CBRHorse.Potts.net.au

Many people forget that horses have strong feelings and emotions, fears, likes, dislikes, hates, frustrations and, above all, strong natural instincts to flee any stressful situation. When you touch your horse (pat, stroke, hit, whip, spur), remember that a horse's skin is sensitive enough to feel a fly. When you lock a horse up in a stable or yard, remember the horse has evolved physical and psychological mechanisms to make it an expert at both defence when confronted (rearing, striking, biting, kicking and bucking) and running when it doesn't want to fight (bolting).

Stables clearly have their place in assisting to prepare a horse for competitions, but the more often you can put your horse in a natural environment (a big paddock with other horses, trees, creeks, kangaroos etc), the more your horse will be able to behave as nature intended it to, and the more you will be rewarded with a happy horse and consequently happy riding.

If you are having problems with your horse, first ask yourself whether you think you horse is happy with where it is living, and with what you are doing to it. If you are meeting resistance, it may well be worth getting a horse psychologist or PNH instructor expert to help.

HORSE PSYCHOLOGISTS

Gary & Gaye Mercer
Phone: 251-4278
Gary & Gaye work from the basis that riding is a privilege, not a right and that horse owners must endeavour to see things from the horse's point of view. They believe that it is important to try to get horse owners to understand their horse's needs and to change their behaviour in recognition of those needs. They work with both horse and rider to achieve a better understanding within the horse/owner partnership. Gary has a BA in Psychology.

Jane Meyers
 Phone: 288-5542 BA(Hons) MSc(Equine Studies) Specialises in nervous horses and understanding behavioural problems. Co-ordinates both horse and rider education.
 

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