Thoughts for a rainy day. I have several pictures of the Welsh pony I’ve been working with where he’s either nervous or afraid. In one instance, he stood on cross ties in the grooming stall and someone had just started brushing his tail. For whatever reason, this caused sudden fear. His eyes widened, tail clamped, his head went up, and he held his breath. The person stopped, allowed the pony to calm himself, then began again after he had released his tension. Brushing on cross ties was doing something to the horse that he didn’t choose and had no control over.
In another picture I was standing in the same grooming stall with the pony on a long lead rope, and was using finger pressure to push his head and chest away from me to request more personal space. This was uncomfortable for him, and made him a bit nervous. His movements became faster and more jerky, and he had a good deal of facial tension. My physical pressure on his head and chest was an escalation from making shooing motions with my hands and puffing out my energy bubble. Insisting on personal space was doing something to the horse that he had control over. (The pony stepped away, I stopped touching.)
In a third picture the pony was standing in the field with his herdmates while I held an unfamiliar object out through the fence. He decided to come up and sniff it, but was on alert and ready to run if it moved at all. This is something the horse chose to do himself that I had no control over. (There’s no way for me to make the pony interact with the object in this case.)
When, if ever, is fear beneficial vs detrimental to horse welfare? I am still finding the answer to that question, though I suspect it’s complex and dependent on situation and personality. It’s obvious to me what I DO consider a problem. Ignoring the initial fear signals and continuing to escalate pressure is something I’m strongly against. However, if a loose horse investigates something of their own volition… is afraid, but still investigates it, the horse is choosing stress in hopes of learning something new. I would say that fear expression is beneficial. In between is where things seem complex. How much is too much for that individual? What is beneficial expansion of ability or awareness, and what is needless? I think if we’re recognizing and acknowledging fear and asking these questions then we’re maybe at least headed in the right direction.
For more stories about the horses and my journey with them, check out my book, “Standing in a Field With Horses,” available on Amazon and SmashWords.
Maeve Birch Home 