KF Equine Behaviour
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Equine Behaviour & Clicker Training
10/26/2022
Did you know a flehmen response can reflect more than just a new or interesting smell?
While most are certainly aware that this behaviour is seen when our horses are assessing scents (or if you've taught them to smile, as Badger has very thoroughly mastered 😉), some of us may not be aware that a curled lip can also indicate physical discomfort.
Since it imitates what us humans see as a smile, it can be very easy to have a chuckle and dismiss the behaviour, but if your horse displays this response without having an obvious trigger, consider that they may be painful - especially if it's re-occurring!
🌈 the more you know! 🌟
09/05/2022
An important thing to remember with any horse is that many behaviours we label as a vice is actually just normal horse behaviour. Buddy sourness is one such example.
In Lucy Rees' book, Horses in Company, she details a specific flight response called "bunching" - this is when horses quite literally bunch up together prior to deciding whether to flee or not. When observing feral populations (which is our best gauge on what is true, natural equine behaviour), it was noted that this was a more common response than running away itself.
As herd animals, safety is always in numbers. Whether that safety is from a real threat or a novel object our domesticated friends are facing, there is no difference. So when you have a horse who is displaying buddy sour behaviour, they are not being dramatic, they're listening to what thousands of years of instinct has instilled in them: being away from the herd is dangerous.
This means that it's up to us to help them learn that they can safely leave their buddies for a bit without needing to panic; however, I would never suggest just flat out isolating them. It will either worsen the problem or create a horse who is shut down, neither of which are kind to them.
Take your time! Gradually build up their confidence in small doses. As many have said in the past, the slow way is the fast way. 😉
Stationing!
Teaching a horse to station is a perfect starting point for many of the routine things we ask our horses to do on a daily basis. Standing tied, grooming, mounting and farrier/vet visits are just some examples, but setting them up so they're already comfortable with the core of those expectations helps tremendously in developing them further.
When we're teaching a horse to station, as I'm doing with Badger in the clip below, we want to use an object such as a mat or pylon that they can use as a marker for where to stand. As they start to figure out the goal (standing at/on the station), we can start adding new elements like stepping away while they stay where they are or eventually even tacking up.
My only problem is my car is starting to fill up with a real strange array of objects these days between the mat, targets and pylons! 😅
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