In This Chapter
- Discovering how horses think
- Getting the scoop on matters of equine health
- Finding out how horses meet their end
Given how long horses have been a
part of human culture, the fact that oodles of equine misinformation abound
isn’t surprising. Although the horse may not be as maligned as Sasquatch, the
poor equine has suffered his share of urban myths. As horse lovers, we’re here
to set the record straight regarding horses, their behavior, and various other
stuff about them.
Horses Are Dumb
Horses are not the only nonhuman
animals to suffer under this assumption. In fact, dogs seem to be the only
species that isn’t regularly thought of by humans as lacking in brainpower.
The myth that horses are stupid
is a result of human misunderstanding of equine behavior. Humans tend to judge
other animals by themselves, or at the very least, by man’s best friend, the
dog. After watching and interacting with horses for a short time, you realize
that these animals are smart — often smarter than we would like them to be.
Horses are neither predators like
dogs nor cognitive thinkers like humans. They are a prey species that has been
designed by nature to function in a completely different way. The main purpose
of nearly all of equine behavior is to survive in a potentially hostile
environment. So, although horses may not be capable of sniffing out bombs like
beagles or understanding the exact meaning of human language, their behaviors
all add up to brilliance at the job of survival. See Chapter Understanding
Horses from Head to Hoof for more
information about equine instincts and behavior.
Horses Will Run Toward a Fire
We’re not sure where this myth
came from because we’ve never heard of a horse that ran toward a fire instead
of away from it. Maybe somewhere, at some time, a horse or two did run
back into a burning barn in a panic. Going back to the barn could make sense
from the horse’s perspective in certain circumstances, because horses that have
lived their entire lives in box stalls (an unnatural way to keep a horse, by
the way) associate those stalls with safety. The instinct to return to a place
of safety during a frightening moment dominates a horse’s thinking. A horse
doesn’t have the reasoning power to understand that the barn is no longer safe
because fire will soon consume it.
Horses Don’t Sleep Lying Down
Because they’re prey animals and
need to make a quick getaway in times of emergency, horses have an amazing
ability to doze on their feet. However, contrary to myth, they do lie
down for heavy-duty shut-eye. For a horse to get the few hours of valuable REM
sleep each day that is necessary for good health, he must either lie flat on
his side or in a recumbent position with his nose resting on the ground.
Horses Hate People
If you’ve ever ridden a horse
that has treated you unkindly, you’re probably surprised to see meanness listed
in this book as a myth. Unfortunately, a great many people have had unpleasant
first-time experiences with horses. Then again, most people have their first
riding experiences at poorly run, rent-by-the-hour stables (something we
vehemently recommend against in this book). Not realizing that the horses at
many of these establishments are poorly trained and badly treated, these
first-time riders get up on the animal expecting to have a pleasant experience
and end up traumatized because the horse tries to rub them off on a tree, run
away with them, or get down on his knees and roll while they’re in the saddle.
Horses that behave this way are
reflecting the unkind and callous way they’ve been treated by the people
responsible for their care and by no means are the norm in the horse world. The
great majority of horses are gentle, friendly, and willing to do anything asked
of them, provided they’re extended kindness and respect in return.
Horses Are Aloof
Human beings have a tendency to
judge all other animals by the dog. Most dogs are happy, friendly, and
demonstrative. When a dog likes you, you know it. That wagging tail and kissy
tongue are hard to miss.
Horses, on the other hand, are
different. Dogs are easy when it comes to love. With a horse, you have to earn
it. And after you do earn that love and trust (and gaining such feeling from a
horse is an honor and an accomplishment on your part), it will be expressed to
you in subtle ways: a head gently pressed against your chest, a soft whinny, or
a nuzzle with a velvet nose. Horses aren’t aloof; they’re simply more
discerning and more subtle in demonstrating affection than your average canine.
Horses Vocalize a Lot, Just Like in the Movies
Next time you see a western, play
close attention. You’ll discover that the horses in the movie whinny every time
they appear on screen. You won’t see their mouths move, or witness any logical
reason for their vocalizations. Instead, they’ll just gallop into scenes,
accompanied by the sound. Sometimes you’ll hear the whinny as the horse comes
to a sudden stop; other times, as the horse takes off at a mad gallop.
Sometimes you’ll hear the whinny when the horse is just standing there in the
background, doing absolutely nothing.
In case you haven’t figured it
out by now, the horses in movies are not actually whinnying. Their neighs are
equine sound effects that have been added by the filmmakers for effect. As you
become more and more familiar with equine behavior, this constant cinematic
whinnying will start to drive you crazy. You’ll come to realize that horses
whinny for only certain reasons: when they anticipate being fed; when they’re
greeting a friend; or when they’re engaged in courtship or parenthood. They
don’t whinny when their actor-rider needs to make a grand entrance; they don’t
whinny when the director wants to make sure that the audience knows they’re
watching a western; and they sure as heck don’t whinny with their mouths
closed!
Horses Are Always Healthy
Horses, as a species, are plagued
with all kinds of health problems, many of which have been exacerbated by
domestication. The average horse needs to be seen by a vet a couple of times a
year for minor problems, but plenty of horses come down with at least one major
illness in their lifetimes. The term “healthy as a horse” to indicate someone
in good health must have been coined by someone who never owned a horse! See
Chapters Preventing
Equine Health Problems and Examining
and Treating Equine Health Troubles to find out more about equine health problems and how to
prevent them.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Well, they used to. A gunshot
wound to the head at one time was the traditional method of putting a horse out
of its misery. In some very rural places,
Old Horses Go Off to the Glue Factory
This myth is a hundred years old
or more, yet it still persists. In the old days, horses too old to work were
sent to the glue factory for slaughter so their parts could be used to make
glue. Today, natural glue is made mostly from the skin, bones, and hooves of
cattle, which are by-products of the food-animal industry.
Instead of going to the glue
factory, unwanted horses these days are sent off to slaughter, where their meat
is used mostly for human consumption in parts of Europe and Japan. Unlike the
days of the glue factory, when only old horses were used for their parts,
today’s slaughterhouses receive horses of any age and condition. See Chapter Giving
Up Your Horse for more information about equine slaughter.
A Broken Leg Equals a Death Sentence for a Horse
As recently as 25 years ago, this
statement would have been true. Today, however, advancements in veterinary
medicine have created a world where a fractured leg no longer means a death
sentence.
Horses used to be destroyed when
they broke a leg because mending a fractured leg was notoriously difficult. The
fact that equine legs are too big for casting and the unavailability of general
anesthesia, sterile conditions, equipment large enough to handle a horse, and
surgeons capable of performing the delicate surgery made the procedure fail
most of the time. Attempts to fix broken bones often resulted in infection in
the affected leg or severe founder in the opposite hoof, a result of bearing
all the weight of the horse while the broken leg was healing.
Nowadays, through much work and
determination in the veterinary profession, a good number of veterinarians are
skilled enough to perform the necessary surgery. Equipment and metal leg
implants also large enough for a horse needing care for a fracture are readily
available.
by Audrey Pavia with Janice Posnikoff,DVM
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