Trainers urged to drop the dominance
An equestrian think tank says concepts of leadership are man-made
AN equestrian think tank is urging riders and trainers to remove concepts of leadership and dominance from their interaction with horses.
An International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) position statement states such concepts are man-made and may compromise equine welfare.
The ISES statement disputes the theory that the person handling a horse must be in an “alpha” or dominant position, stating horses “do not possess the cognitive abilities to form the abstract concepts of hierarchy and rank”.
ISES honorary fellow Jan Ladewig, who was instrumental in developing the statement, said: “There is no indication, however, [that horses] are able to handle complex issues that demand cognitive abilities similar to the ones we possess. The better we understand the way their brain works and the more we accept these limitations when we handle them, the better we will be able to establish a harmonious relationship with them.”
ISES honorary president Camie Heleski asked whether the evidence behind statements such as “show the horse who’s boss” has been questioned.
“Does the research support the belief that horses look at the human handler/trainer as a two-legged leader of their herd?” she added. “And, above all, is it possible following such statements has actually compromised horse welfare — and human safety — by overestimating the horse’s perspective on these concepts?”
Intelligent Horsemanship trainer Lynn Chapman said she is often asked to help owners who have failed to dominate horses.
“They’re often afraid of their horses, and have got to that point by people telling them the horse is in control and they have to be stronger,” she told H&H.
“When I was growing up, ‘show him who’s boss’ was the general way we were told to handle horses; but I was a maverick. Forms of dominance training unfortunately work in the short term because horses’ nature isn’t to fight.
“I think the statement is trying to make people ask themselves whether they’re working with horses’ inherent nature.”