Understanding How Horses Think in Visual Studio .NET

Generator QR Code 2d barcode in Visual Studio .NET Understanding How Horses Think

To truly comprehend what goes on in the equine mind, imagine yourself as a horse You re big yet fragile (as evidenced by the injuries suffered by racehorses) You evolved over the eons as a prey animal, which means a host of scary critters have thought of you as a dinner entree for a very long time You re also very sociable, thriving on the company of others All these factors add up to create a powerful, delicate, and wary yet friendly beast In the following sections, I describe the behavior and communication of these very special animals, and I provide guidance on getting along with them

One of the biggest factors in equine behavior is the fact that horses are herd animals (safety in numbers, right ) Much of what they do stems from this trait Horses are capable of recognizing and participating in a complex social hierarchy that places them at the top, the bottom, or somewhere in the middle of the pecking order They also like to be with other horses a lot just like most people enjoy being with other humans In terms of horse behavior, the biggest question for many people (at least those who like to ponder such things) is Why do horses allow us to ride them The opinion of most experts is that the horse s very social nature allows her to accept a rider on her back Horses at least tame ones recognize humans as dominant members of their herd and act accordingly when asked to do something, no matter how little sense it makes to them Another important factor in equine behavior is the horse s status as a prey animal You can t spend millions of years being eaten by saber-toothed tigers and hunted by wolf packs without getting a bit paranoid This less-thanpleasant experience is the reason horses spook (react dramatically) when startled, are nervous in unfamiliar surroundings, and usually run first and ask questions later when something scares them If you ride horses, you encounter these behaviors sooner or later

Because horses are such social creatures, they ve developed very distinct methods of communicating with each other They use these same techniques to communicate with humans If you understand the horse s language, you re well on your way to being able to talk or whisper to your horse Horses are great at expressing themselves through body language, and it s up to us humans to know how to interpret their signals Horses express a variety of attitudes and emotions in their faces Make sense of these expressions, and you can read the mood of just about any horse you approach (Figure 2-1 shows the various facial expressions of horses): Relaxed: Horses who are calm and content have a relaxed expression They re comfortable in their environment, with the person handling them, and with what they re being asked to do This expression is the one you want to see on a horse you re about to ride Afraid: Horses are easily frightened If a horse throws her head up in the air and shows the whites of her eyes, she s scared You may have approached too fast, or perhaps something else is frightening her

Reassure the horse by talking softly to her and stroking her until she calms down before you proceed (See Getting along with horses, later in this chapter, for tips on handling horses effectively) Threatening: Some horses exhibit nasty behavior for various reasons They may be in pain, or they may hate being ridden and handled One horse I met was nasty because he was underfed and felt hungry all the time After he was put on a proper diet, his threatening expression disappeared Warning: If a horse you re handling is pinning her ears back and showing you what looks like an angry expression (teeth bared, nostrils flared), back off and get help from someone more experienced Horses sometimes follow these expressions with a bite or a kick Alert: Horses are always watching for predators, real or imagined A horse with an alert expression head up high, eyes wide, ears pointed forward is checking out something that s in the distance or may be approaching An alert expression can turn into a fearful one or may be replaced by a relaxed expression after the horse determines that all is safe Some horses, such as those who are leading a group on a trail, maintain an alert expression the entire ride Such behavior is normal, because horses expect the leader of the group to be the lookout