Viewpoint

Physio at Feed Time: Using Food to Mobilize Your Horse’s Body

October 18, 2024 by Jane @ THB 2 Comments

In this guest post, Tanja Kraus introduces variable feeding positions, which bring musculoskeletal benefits while also enriching your horse’s day.

As an equine educator from the East Coast of Australia, Tanja’s passion is using kind horsemanship philosophies and connection to develop a partnership horse with the rider.

This extract comes from her latest book, Lessons from Horses: Movement, whch provides insight into why and how our horses should be moving each day, with exercises to contribute to their physical health, mental wellbeing, and longevity.

She writes about variable feeding positions with the support of Dr Sharon May-Davis, who developed this combined feeding approach.

You can find Tanja’s books here.

All text is copyright of the author Tanja Kraus. No reproduction without permission.

The Day I Heard About Variable Feeding Positions and Horse Posture

I first heard about variable feeding positions when attending an Equine Symposium where Dr. Sharon May-Davis was presenting.

Sharon presented on variable feeding positions, and showed many examples of the benefits of variable feeding she had seen, both in wild horses and in domestic horses managed in this way.

This included reduced asymmetry in the body, improved teeth and hooves, a more complete and balanced recovery from injury, and improved performance across multiple disciplines.

Comparing wild herds to domestic horses, she discovered that domestic horses with restricted lifestyles suffer with issues not only in the musculoskeletal system, but also uneven teeth wear. Jaw alignment and foot growth due to the limited postures.

*Horses commonly ignore easy grass pickings to nibble from trees. (c) Hilary Graham*

Natural Feeding Behaviors in Horses

As Dr May-Davis was talking, I was imagining my own horses and what I had seen them doing naturally in their paddock, and she was, of course, right.

My own horses who run in a herd of around 10 (give or take) in a paddock of varying terrain of about 40 acres adopt ‘variable feeding positions’ regularly and quite naturally.

And when I say regularly, I mean daily, through all the seasons.

So, they are not driven by lack of resources, which many people will argue ‘horses only eat out of trees when they have no choice’ – this is 100% incorrect.

My horses will happily roam their paddock and graze and browse and everything in between every day.

*Images (c) Dengie: ‘Hedgerow Haynets for Horses’*

We’re fortunate that our paddock contains a wonderful variation of pasture, different types of grasses, trees, and weeds that our horses can pick and choose from.

They are regularly seen choosing to eat ‘above the knee’, which is the measurement used to define browsing.

This can involve something as simple as eating the top of long grass around knee height, to completely outstretching their head and neck until their teeth are facing the sky to pull leaves from trees.

When you observe horses doing this, and pay attention to their bodies as they do it, you can see just how significant the range of motion is.

*Horses extend their backs and stretch forward when eating from height. Indoor and outdoor spaces need to be large enough for them to do this. (c) thehorsesback.com*

Naysayers are often heard grumbling that horses ‘shouldn’t hollow their backs’ and that ‘high feeding is bad’ for this reason.

However, if you observe other animal species such as dogs and cats, they can all be seen stretching their spines by rounding and then hollowing.

And where would our own Yoga classes be without the classic ‘cat / cow’ pose? Range of motion is healthy, natural and necessary.

Our domestic horses are often denied any type of variable feeding as we feed hay and hard feeds on the ground, and many horses are kept in paddocks that have limited access to appealing trees, shrubs, and long grass to facilitate variable feeding.

So how can we help?

*Horses with good spinal mobility appear happy to eat from any angle on a hill. (c) Tanja Kraus*

Offer Your Horses Variable Feeding Positions

Provide opportunity for variable feeding, with the following examples:

High hay fixed
High hay swinging
High feeder on rail
High feeder with ramp

*One flake of hay per day in a swinging high net keeps this herd, which lives out, actively mobilizing their necks. (c) Sally Taylor*

If hay has to go on the ground, you can make use of the natural lie of the land.

Feed on slope uphill / downhill
Hay scattered around to encourage movement
Multiple haynets and feeders to encourage movement

This mare stands square while eating on a gentle slope and raising her cervicothoracic spine. Note that she could stand at the top and eat virtually on the level if she preferred to. (c) thehorsesback.com

The Benefits of Variable Feeding Positions

Basically, we can try any variation from the usual static grazing position.

