Equine Minds...

From Jim: We say we like to get to know our horse. That usually means knowing more than their color and conformation. It means we want to know who they are. We want to know their personality. We want to understand them. All of that drives toward knowing their mind. It's pretty easy to try and apply what we know about our own minds to the critter. That's a real mistake. It's not fair to the animal. It's dangerous and inappropriate. Many horse people have been killed or injured by a horse doing what horses do and the person expecting human behavior. We all get too comfortable around these big old guys, but we are really at risk when we lose sight of how different from us they are. They are not reasonable. They are not bound by a higher sense of morality. They translate emotion to action very quickly and without regard to consequences. We've all see how quickly they can injure themselves or us with their instinctive flight response. Our vet says they're not into self-preservation. When you think about it, that's true. They are evolved to the survival of the herd. The organic nature of herd behavior shapes their mind and actions. You can train them and modify that behavior, but it still underlies the way they process information. Forget that at your peril! I've had folks tell me of their "bomb proof" horse, that would never, ever hurt them. Boy, it that's your premise when you're around a thousand pounds of lightning quick horse, Good Luck! I figure they're not mean or violent, they're just big and fast and subject to reflex responses that can get me hurt. I respect that. The horse's brain structure tells us their limbic system is well developed. They have significant olfactory structure, including a Jacobson's organ. The relationship to sense of smell, emotion and memory is pretty well established in research. That combined with the evolutionary mandate to flee from threats is an equation to be reckoned with. Horses are the animals we have come to love because of who they are. Their emotion and spirit and personality are functions of their minds. We can't make them "human-like" and it would be wrong to try. They're just fine being who and what they are. It's up to us to understand that. Oh, and go love on your horse. They won't mind at all.