Can we Predict how our Horse Might Behave?

with Dr Kate Fenner

B. Equine Science (Hons). PhD Horse Behaviour and Training

Behavioural problems in the ridden horse are common. In a UK Survey, 91% of respondents reported the prevalence of unwanted behaviour. Dr Fenner has spoken of the University of Sydney’s Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) study concerning how horses’ training and management interact with behaviour. E-BARQ is an opportunity for us all to become citizen scientists, as it is our observations and responses to the questionnaires that enable the Equine Scientists to evaluate the potential causes of certain behaviours. According to Dr Fenner and the E-BARQ team, “findings from the study could help riders and trainers predict dangerous ridden behaviours before they manifest fully, allowing for remediation that avoids the escalation of force in the training of misunderstood horses, thus improving safety and welfare for both horse and rider.”

As horses are first trained in-hand, it is worth considering how that training, or lack of it, could affect the ridden experience. We are not just talking about ears flat back, which even to someone who knows nothing about horses can see that the horse is not happy and is behaving in a threatening and possibly dangerous manner. “We have found through study and results from the E-BARQ questionnaire,” begins Dr Fenner, “that horses with certain behavioural characteristics on the ground can also show dangerous behaviours, such as bolting, bucking and rearing under saddle. Some of these behaviours include things we’d consider backward behaviours. A common example is horses that pull back when tied up. What we have found is that those horses tend to have backward behaviours under saddle, with rearing being the main one, and so it could be that they are connected.

“Another predictive behaviour is horses that don’t load onto trailers or trucks. If they are reluctant trailer loaders, they are more likely to rear under saddle. While we don’t really know the reason for this association, the data tells us that they are connected. Rearing is a backward motion or an unwillingness to go forward. It’s also quite an easy behaviour to teach on the ground if we are not aware of it. For example, if you are working your horse on the ground and asking them to back up with rein tension, but your release is not timely, then the only place they have got to go is up - to rear. I think we tend to underestimate how quickly horses learn those sorts of behaviours. The thing about rearing is that it is quite easy for the horse to do and it usually gives them an instantaneous release of pressure.

“This information is worth knowing as if I have a horse that pulls back, I am going to be thinking when I get on that horse that it is a bit backward thinking and might rear if I put it under too much pressure or get things a bit wrong and it starts going backwards. So, if the horse starts going backwards and I still apply pressure, the only place they have got to go is up to get away from that pressure, as opposed to a horse that is going forward; that horse can always go forward faster. When a horse is running backwards or stopping, it is very easy to focus on just that, and the only thing you can do about it is punish it or correct it, which makes you very reactive. Punishment, in an effort to cure the behaviour, whether delivered with excessive force or not, is more likely to increase fear or stress in the horse and exacerbate the problem than it is to inhibit the behaviour. Rather than focus on what the horse is doing wrong, it is a matter of teaching the horse a more appropriate response to the situation. But we often don’t think about a more appropriate response in that situation. When the horse is rearing, for example, what I need to think about is what the horse is not doing. And that is going forward, turn and so forth. So, what I am going to do is teach the horse a more appropriate response; I am going to teach them to be a YES answer horse because they always have something they can come back to.

“If the horse is inclined to rear, I will teach them a go-forward cue. If you are already in that situation and your horse is rearing, then you have already missed a few signals that the horse has given you. The horse will warn you about what they’re going to do before they do it; they raise their head, for instance. They don’t just randomly rear; you are almost always warned. We need to be much more aware of what our horses are doing and the behaviours they are showing us. Often, we tend to ignore those behaviours. For example, if the horse raises its head a few inches, it probably does not matter to us, but it does to the horse, and it is a warning sign that something else is happening. We need to learn to read
the signs.

“So, if you know or suspect that your horse is a rearer, as soon as you feel them start to think backwards, you need to ask them another question, a question to which you know your horse knows the answer. Go back to the basic fundamentals and do the things you know your horse can do, and reward them for doing that. Can you put your head down? Yes, then release and reward. Can you stop? Release and reward. Can your horse turn left and right, trot a circle and so on? All these things start at the beginning so that the horse understands the way you ask and understands your signals. As much as people like to say you can install buttons on a horse, horses don’t have buttons; they have responses to signals. Those signals can be anything you want them to be, but you must teach your horse the responses you want.

“This correlation between in-hand and ridden behaviours is a very new finding, and the results of this particular study via E-BARQ also found that horses that were less likely to bolt were those that were more socially confident with other horses and other animals. They were also found to be more compliant in-hand and more tolerant of restraint, and they had fewer trailer loading problems. We often forget that what we need to do is build a confident horse. We think so much about rider confidence, and we forget about horse confidence, and it is a two-way street. I feel confident on the back of a horse that I have a pretty good idea of what their potential responses are, but the first time I get on a new horse that I don’t know anything about, I don’t feel confident at all. If I get on a horse I have trained myself, I feel very confident. I think the horse probably feels the same when a familiar rider is aboard.

“When we take a horse to a new environment, the horse, just like us, also wants to know what might happen next. If we have been consistent in our training, always kept the horse safe, and we have used combined reinforcement that is predictable, then the horse will feel confident. A really big part of our horse’s behaviour is how predictable we have been. When you get a new horse and you don’t really know what the horse’s history is, perhaps the horse is showing some behaviours that you don’t like, but you don’t know how the horse learnt those behaviours. Our job then is to help that horse by making it more confident, by doing things with them that increase confidence, so that they feel more secure and don’t feel the need to show conflict behaviours. When you buy a Grand Prix jumper, don’t immediately head towards a big fence; start with rails on the ground. You need to start at the very beginning every time with a new horse. You do not necessarily need to stay at the beginning for a long time, but you need to give the horse the benefit of learning your particular signals. If you get a new horse, you will make them a lot more confident if you take your time and teach them your signals. That, of course, includes in-hand work as well, and it is also a wonderful time to build a bond with a horse. This way, the horse is going to be getting things right a lot.

“Bolting, rearing and bucking are considered counter-predator behaviours and part of the equine flight response. Poor timing and inconsistency can lead to a lack of confidence and that can lead to fear, which in turn can lead to the unwanted behaviours mentioned. That a horse that pulls back is inclined to rear is useful information to have, and it tells us that the horse does not understand being tied up. When a horse pulls back, it hurts, even when they are tied to twine, so you’ll find they do it quickly to get it over. The behaviour, as with any learned behaviour that causes pain or distress, quickly becomes habitual. You’ll notice your horse does not go far when it has gained its freedom; it usually just breaks the twine and stands. You can even feel the horse tense up when you tie it up, and within three seconds, they’ve pulled back. I use something called an Idolo Tether Tie to re-train horses that habitually pull back. With the correct length and type of rope, the Idolo teaches the horse that pulling back is not necessary. The horse pulls back, and the rope passes smoothly through the tie, not causing pain or snapping off like a piece of twine. The horse remains tied after pulling back and has not been hurt. After some time, and under your supervision, the horse will stop pulling back and stand quietly when tied.

“We need to be more aware of in-hand behaviour, because all interactions with the horse are related. Learning your horse’s body language and perfecting cues on the ground, may be a lifesaver when riding. We have to take a more holistic approach. Just because we want to go showjumping does not mean how we lead the horse to the stable from the paddock is irrelevant. It’s all relevant and every interaction counts.”

Article: Anna Sharpley.

References:
Hockenhull. J. Creighton.E. Reported ridden behaviour problems in UK leisure horses.
Dr Kate Fenner et al. Associations between owners’ reports of unwanted ridden behaviour and in-hand behaviour in horses.