predator
Filed in: behaviour
Prey vs Predator
Something that I heard several times from people during my trip was about the importance of the Prey/Predator relationship between humans and horses. It seems when the subject of horse behaviour comes up one of the first things that comes to a lot of minds is the notion that the relationship between humans and horses is dominated by the relationship between a prey animal (horse) and a predator (human).
I can’t recall ever hearing or reading Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Harry Whitney etc talk about the relationship between people and horses in terms of a prey/predator relationship. I don’t think these really good horse people ever thought of it in those terms and never gave it any importance. But since the early days of Parelli Natural Horsemanship the idea that a horse’s concern about humans comes from a natural fear of predator species has gained popularity. I guess it is a testament to Pat’s influence in the popular horse world – whether good or bad. After Pat starting espousing this idea people like Robert Miller got on the bandwagon and added his weight to the topic. Of course, there is no scientific evidence for this. It is just a theory and little more.
I certainly don’t believe that the reason horses and people don’t always get along has anything to do with the idea that the human is a predator type species and the horse is a prey type species. Horses are scared of kangaroos, wombats, sheep, and deer yet these are not predatory species. They are herbivores. They do not hunt. They have eyes set at the side of their heads. They are just like horses, yet many horses are naturally fearful of them.
Likewise, many horses are not afraid of predators. I have never owned a horse that showed fear of my dogs. Even horses that are worried by people can be okay with dogs. Zebra (another prey equine species) can be grazing very relaxed even when lions are roaming around the herd and only become afraid when the lions go into hunting mode. They are not afraid of lions, they are afraid of lions hunting.
The behaviour of a horse towards a human is not shaped by the fact they we eat meat. It’s shaped by the fact that sometimes we present ourselves to horses in a way that makes them feel fearful for their safety. A horse can feel the same way about a sheep even though the sheep does not eat meat and is not a natural predator (hunter). But a sheep can act aggressively towards a horse and make the horse fearful. I had a ram that would attack the horses and they became very wary of it. At feeding time that ram could move any of the horses away from their food with out fuss.
I want to get across the idea that just because we have the physical characteristics of a predatory does not explain why our horses may be wary of us. Mark Rashid use to tell people not to look at a horse in the eye because it would be interpreted as threatening. Monty Roberts would turn away from a horse to encourage him to “join-up” with him because he said to face your horse was to challenge him. This is all nonsense in my opinion.
It’s not what you do; it’s the way you do it. If you want to look at your horse or face up to him to get him to come to you, it’s okay as long as you do it with softness and relaxation. A lion can walk among the zebras as long as he is soft and relaxed. The next time somebody talks to you about prey/predator species not getting along, ask them for the evidence.
Something that I heard several times from people during my trip was about the importance of the Prey/Predator relationship between humans and horses. It seems when the subject of horse behaviour comes up one of the first things that comes to a lot of minds is the notion that the relationship between humans and horses is dominated by the relationship between a prey animal (horse) and a predator (human).
I can’t recall ever hearing or reading Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Harry Whitney etc talk about the relationship between people and horses in terms of a prey/predator relationship. I don’t think these really good horse people ever thought of it in those terms and never gave it any importance. But since the early days of Parelli Natural Horsemanship the idea that a horse’s concern about humans comes from a natural fear of predator species has gained popularity. I guess it is a testament to Pat’s influence in the popular horse world – whether good or bad. After Pat starting espousing this idea people like Robert Miller got on the bandwagon and added his weight to the topic. Of course, there is no scientific evidence for this. It is just a theory and little more.
I certainly don’t believe that the reason horses and people don’t always get along has anything to do with the idea that the human is a predator type species and the horse is a prey type species. Horses are scared of kangaroos, wombats, sheep, and deer yet these are not predatory species. They are herbivores. They do not hunt. They have eyes set at the side of their heads. They are just like horses, yet many horses are naturally fearful of them.
Likewise, many horses are not afraid of predators. I have never owned a horse that showed fear of my dogs. Even horses that are worried by people can be okay with dogs. Zebra (another prey equine species) can be grazing very relaxed even when lions are roaming around the herd and only become afraid when the lions go into hunting mode. They are not afraid of lions, they are afraid of lions hunting.
The behaviour of a horse towards a human is not shaped by the fact they we eat meat. It’s shaped by the fact that sometimes we present ourselves to horses in a way that makes them feel fearful for their safety. A horse can feel the same way about a sheep even though the sheep does not eat meat and is not a natural predator (hunter). But a sheep can act aggressively towards a horse and make the horse fearful. I had a ram that would attack the horses and they became very wary of it. At feeding time that ram could move any of the horses away from their food with out fuss.
I want to get across the idea that just because we have the physical characteristics of a predatory does not explain why our horses may be wary of us. Mark Rashid use to tell people not to look at a horse in the eye because it would be interpreted as threatening. Monty Roberts would turn away from a horse to encourage him to “join-up” with him because he said to face your horse was to challenge him. This is all nonsense in my opinion.
It’s not what you do; it’s the way you do it. If you want to look at your horse or face up to him to get him to come to you, it’s okay as long as you do it with softness and relaxation. A lion can walk among the zebras as long as he is soft and relaxed. The next time somebody talks to you about prey/predator species not getting along, ask them for the evidence.