How do horses “think”?
Why think like a horse?
When most people usually think about horses, they easily imagine noble and beautiful creatures. To attempt to understand the world from a horses’ viewpoint can be an interesting thing.
The most practical and straightforward use of it, to become a better horse rider and trainer. Also to minimize stress – the relationship with the horse is low stress, comfortable, and harmonious – on the same wavelength, as well as enhancing your communication skills – you can communicate better in “horses terms”.
Horses:
- Lifetime: 25-30 years
- Herd Animal
- Prey Animal: Alert, suspicious
- Social: find safety in numbers
- Cooperative
- Creatures of habit
It can be dangerous to think of a horse in human terms.
Horse Needs:
- Self-Preservation
- Eat & Drink: Horses eat 12-16 hr/day!
- Procreation
- Socialization and routines: Development of an individual and his behavior through the interaction with others of the same specie
Horses observe, react then “think” later – horses process information from their sense up until their stress-tolerance level: A Point at which the horse can no longer absorb stimuli(Noise, exercise, stress,..) – They fail to process.
To become “Part-Horse” (Connection with your horse):
- Deep respect and admiration – Lay the foundations
- Develop feel: through respect openness and practice.
- Feel is a combination of intuition, sensitivity, and perception
- Feel gives knowledge when and what to do
- Understand Horse senses: Horses have certain physical features that cause them to think and act
- Horses have ingrained behavior patterns – what and when to do
- Develop timing, balance, and savvy
Continuous series of actions and reactions are required for the horse-human dance
From How to think like a horse