The myth of dominance
No, you don’t need to dominate your horse.
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Horses don’t seek to use their strength against us. If they did, we would soon learn they are stronger, faster and have much more endurance than we do; no, the true nature of equines is to be compliant and submissive, avoid conflict and aggression and learn to adapt. If this weren't true, we would never have been able to do anything with them. Only when we use force against them do they know their true strength, and they seek to use it against us. Good leadership acknowledges the true nature of equines, and dominance bases its interaction on myth, legend, and misinformation based on the already environmentally stressed domesticated horse.
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Understanding their true nature
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In my experience, much of our confusion comes from misunderstandings of the true nature of equines behaviour. Our principles and beliefs about equines determine what we consider to be acceptable control or unacceptable dominance.
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​​Berger 1986 149 horses 5 years 8000hrs studying wild horses determined the following;
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Less than 1% of 2,150 interband interactions included female involvement
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98% of a stallion's time is spent in non-aggressive activity
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In 499 male-to-male confrontations, only in 3.5% could a dominant (winner) be identified
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75% of 499 of male to male skirmishes lasted less than 90 seconds
In females
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No clear prolonged, consistent dominant status is maintained
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On average, less than one individual per three hours of observation would be involved in food-related aggression during the most stressful season
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Aggression was seen in two other situations, water and infants, when the most consistent dominance was observed
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Ways dominance established retracting ears and moving toward intruder 92% of N=1,342, Bites or attempts 8%, kicking less than 0.01%
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No clear relationship between dominance and reproductive success could be established
There is hardly conclusive evidence that horses seek to be dominant individuals and, therefore, must be treated that way! Yes, they do value resources and will work to gain access to things that are valuable to them, but that doesn't dominate the way humans think of it.
One key to good leadership is flexibility of approach. Each animal is considered a unique individual with different “personalities” that need different levels of guidance and support. A confident, experienced horse needs a different approach to leadership than a quiet, green, unconfident horse.
I think this was a great course and Ben's philosophy towards training is fantastic and the best for our horses - how to say no - means we need to say yes is a really strong message and one I am sure so many horses and their people will benefit from - once they begin to look for opportunities to say yes - well done Ben and I look forward to more courses from you in the future Julie Lannen
Next steps
You can use this website to find the answers to your next steps with me, whether that be to resolve a behaviour issue, learn about behaviour in general or read more or find the shaping plan you need. If you want to check me out futher please visit the free resources page to see if I am the trainer for you.
Online Course
Setting Equine Boundaries
How to say no in ways that enhance not destroy relationships
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The fact is, the starting place for dealing with most equine behaviour issues is working out how you are going to set boundaries. If you care about your relationship with your equine partner then how you set those boundaries will determine the quality of the relationship you have.
