Being
someone who helped others solve equine behavioural problems was an
attractive career prospect for me. I already had an enduring
fascination with the equine mind and the rise and rise of ‘natural
horsemanship’. Reaching the equine mind was a dream that was
becoming more and more of a reality for me. I discovered that this
was a dream best realised through dedication to educating myself and
translating that acquired knowledge to experience and vice versa.
This process was my way of experiencing and understanding the whole
purpose of 'evidence based horsemanship'.
I
very quickly found out that the role of equine behaviourist carried
with it a great responsibility; to the animal in question and the
people associated with it. The old saying, ‘a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing’ particularly stuck out in my mind. I didn't want
to be the individual who had little knowledge and no realisation that
this was the case! I became almost hyper aware of what I didn't know
just by questioning my own knowledge and practise. This didn't put me
off from trying, I just made sure that I plugged gaps in my knowledge
and understanding with further learning whenever I found them. And I
still do, the whole point of CPD!.
I
found that a lot of knowledge derived from academia was essential,
but absolutely useless when isolated from experience. I also found
that while experience was also essential, it was also absolutely
useless when isolated from knowledge and understanding gained from
academic application. I discovered as much in the classroom as I did
in the field... and still do! I'd now ask anyone who questions my
'paper' qualifications, “is it not best to be fully cognizant of
what one is actually witnessing and practising, rather than to take a
more blinkered approach and thinking one is fully
knowledgeable of what one doing based on personal experience alone?”
I
would like to think that an accomplished horse behaviour consultant
is not only an experienced and effective horseperson, but is also
knowledgeable of ethology, psychology, neuropsychology, physiology
and animal welfare science. And is able to apply the fruits of
scientific endeavour to the practise of resolving horse behaviour
issues through effective, safe and humane teaching methods. And
continue to question current practise so that knowledge and practise
can be improved for the future of all horses and their people. What I
did yesterday might not be the same as I do today since new findings
may have come to my attention that can improve my application!
It
was during my studies under Dr Anne McBride and her team at the
University of Southampton that I learned that the art and science of
resolving horse behaviour problems relied on the correct diagnosis of
the causes of behavioural issues. And that appropriate tailoring of
behaviour modification relied on that differential diagnosis. This
skilled undertaking relies on knowledge and understanding of both
horse and human behaviour. This almost harks back to Barbara
Woodhouse claiming that there were no such thing as bad dogs, only
bad owners. I wouldn't go so far as to label the owners of
'misbehaving' horses as 'bad', horse behaviour can appear to 'go
wrong' for many reasons, but one thing is certain: The horse’s
behaviour is unlikely to change unless its human changes their
behaviour first. The owner leads the way in behaviour modification
since they are the one who calls me in to facilitate the process. If
I fail to undertake full assessment before starting retraining, the
less efficient, ‘therapeutic’ approach, 'sucking it and see', is
the (usually) less satisfactory or humane result.
Another
thing I learned pretty early on is that behaviour always happens for
a reason, even if the humans around can’t identify one. Horses act
to gain things they need or to avoid things they don’t. These
reasons are purely equine and reside in the horse’s mind; my job is
to translate ‘horse’ into ‘human’. Horses are only capable of
equine behaviour, thoughts and emotions, and all too often humans
give human reasons for horse behaviour. The concept of horses being
‘bad actors’ and performing bad behaviour on purpose just to get
the better of people is probably as old as equine domestication
itself. But I ask, “is that fair?” All horses want is to stay
alive, eat and procreate. They don’t lose sleep over lost ribbons
or the next show. Most problem behaviour comes from a conflict of
interest between what horses were born to do, and human ambition.
Compromises can be made, and there are good examples of them
everywhere, its just that there are bad compromises too. Just as a
plumber sees more faulty toilets than the average human population,
so I see more horses where it’s all gone horribly wrong.
Good
equine reasons for unwanted behaviour are fear of pain, loss of life
and the unknown, frustration and confusion regarding trained
behaviour, bad handling and social mismatching. Every behaviour has
an emotional and cognitive reason behind it, I like to understand how
the horse feels and thinks as well as what it does.
In
my opinion good training is an art where the end goal is presented in
successive, achievable chunks. Some horses require smaller chunks
than others, especially where emotional problems such as intense fear
or anxiety are a primary concern. I've learned that proper diagnosis
enables finer tailoring of any training plan before it's begun.
Any
behavioural problem, be it excessive aggression towards other horses,
refusing to load into the box, or napping on rides out, will have the
following elements in its past and present. There will be an
emotional reason for the behaviour – the psychological state that
motivates its performance. I have found that I can ascertain such a
reason from the triggers for the behaviour and from its consequences.
There will be elements in the horse’s temperament, breeding and
past experiences that predispose it to the particular behaviour.
There will be a learning experience that started the problem in the
first place. And there will be factors and circumstances in the
horse’s day to day life causing the behavioural problem to
continue.
When
these things are known it is possible to do that fine tailoring,
creating the individual rehabilitation programme. And this is where
I'm able to use my creative streak alongside good instructional and
coaching skills. In my experience rehabilitation usually requires
husbandry and handling changes as well as specific retraining. I'm
glad that these days I have a large tool box to facilitate this. I've
found this toolbox necessary to maximise the potential for change
without harm to the safety and welfare of both horses and people.
