Howdy Friends! “What About Horses’ Emotions?”..I’m often asked about how I feel about horses’ emotions. Surely horses don’t have emotions on the same level as humans some folks say. Some say to try to project human emotions on horses is folly, foolish. Some say we simply want to believe horses feel emotions like we do. Some folks don’t even think about it.
Are emotions the same as caring, connection, bonding? I believe you can’t have any of those without emotions, and we all know our horses care about us, bond with us.
What about respect? Some will ask. To gain respect from a horse we must first give it. Isn’t that the same as with our human peers?
What about love? Can they love us the same as a person can love us? What would be so wrong about accepting and believing that a horse can love a human as deeply as they can another horse, or we can another human?
Oh their just acting that way because they’re trained, or looking to you for food, or any other of the many standard explanations of how horses act and react.
Emotions play a huge part relationships. Any relationship. Human to human or horse to human. In relationships with my horses over the years I not only considered what they required when learning new things, but also their emotions while learning too.
In the time I spent rehabilitating horses I noticed a wide range of emotions – from fear, to mistrust, to need, to shut down, too confusion, to seeking advice and leadership. Building their confidence meant understanding their emotions, on a level equal to mine. And it meant seeing them as equals. I really dislike the, “You gotta be in charge” theme. If we’re equals we can achieve cooperation, support, loyalty and love. In true partnerships. Partners do things for each other because they want to, not because they’re trained to.
I’m not a trainer but in all things, I believe love, honor, respect and understanding and feeling emotions make any relationship strong, lasting and sterling. Including a relationship with horses.
Sure training is important too, of course. But I submit understanding and honoring the emotions of the horse makes training smoother and more lasting. And actually I’m not even fond of the word, “training.” I like education or teaching better.
In my heart I believe if a lot more folks projected human emotions on horses … A lot fewer horses would suffer.
So go ahead, project your emotions onto your horse, and remember to let hers, touch your heart, and guide your hand as you teach, and learn too.~Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry-Excerpt my book, IT’S FOR THE HORSES – Find it here: (And the book trailer too) https://dutchhenryauthor.com/dutch-henrys-its-for-the-horses/
~ Gitty Up, Dutch.
Very interesting and so true. I HAD to move my horse to a different boarding facility and he is not adapting well at all. Hes been there two months now. Its a night and day difference between the two barns. Its very sad to see him crabby and so stressed. He dosent want anything to do with me. So so sad! Wish i could tell him this was not my idea and im there for him. He used to be so so happy and willing. Not no more! He was also taken away from a 23yr old horse that was his pasture partner for 7 years and at the old boarding barn for 11 years. He truly hates it when his pasture mates are taken away from him(horses coming and going in his pasture at the old barn. Hed get depressed when they would have to leave) Hes an ol loveable soul type at 11 years old. He tries to make friends at the new barn but all the horses hes in with are crabby,old and chase him away. No other options for a different pasture now. Summer will be better they will all have alot of pasture to roam.All horses are now brought up close to barn for winter months and around a feeder. They can still go out to big pasture but none of them do not even mine. That’s coz food is close to the barn and no grass in field. Hes fed 24/7 but horses have to take turns at the feeder. Hes not used of having to do that by no means. Hes a huge foodie and i think food is a comfort and stress reliever for him. He had absolutely no stress at the old barn. Very loving people with all the horses and very low key and quiet. Just sad to see such a change and a different horse. I want my old boy back!!! Any ideas or thoughts so i can help him out. He will go by other people but wont come by me. He did get moved with another horse at the old barn that he knew. That horse cannot be with mine just yet and has to be alone due to rehabbing a leg injury so cant be with a new herd just yet but they will be together when rehab is done in a month or two. They were not pasture buddies though but we let them be together in the indoor arena to play at the new barn. This new barn got my horses insulin level down from 37 to 19.8 normal is 20 to 40 i guess so that’s impressive and put my fat boy on a weight loss program and lost weight probably from stress to. They are nutritionists and all there horses are over 28 years old and look amazing even the throughbreds!
Sorry Deb that you’re going through all that. I’ve never boarded, so I don’t really know how to guiee you. Good that progress is being made on the weight and sugar avenues. I’d do all I could to spend more time with him. Always a good thing. Brushing, hand walking, visiting. That’s how I do it.