the social rules
Your horse’s world: He’s a herd animal; hierarchy within the herd is critical to survival. In equine society, position in the herd determines what a horse eats and when. Dominant horses get first dibs on everything, from the first drink of water to the best resting spot. A subordinate horse can’t enter a dominate horse’s personal space unless invited; to invade that space invites an aggressive rebuttal. Because it’s to a horse’s benefit to move up the hierarchical ladder, many will test their higher-herdmates in efforts to gain in position.
The same powerful instincts drive your domesticated horse.. If dominance/subordination hasn’t yet been determined, a kick, bite, or strike will settle the matter quickly. Once position has been determined , a look, pinned ears, head swing, or threat of a kick usually will quell further attempts at space invasion.
Your world: Probable the only other large, four-legged animal you’ve related to on a companion level is your dog. But Fido’s a pack animal, subordinate to his alpha, or top, dog. In his eyes, you’re that dog; when he wags his tail and nuzzles you, he’s signaling affection and subordination. When your horse nicker to you, then nuzzles you, you may get the same warm-and-fuzzy feeling you do from your dog. And that’s where you start to go wrong in relating to your equine.
Opportunity for conflict: A nuzzle from your dog is a sign of subordination; from your horse, it’s a space invasion-and it means he doesn’t consider you to be the boss hoss. Just as you may view your horse as a human in a fur suit, he view you as a fellow herd member; In his view, you’re either dominate over him, or subordinate to him. If he doesn’t regard you as the dominate member in your herd of two, he’ll treat you as a subordinate in one of many potentially dangerous ways. These include nipping, kicking, and/or striking; pushing and/or rubbing you with his head; walking into or over you as you handle or lead him; showing aggression (pinned ears, swishing tail, and/or threat to kick) toward you at feeding, grooming, or saddling time; and generally resisting your every request.
How to avoid conflict: He treats you like a horse-do the same to him. If he invades your space, immediately slap the invading body part away.( note: Your horse’s attention span is such that you have a 3-second window from the time of the “crime” in which to inflict punishment. After that, efforts at punishment will do nothing but confuse him.) Let the punishment fit the crime: If your horse has made a gentle invasion, such as a head nudge, use a firm slap on the side of the neck; if it’s an aggressive invasion, such as a body slam combine a firm smack (if you have a dressage whip, use it) with a loud, furious shout, just as a horse would kick and squeal. This isn’t cruelty; it’s body language that horses speak amongst themselves and understand.
If your horse shows ears-back aggression toward you at feed time-don’t feed him. You’d only reward his bad behavior. Instead, wait until he greets you with a ears-up expression, then feed him-rewarding his desirable behavior.
