WHAT IS PREY ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGY?

(Continued)

 

All of this natural, instinctive, prey animal behavior is what Natural Horsemanship training takes advantage of. We become the "lead mare," but one who embraces more the passive leadership role in the herd, not one to fear, when training a horse using NH. We adopt the precise body language that a lead mare uses, but when doing so, we also become more of a gentle, passive lead horse who is a respectful, trusting leader, not an overly aggressive or unreasonable one, patiently allowing the horse-in-training the opportunities to learn to make the right decisions, to be accepted into our own "herd" expectations. Leading by example, not brute force, and by being as consistent as possible from one day to the next with prey animal psychology know-how, is what Natural Horsemanship is all about.

Passive, "softer" leadership invites the horse to follow

 

 

MORE PREY ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGY THAT

NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP TAKES INTO ACCOUNT

 

• All horses are driven with an instinct to procreate, especially the stallion, but mares, too. All mutual grooming, play, even fighting amongst themselves is all a part of their drive to procreate.
• A horse's system is designed for constant movement, even as they also conserve energy. Movement in the horse is something the horse requires in order to be most healthy. Movement affects the entire physiological system from circulation, to hoof health, to mental stability. For example (just one of many): each hoof has a circulatory pump that if not given adequate movement, it fails to keep the blood pumping thoroughly through the body from the hooves up. In the wild, a horse will travel up to 20 miles a day! This not only helps to keep the horse healthy, but it also ensures food and water, as well as a wider variety of forage for optimum health. Therefore, it is much healthier to pasture a horse than it is to stall the horse. Horses were not designed for stalling, but for freedom of movement in pastures to keep them mentally and physically most sound. They are extremely hardy creatures and survive well in the open, under all weather conditions.
• Just as with humans, each horse is a unique individual, each with a unique personality. Some are shy, some are extroverts. Some are natural followers, some prefer to lead. It's important when training the horse to ascertain what that individual horse's personality is and where he fits on that hierarchy.
• Horses have survived for thousands of years with all these above traits, so their prey animal instincts have served them well!

If something we, the human, do triggers the horse's prey instincts, the horse will revert to its prey-animal instincts, regardless of training.

 

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