FEARS, PHOBIAS & NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS IN HORSES

Fear, Phobias & Negative Associations in Horses

It is so important to accept that horses are neophobic. This means they have a natural aversion to the unfamiliar.

This natural aversion has helped horses survive and it is hardwired into them.

Because of this, to get on with a horse, it has to be accepted and respected. If it is not respected or if unfortunate situations occur, horses can develop fears, phobias or associate things negatively.

Common fears, phobias or negative associations include needles, vets, farriers, floating/trailer, certain things (eg. mounting blocks), certain places (eg. areas of an arena, certain locations), being caught, tied up, mounted, ridden etc.

Can they be overcome?

Many can be overcome with careful thoughtful training that allows the horse to learn that what it is afraid of is actually not a threat, or not going to hurt them.

But, there is something that must be respected because fears, phobias and negative associations can exist as "files" in a horse's memory. Whilst clever training can overcome them, and "close the file", the files can pop open again!

Files can pop open again for the following reason:

1) The fear is rebooted - this means that they are triggered once again by the same or similar experience.

2) Time between exposure - this means that fears can return if they are not continually reinforced as safe or no threat. A common example of this is trailer or float phobias. You can get a horse confident with trailering but if this confidence isnt grown and a lot of time passes being trailering experiences, then the fear file will creak open.

Therefore, once a horse has a fear file, you need to keep that file shut for the rest of that horse's life.

Hence, it is way easier to prevent files in the first place.

This is why I am slow and meticulous with a horse. I respect their neophobic tendencies and I care how they are feeling.

I am doing so because I want a calm, willing and confident horse that is easy going in the future.

The one without files...and the one that is not so neophobic as I have nurtured it psychologically through exposure, experience and because they trust me!