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TRAINING
Do horses smell fear? Racehorses are athletes performing at the peak of their physical capabilities, with their strength and fitness carefully monitored and researched. However less consideration is given to the psychological factors that may affect their performance, with fear being a major influence. WORDS: JUSTINE HARRISON PHOTOS: CAROlINE NORRIS, FRANk NOlTINg, ANNE-ARmEllE lANglOIS
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HE thoroughbred has a reputation for being nervous and easily frightened. Fear is an exceptionally powerful emotion, essential for the horse that has evolved over millions of years as a prey animal, but as far as the horse-human relationship is concerned, a frightened horse is often a dangerous horse and therefore generally undesirable. Behavioural issues seen in racehorses are often fear-related. Aggression, reluctance to go forward, or refusal to load may be mistakenly perceived as the horse being difficult, stubborn, or simply disobedient, when in fact it can be a direct consequence of fear.
What is fear? In general terms, fear is an unconscious emotional response that alerts the body to avoid anything perceived to be potentially dangerous or painful. It is a hard-wired function of the nervous system designed to help an animal survive. When horses sense something they perceive as threatening, physiological changes occur in their body to prepare them for immediate action, also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. More specifically, fear is the feeling of being frightened in the presence of a trigger for that fear – perhaps a particular object, person, or sound. Fear could certainly be described as having different intensities, ranging from mild apprehension to terror. Another aspect of fear is anxiety – the nervous anticipation of something that may happen in future, based on the memory of a previous fearful experience. A horse may
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become anxious on seeing the horsebox after having had a difficult journey the last time they were transported. He has associated the horsebox with the traumatic experience and are anticipating something similar will happen again. Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux has researched fear and memory in animals. He found that fear differs from other emotions as the memories are permanent. Even one bad experience can profoundly change a horse’s behaviour. Once frightened, a horse will be reluctant to try again. First impressions really do count.
Fear responses The horse’s primary reaction to danger is flight. If startled, his immediate response is usually to escape to a safe distance from the perceived threat. This distance will vary depending on the experience of the horse and the severity of the situation, and could be as little as a few metres or as much as a kilometre. But if fleeing isn't a possibility then other
“Intense fear is easier to recognise: nostrils flare, the whites of the eyes are visible, eyes roll, ears are laid back, the tail may be clamped down, and muscles can tremble”
behavioural reactions can occur. The horse may freeze, a response regularly attributed to him being stubborn or lazy. Or if cornered without an escape route a horse may choose to confront his fear and fight, but this is a last resort and unusual unless in extreme circumstances. A frightened horse may also perform a ‘displacement’ behaviour. This is a normal behaviour occurring in an inappropriate context – he may yawn, paw the ground, play with the leadrope or bit, stick his tongue out, or shake his head if he is anxious and unable to escape the situation. A horse yawning repeatedly while tied up to be shod may not be tired, but instead fearful about what is happening. As he is restrained and therefore unable to use his flight response, he performs an alternative behaviour to satisfy his drive to move. This displacement behaviour will reduce his stress in the moment and provide some relief from his anxiety.
Body language From an evolutionary perspective, prey animals need to convey alarm signals silently to others, or they risk alerting a predator to their presence and ending up as someone’s lunch. As a result, equine body language is extremely sophisticated and a horse’s posture, facial expressions, and behaviour are a complex means of communication. Signs of anxiety can be difficult to identify in some horses because some warning signs are very subtle. The shape of the eye changes from being relaxed, soft, and round to having a clear, triangulated upper eyebrow with wrinkles above the eye. Tension in the face, a tucked chin, tight lips, the mouth clamped shut, and a