If you have a horse that has experienced training or handling using methods such as join up, pressure / release and applying punishment (e.g. twitches) to effect behaviour then you should fear that horse and what it is capable of doing to hurt you. These horses have been taught that humans predict uncomfortable or bad things happening. Things that force them to go against their nature. They learn to associate humans negatively. A large percentage will just adopt learned helplessness, a psychological state where they give up and learn it is pointless to fight as they always lose. However a small percentage will come out fighting, and that may be when they reach that explosion point of Enough!! I dont know about you but that is not the relationship I want with a horse. I much prefer 500 kgs of animal that views me as something nice than one that is psychologically damaged or aggressive. That is why I chose methods based on positive reward force free training and behaviour adjustment. It is also why when working with aggressive horses I am not frightened of them as I know my methods will restore that trust they have lost in humans.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 23:34:13 +0000