Horses: Angst vs aggression

One also has to be prepared to deal with any angst which may inadvertently develop due to unforeseen circumstances. A fearful response may be due to a past abusive interaction or it may simply be having no coping skills towards an unfamiliar situation. A negative fear memory is very difficult to completely correct or reverse.

It is imperative that horse owners recognise physical, mental, emotional and behavioural signs of fear. A fearful horse switches its tail increasing in speed and intensity as the anxiety increases. A quivering skin, sweating when there is minimal physical exertion and a high head with whites of the eyes showing are some other obvious signs of a scared horse.

One must never confuse fear with aggression. Most behaviour problems that occur during types of handling, loading, riding and only certain veterinary procedures are caused by pain or fear. The worst effect that any human can inflict on a frightened horse is to punish it by shouting or hitting. This only exacerbates and prolongs the fear while developing a serious negative attitude and confused state towards the person concerned.

When any horse presents with a behavioural change one must first eliminate any possible

painful medical or physical conditions such as colic, lameness, saddle sores, mouth injuries, dental abscess, a single misplaced nail in the horseshoe, a stone stuck in the foot etc. The tack (riding equipment), has to be checked to be certain that it is not hurting the horse anywhere. A farrier and a veterinarian must determine the horse’s level of physical soundness. If pain is ruled out then one can concentrate on possible fear issues.

To decrease the amount of fear experienced by any given horse the single most important approach is to prevent the creation of fear memory in the first place. A fear can be extinguished but cannot be brought to extinction.

To extinguish fear in a horse the animal must be exposed to increments of the fear stimulus and then gradually increase the amount until the animal no longer exhibits the particular fear response to the factor.

One can associate the fear threat with a very pleasant treat to counter-condition the horse. As an example: giving a very effective tasty food item before getting the horse in to a trailer may help the animal overcome its fear of the vehicle.

 Read more on this topic next week.