Feeding in variable positions can also be a useful ‘passive physio’ technique. They may find it harder at first, but it gets easier as their bodies become more supple and mobile.

It follows that horses being rehabbed from injury or restriction can be fed to encourage beneficial postures that activate or stretch particular muscles or body areas.

Gypsy needed encouragement to load an injured forelimb. Unlike most horses, she had been loading her hindquarters rather than her forehand. The gate encourages her to come forward and raise the lower neck. (c) thehorsesback.com

It’s important to note here that I have had some equine dentists express concern as they have seen terrible damage to horses’ teeth (namely racehorses) who are fed only in high feeders.

But, those horses are stabled and fed only in up positions, and therefore the grazing position is not a part of their daily routine. A recent study suggests there is no negative dental effect in horses using haynets for a period of one year [1].

Below, these horses are fully mobilising their necks while eating from a shared large small-hole haynet – and from the ground. Note the near squared position of the grey mare, who suffered a fractured pelvis as a yearling.

We can also reverse engineer this – if your horse has an asymmetry, or difficulty working in one direction, is the way you position their feed having a negative effect?

Horses, when given the freedom to choose, graze approximately 80% of the time, and browse 20% of the time, and this balance should be sought when providing variable feeding positions for their benefit.

*Solid and safe ramps and pedestals can be created to replicate environmental factors. (c) Footloose Barefoot Hooves*

I have adopted variable feeding positions for my own horses, student horses, and for horses when they come in for training.

I’ve taken photos and filmed their start of variable feeding, and as they progress, and I have noticed a significant improvement in their posture while eating, along with their resting and grazing stances.

Depending on what you are trying to achieve there are many options, and the best part is the horse is doing their own physio in a gentle way.

Read more about enrichment in this blog post: *How Well Are We Doing? Why Some Horses Thrive While Others Just Get By*

Reference

[1] Johnson L, Martinson K, Keener L, DeBoer, M. A preliminary study: Effect of hay nets on horse hay usage, dental wear, and dental conditions in mature adult horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science; 2023;124;104366; doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104366.

How to Create Better Before And After Photos of Horses (and Spot Misleading Ones)

February 22, 2024 by Jane @ THB 3 Comments

Bodyworkers love before and after photos. Done correctly, they can show great results of our work, making them powerful promotional tools.

Equally, if done incorrectly, they may say something rather different to what we want. In fact, there are many ways to leave areas of doubt and raise viewer questions. That’s why I rarely use them anymore.

To help you avoid some of the pitfalls, here are some pointers for making your before and after bodywork photos more effective.

1. Make sure the horse is standing relaxed and in the same position

It sounds obvious, but so many people get this wrong.

In some photos, the horse is actually doing different things, or looks as if it has just paused during eating, stepping forward, looking into the distance, etc.

All of these things can change its posture, just as post-bodywork relaxation can. This is not comparing like with like.

The horse needs to be standing in a settled state. Standing square if possible, or otherwise in its default ‘parked’ position.

Either way, all four feet need to be on the ground, even if standing square isn’t possible.

Example 1: When the horse can’t stand comfortably

This OTTB was unable to stand without resting a hindlimb due to his sacroiliac and lumbosacral issues.

While this is part of his problem, and the owner and I knew that, nobody looking at the photos can be expected to know it. He looks like he’s just having a rest. If it’s not self-evident, it’s not worth using.

*OTTB with hoof imbalance (negative plantar angles) and sacroiliac issues. Without appropriate hoofcare over time, his problems would simply persist. (c) thehorsesback.com*

2. Use the same lens angle

This must be the second biggest error in before and after photos: One photo is taken with the lens angled slightly downwards, while the other is more level. This can unintentionally change how the horse’s outline looks.

Here’s how you can tell.

