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7
EQUINE MATTERS
Horses may display difficult or dangerous
behaviour for a variety of reasons. Fear
caused by new experiences, lack of handling
and previous bad experiences may be the
underlying reason. Horses are a prey species,
with a profoundly strong “flight” response in
the face of perceived harm or danger. Such
horses will often display behaviour such as
running to the back of the stable, turning
away from the handler, or trying to bolt out of
partially open doors. This behaviour may
become increasingly aggressive if their initial
flight response is unsuccessful and they cannot
escape their perceived danger, e.g. being
confined in a trailer.
A smaller proportion of horses are genuinely
badly mannered or dangerous to handle.
Often these horses are well mannered during
everyday handling; but become stubborn or
aggressive when asked to do something they
do not want to do. Owners may try to avoid
situations which may upset the horse, rather
than work with the horse to train them to
tolerate different experiences.
There are different approaches to dealing
with difficult horses, in many cases training
and patience will yield good results. In all
cases it is important to create a calm quiet
environment; horses are very sensitive to their
surroundings and a large number of noisy
people crowding around a horse feed into its
prey instincts eliciting a flight response. Try
to have only as many people as required
present and keep noise levels down.
Admittedly, this can be difficult when owners
are stressed or worried. Horses that are
frightened or nervous require a more gentle
patient approach, whereas the more badly
mannered horse needs a firm, experienced
handler.
Distraction techniques using food can be
useful in some cases and aim to create a
positive association with whatever is being
done to the horse. The timing of the reward is
important and needs to be given promptly
after the desired behaviour is displayed. I find
this approach more helpful in frightened
horses; the badly mannered group are often
habitualised to being treated and therefore
will not respond as well to food. Nervous
horses, e.g. poorly handled youngstock, often
respond well to grooming and feed as a
distraction
(figure 1)
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DANGEROUS HORSES
Veterinary surgeon
Thomas Righton
XLEquine practice
Hook Norton
Veterinary Group
Dealing with difficult
and dangerous horses
Thomas Righton, BVSc MRCVS,
Hook Norton Veterinary Group
Anyone who works with horses will have come across a difficult or
dangerous horse. Such horses are at best a source of stress and anxiety
for owners and at worst a safety concern for all involved.
Figure 1. Grooming the itchy areas of a yearling helps to distract her