When working with horses we often hear, “You just need to show him who’s boss,” or “I hope you didn’t let him get away with that.” Do these phrases sound familiar? As I continue on my own horsemanship journey, I find myself wondering what I was thinking in the past when I would sometimes scold a horse. Did the punishment meet the crime? Was it really a crime? Was it a behavior I or someone had taught the horse? Was he just escaping a fear? All these are valid points in decisions we must make, split-second, to continue the positive training with our horse.
If you’re having a hard time determining when it makes sense to scold your horse, first consider the undesired action. Was it a reaction or a response? A reaction, in my thought, is an action without thought. For instance, slapping at a bee as it stings you would be a reaction. A response is action with thought. An example would be having a sip of Pepsi.
Two horses I currently have in training have previously been punished for reactions and it shows. The first is a warmblood that shies terribly of other horses in the warm up arena. It started after there was a collision in an arena with another horse, and has gotten progressively worse since then. After unseating several riders, he was sent here to determine if he could be rehabilitated. After a few rides on this guy, I determined it wasn’t the other horse he was most concerned about— he was worried about the punishment he associated with being near other horses.
The horse really couldn’t determine that he was getting scolded for shying; he felt he was getting scolded for being near other horses. As he became more intent on avoiding other horses, the scolding became more intense, so it would cause him to avoid even more which would cause the scolding to become more intense, so it would cause him to…and on and on we go! So, who is really the smart one here?
Horse number two had a bolting issue over jumps. The more he jumped, the more he bolted, the more he got scolded, and so on. From his perspective, he was just trying to be obedient by busting through jumps to avoid the scolding. The rider would scold just after the jump; in turn the horse would try to jump beyond the scold on each subsequent jump. It continued to build until one day, he slammed on breaks and said, “I’m not jumping over there to get scolded!”
The answers to each of these situations are quite simple once we take a look from the horse’s perspective. They both are fear-based, so only patience and confidence building can correct the issues.
Let’s look at something that maybe can be scolded. If a horse is eating while I’m trying to lead the horse to the barn, it’s acceptable to scold him. Yes, in his mind eating is perfectly normal anytime he feels the desire. So, no, he shouldn’t know any better unless I teach him. I should be consistent, quick, non-threating and non-aggressive.
How about the horse that wants to kick out or buck when we transition up to the canter? If I determine it’s a “I just don’t wanna” issue, I’ll make a quick reprimand as the buck starts and be done and move on quickly. Repeat and look for the quiet transition. When I get the quiet transition, I’ll reward it with a soft feel and rub.
Horse trailers are among the biggest area of concern. If the horse is scolded around a horse trailer, he has reason to fear the horse trailer. Fear through association.
The last action taken is what the horse associates with the scolding. So, that hard-to-catch horse you chased around the pasture for two hours? If you take him straight to the round pen and work his bones brittle for thirty minutes, he’ll associate that with getting caught. He’ll think, “you caught me and then chased me around in circles for a life time?” It won’t be easy to catch him again. So, a better answer would be to give him a nice rub and walk away, then do it again. That teaches the horse that getting caught is really not so bad afterall.
In closing, let’s talk about what, in my mind, are acceptable “punishments” and duration of said “punishment.” When I use the word punishment, please don’t think we’re coming after our horse with a big stick! The most effective punishment in the horse’s world is often not physical in nature at all— it’s intense energy. The most rewarding type of punishment never causes the horse to reach the flight zone. It’s quick, one to three seconds, most cases pain-free and loaded with extreme energy and over as fast as it started. You should leave all emotion out of it.
I like to refer to a scolding as being hit with a snow ball. No one likes to be hit with a snow ball because of the energy, but very few people can remember any long-lasting effect or injury. A loud noise, an open hand clap, or anything that causes the horse to say “What the #J)$#?” is effective.
Have a good ride!