First, look at how the lens is positioned for good square-on conformational photos. It’s usually somewhere on the girthline, pointing horizontally around halfway up the horse’s body.
Now create an imaginary tracking line running in front of and behind each front hoof.
The distance between these lines should be roughly the same in both photo (when the horse is standing fairly straight).
If there’s a wider space in one photo, then the lens is probably angled downwards.
To compare like with like, the distance needs to be the same in both.

The distance between imaginary tracking lines can help show whether the lens angle is the same, or close to it. The horse is standing slightly wider in the first image, but the distances are still similar.

3. Ensure the lighting direction is the same

This is simple to achieve, but so many people get it wrong.

Changes in lighting can highlight or obscure ribs, bony landmarks, tight muscles, you name it. There can be numerous changes to what we’re seeing.

Yet in some photos, the horse is in a different location, it’s a different time of day, or even indoors in one photo, and outdoors in the other.

To get a true and fair representation of the improvements, ensure the set up is close to identical in each photo, so that lighting changes don’t create a false impression.

Your great results need to shine on their own.

Example 2: Poor set up

These age-old, low res photos from my files were only taken as records over 15 years ago. Afterwards, I certainly wished I’d organised the taking of them better.

Taken at the start of session 1 and session 3, they show a change in coat colour. However, the passage of time and his weight gain can also account for this…

*This TB had old fence injuries to the hindlimbs and lumbosacral issues. (c)thehorsesback.com*

In this age of Canva, it’s not worth trying to explain changes that can come with other explanations.

4. Take photos in the same season

All too often we see a before photo taken in winter, and an after photo taken in summer.

So guess what? The horse looks worse when it has a long, dull winter coat.

And it looks vastly improved in the summer, when it has a short, gleaming coat. Even more, it has a bellyful of tucker.

It’s better to avoid such a major difference, as it again only serves to obscure your great results.

Example 3: When it’s OK to break the rules

The following photos of the paint horse were originally intended for my personal records.

Shortcomings are clear: the horse is facing a different way; one photo is not fully square-on; horse is looking at camera; standing in a different location in the yard.

The strengths are big ones: same lens height and angle; lighting similar.

As this is about posture and not muscle development, the changes are unmissable. I gave credit to hoof balance improvement as well as bodywork.

I would never plan to do a before and after in this way – if this horse’s changes had been minor, the photos wouldn’t have worked at all.

5. Include the legs!

It’s very common to see before-and-after photos showing only the horse’s back from a side-on view, or only the hindquarters from the rear.

This is to leave rather a lot of relevant information out of the image.

Why? Because without the limbs and/or head and neck in the image, your viewer can’t assess the horse’s posture.

Instead, they’re asking themselves questions such as: Is the horse standing square? Is it standing under or camped out? Is it angled away from the camera?

Most importantly, the simple matter of foot placement affects how the back and hindquarters appear in your two photos.

*A close up image removes all the reference points that help viewers to understand what the image is supposed to show.*

The exception is the overhead view down the back, as the legs obviously can’t be seen. In these cases, including the head and neck is helpful, as it says a lot about posture.

Example 4: Including extra information

Here are the full images of the WB used in the header for this post.

Both pics were taken in the same spot, but at different hours of the day. I couldn’t alter that, but it did mean that the sunlight was different and this accentuates the shoulder imbalance in the first picture.

What is important is that a lot is included in the images. This allows us to reference that the hindquarters are square-on and the head and neck position close to the same height.

I always explain that that the owner was also doing in-hand training with the horse, and had instigated hoofcare improvements.

6. Select the same stage in the session

You are not comparing like with like if your before photo is taken at the start of a session, and the after photo is taken at the end of a session. You may indeed be showing a valid change in the horse, BUT…

Many therapeutic approaches have a pain-relieving effect, which is often temporary. Posture can temporarily improve.

Once the effect wears off, the horse returns to experiencing the uncomfortable effects of its pathologies again. At this point, all the improvements may cease to be visible.

It’s a bit like taking a photo when the horse is on pain relief, and saying ‘here, look at this great change’.

A more valid comparison is to show the horse at the beginning of session one and then at the START of a later session.

This shows how the improvement has held once the horse returned to its regular routine.

Example 5: When a sequence works better

This Arabian was experiencing lumbosacral pain. As with the OTTB earlier, this caused him to constantly rest a hindlimb.

