinned while being fed, but the horse will usually let someone feed him and pet him despite his aggressive appearance. When a horse is showing true aggression he will pins his ears, jam his head in the bucket and when he wants his food he will go through the feeder to get it. Furthermore, a true aggressive horse will also try to keep everyone away from his food and if someone makes an attempt to take it back the horses may bite, stomp their feet, and turn his rear. Horses behave this way to establish who’s dominant. When a horse is part of a herd they establish who’s in charge by controlling space and controlling resources. The resources are food, water, and shelter. With food aggression, a horse is often simultaneously invading space and taking away food. That is his way to control space and resources all at…show more content…
Some examples of vices are cribbing and weaving. Cribbing occurs when the horse bites onto a fixed surface, arches his neck and sucks in air, making a grunting noise. This causes a release of endorphins, which relieves the unpleasant situation. This vice is addictive, and once it becomes a habit, it is hard to break even if removed from difficult situations. The causes of cribbing in horses have not actually been established, but most veterinary professionals believe that the habit stems from the adaptation of the horse from the natural free-ranging environment for which the horse was designed by to the more restrained and restricted environment into which we place them when in captivity and domestication. Some veterinary professionals feel that the habit of cribbing starts as a result of frustration or boredom of the horse in his environment much like some of the habits we humans develop in similar circumstances, overeating or taking drugs to try to satiate a physical or psychological need. A verbal correction could stop a horse has just started cribbing before it forms a habit. A change in a horse's diet and applying undesirable solutions (nonpoisonous) such as hot sauce could also prevent

More about Equine Behavior In Horses

Open Document