Here is a short list of concepts that have been raised at clinics and which I believe should be dispelled.
1. Horses need to be taught respect.
This is a really common myth and regularly comes out of the mouths of professional and amateur horse people alike. Horses neither display disrespect nor respect to people. It is not in their thinking. Horses behave as they are taught, and if they are taught to display unwanted behaviour like crowding people, biting, or turning their backs towards a person, it has nothing to do with a horse’s intent to behave disrespectfully. This is a human concept that has nothing to do with a horse’s thinking.
2. Horses need rugging (blanketing) in cold weather.
There are many studies to show that the comfort temperature of horses is significantly below humans. While people generally find 20-22 deg C the most comfortable, horses prefer temperatures ranging from -10 to +12 deg C (different studies cite different thermal neutral temperatures). Horses evolved in cool climates and tolerate colder climates more easily than warmer climates. People need to stop rugging their horses just because they want to put a jacket on.
3. Spurs and whips are for making a horse go forward.
This is not true at all. Spurs and whips are for teaching a horse to be more responsive to the rider’s leg, not for making a horse go.
4. Shoes are inherently damaging to the hoof.
Despite all that has been written about the evils of shoeing, there is still no proof that shoes in themselves cause damage. As Gene Ovinecek said, “shoes are there to protect the trim…” In all likelihood, the trim of the hoof is more important than whether shoes are fitted or not.
5. It is better to purchase an unhandled horse than to buy one that may have problems from being handled.
The truth is if you don’t have the skills and knowledge to fix issues in a horse that may already have problems, then you probably don’t have the skills and knowledge to ensure you don’t instill problems in an unhandled horse.
6. Lowering a horse’s head calms the horse by release of endorphins.
There is no evidence that a horse’s posture releases endorphins. In fact, although some studies have measured endorphins in horses, to my knowledge none have used tests to specifically measure horse endorphins or shown that these hormones are involved in calming a horse. This is also true of the work done with the effects of twitches.
7. Horses lick objects to ingest minerals and salts that they require in their diet.
It has been shown that horses are unable to detect deficiencies of minerals and salts in their diet. They don’t lick things to make up for nutritional deficiencies. I suspect it is more likely they choose certain things to lick because they like the taste.
8. Foals respond to imprinting.
Horses do not imprint in the same way that Conrad Lorenz showed in ducks and geese. Early handling can mould the thinking of horses to accustom them to things, but this is very different to classical imprinting.
9. Foam around the mouth is a sign of relaxation and submission to the bit.
In fact, foam is caused by vigorously mixing air with saliva and inhibition of the swallowing reflex. Having a busy tongue to mix air with saliva and decreasing swallowing are indicators of tension.
10. You have three seconds to modify a behaviour before a horse does not associate behaviours.
Some people believe that if a horse does something and you want to influence or re-train the behaviour, you only have 3 sec to act before a horse can’t associate their action with your action. This is not true. Although it is better to have good timing, consistency of the training is much more important in affecting the outcome than timing.
11. Licking and chewing is a sign of relaxation.
It is almost impossible to be definite about the meaning of any behaviour in isolation. You have to look at all behaviour in context. Sometimes licking and chewing can be signs of relaxation and sometimes signs of stress and anxiety.
12. A horse that is working at liberty is a sign of a happy horse because he has the choice to escape at any time.
Many people believe this to be true, but it isn’t. A horse learns his lot in life, and many liberty horses feel just as trapped as if they are imprisoned in a cell. I believe it is akin to ‘learned helplessness.’
13. Riding bareback is good for the horse and good for the rider.
I don’t advocate bareback riding for extended periods. Firstly, it places undue stress on the horse’s back because the weight of the rider is only distributed over a very small area – creating pressure points. And it puts more weight on the horse’s spine rather than the lateral muscles of the spine. As for the rider, it tends to encourage a chair-like posture and teaches many young riders to grip with their legs – both of which are hard to overcome later in life.
14. A hard mouth comes from hard hands.
Hands that release the rein pressure before the horse softens his thoughts to the reins cause a hard mouth. You get what you release for. If you release because a horse stopped or slowed his feet, but didn’t wait until he softened to the reins, then you teach a horse to be hard in the mouth.
15. Mounting from the ground can damage a horse’s back, and people should always use a mounting block.
I have heard this many times, and the evidence that I have seen is very unconvincing. In my experience, people who struggle to mount from the ground have just as much trouble using a mounting block. So far I have not hurt one horse from regularly mounting from the ground, but I have seen a few people get hurt falling off mounting blocks.
16. Horses have short attention spans.
This is not true. A horse can focus for as long as required if something captures his interest. Most of us struggle to motivate a horse to stay focused because we repeat our steps so much. But I know if I place a bucket of feed in front of my horse, he can stay attentive to that bucket for as long as it takes to empty the bucket.
These are just a few concepts that I think people need to think about. I’m sure you can add many more.
The photo shows a horse with an excessive foaming problem.