As is the case with many other living organisms, it is worth noting that to answer the question, “are horses fight or flight animals“, looking at typical horse behavior in wild horses and domestic horses – flight is always used as their first means of defense.
The natural predators of horses are animals like wolves and bears, and so, they are adapted to running so that they can escape these predators. In a situation whereby a horse is faced with danger or perceives that danger is close, it would run away instantly if there is a means of escape for it. This flight is usually a blind one with no regard for its safety, and it is preceded by no thoughts at all.
‘Fight‘ is the second instinct after ‘flight‘. If the animal sees that there is no means of escape, it will resort to self-defense in the form of biting, rearing or kicking in a bid to defend itself. The body structure of horses are adapted to fleeing at the first sign of danger, also a reason why horse racing is such a massive draw. Their compact trunk, coupled with their long slender legs, enables them to escape easily from predators.
The flight response of these animals is made even more serious by the fact that they are very perceptive. Equine behavior shows that horses notice sounds or stimuli that can usually go unnoticed by humans, and they will respond immediately by trying to bolt. While this can also happen when they are in a herd, not all horses are the same in their inclination to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. The fighting instinct of some horses is more potent than their flight instincts. Such horses include alpha mares, stallions, and those that are very self-confident.
This knowledge is vital if you are to train your horse as it will guide you in the way you are to approach it. If you are to have success and be safe while working with a horse, you must understand their behavior and be able to read their body language. You can harness this characteristic of your horse to train it and help it learn what you want it to learn. Before you begin training the animal, you have to bear in mind that horses do not forget things. This is why you should apply equine science where possible and must make the first training experience a good one.
Using Your Horse Flight Instinct For Horse Training
When training your horse, you should allow it to move its feet if it wants to do so, particularly if you have a horse with a strong flight instinct. Do not force it to stand still in one position. Giving it this freedom will allow it to know that you are not imposing anything on it and will give it the idea that it has control over where it is to go. Also, when the animal is allowed to move its feet, it knows that it can escape if it begins to feel threatened or intimidated. This knowledge will help it to feel less vulnerable and enable it to cope with stress to a certain level.
On the other hand, if your horse cannot move its feet when it is stressed, its flight instinct will kick in quickly and it will react by striking, biting, bolting, bucking, and throwing itself to the floor. If you have a horse that is more prone to fighting than running, you would need to take more caution and approach it differently from other horses. This is because such horses are more self-confident and stubborn, meaning that they require a lot more patience than others.
Also, they are usually less willing to learn and will generally be slower to accept new ideas. You will need great patience with them because if you patiently continue to approach them gently, they will have no problem with what you want them to do once they accept it. Therefore, it is best to relate with such animals at their level and try to persuade them to do what you want instead of trying to force them to do your bidding. Forcing them to do your bidding will only make them resent you and they may even decide to challenge you.
Once you gain the respect of your self-confident horse, you can be sure that you would have a horse you can rely on to obey your commands. Horses like alpha mares, stallions, some ponies and self-confident horses have more fight instincts than less confident ones like geldings. If you own such a horse, it is necessary for you to encourage movement as much as possible.
How to Read the Body Language of your Horse
A vital aspect of knowing your horse and getting it to trust you is your ability to read its body language. There are signs that you can use to understand how your horse is feeling as horses in general use body signals to communicate with humans.
Parts of the animal’s body that you can read include:
- Legs: One of the significant parts of your horse’s body that allows you to know how it is feeling is its leg. A raised back leg is a key indicator that the horse is in a defensive position. Pawing legs also show that it’s frustration. A raised front leg can either be a mild threat or the typical stance of the animal while it is eating. Stamping could be used either to get rid of insects or to indicate a mild protest or threat.
- Tail: The position of your horse’s tail is also instrumental in telling you how it is feeling or helping you to read its body language. A tail that is held high indicates that it is excited or alert while a low tail shows that it is either exhausted, in pain, is afraid, or is being submissive. If your horse swishes its tail, it is probably very irritated at things happening around it. It is also worth noting that a horse with a tail that is held high over its back is probably playful, or could be in a distressed state.
- Ears: Studying the ears of your horse will let you have a good idea of what it is feeling and how best to approach it. Ears that are pricked; in other words, they are held stiffly with the openings pointed forward, indicate that the animal is alert. If the horse hangs its ears loosely to the side, it is most likely in pain, or it could be tired from having a long day. Also, when it angles its ears back when you are riding, it is paying close attention to your commands. The ears of a horse can also signal its anger or rage. If your horse’s ears are pinned flat against its neck, it shows its anger and aggression.
- Face: As is the case with humans, the face of a horse will usually express a lot of its emotions. If a horse opens its jaws and bares its teeth, it is in an aggressive mood and is likely to attack. Flared nostrils usually indicate the animal’s excitement or alertness. Also, a horse that is showing white around its eyes is probably angry, or it is scared.
It is best to know all these signs that show how your horse’s body language so that you can understand the animal better. Horses are classified as prey animals and humans as predators. This means that some things that you do naturally might seem threatening to your horse. If you are able to read your horse’s behavior properly and understand it, you will find it easy to train it to be the animal that you want it to be and to watch your actions around it.