*A sequence of photos throughout a session can create an engaging story that is interesting in its own right. (c) thehorsesback.com*

A straightforward before and after would have been unconvincing.

On the other hand, a sequence of photos (we have both walks and short breaks during a session) shows him adjusting his posture. This reflects my focus on the day.

7. Tell the whole story

Ahh, now here’s one that many people overlook when putting together before and after photos.

What was the horse doing the day before, or the day before that, or earlier the same day for that matter?

What else has been happening to the horse between visits that may have made a difference?

If the horse had completed a demanding event just before the first photo, then it’s possible that physical tiredness came into play.

If the horse has had rehabilitation in the form of hoofcare, new training or exercise protocols, a change of saddle, etc, between your visits, then that needs to be mentioned.

Hint: veterinary care is also important!

*An old, low res image of an Arabian I worked on with fractured withers. The change in shoulder symmetry was due to work on the cervicothoracic spine (deep to withers). (c) thehorsesback.com*

8. Is there an identifiable change?

Sometimes, before and after photos are almost the same, but for minor changes that could be down to any of the above points.

They may be valuable, but they don’t show up much in images and take some explaining before they can be seen.

While some background information is helpful, if you’re having to write several paragraphs, then something is missing.

If you have to draw lines on the horse to show changed muscle development, then it’s also possible that your photos aren’t too clear.

Oblique body shots are really hard to repeat accurately. In the second image, the lens is further out from the shoulder and in a slightly lower position. This changes everything and detracts from the real improvements seen.

And if you’re doing this, DO draw them correctly. Tracing different outlines or arbitrarily changing a line from straight to curved fools nobody!

Good before and after photos need no explanation, because they create their own impact.

Summary: how to achieve great before and after photos

The best before and after photos are taken:

From the same angle.
With the same lighting.
During the same season.
When the horse is standing settled, square if possible.
When the horse is not doing anything else.
At the same point in the session.
After the same work beforehand.
When there is a clearly visible change.

This means setting your photos up carefully and being quite technical in your approach. While there’s no need to go full-on scientific, giving a little thought to reducing all the above variables could go a long way to making your photos more effective, both for yourself and other people.

In the end, it’s rarely possible to get everything perfect. What’s important is that enough is correct, so that the images show what can be achieved with bodywork as a vital part of an integrated management approach.

10 Equine Bodywork Responses That Tell Us Heaps About Horses

July 29, 2023 by Jane @ THB 8 Comments

In an equine bodywork session, having a feel for the horse’s mental and emotional state is important.

It helps us to understand where they’re at, why they’re responding the way they do, and how we’re likely to be moving onwards in future sessions. We can then use this understanding to improve our connection and the holistic health outcomes.

Here are 10 of the common responses I see in horses I work with. For ease of communication, I’ve given them names.

It’s not science (and isn’t meant to be), but it is all about listening to the horse.

See any horse you recognise here? Enjoy 😉

(c) Jane Clothier, The Horse’s Back. No reproduction of text or images without permission.

1. The Enthusiast

This horse is the equine bodywork practitioner’s number one fan. If there were a t-shirt, they’d be wearing it.

They nicker at the sight of the therapist, and when led to the yard will often walk alongside their bodyworker instead of their owner. Someone’s made them feel good and THEY LIKE IT.

As a result, they exude huge warmth and give great cuddles and neck hugs.

And let’s just say they look bereft when ‘their’ therapist arrives and works on a different horse. They’ll probably stand nearby to tune into the energy of the session anyway.

2. The Child

This horse is often but not always young, projecting an air of total innocence.

And it’s genuine: they’re full of wonder for everything good that happens in their world.

And it’s safe to assume that up until now, it has all been good. As a result, they’re curious about everything that happens around them.

They’ve no defences set up and respond to the GOOD FEELS easily, sometimes apparently to their own surprise.

Their eyes will lock onto the therapist, the source of this remarkable experience.

Then they’ll turn their head from one side to the other, eyes following you as you move around the yard after the session.

‘Who are you? What did you do? Why am I feeling this?’

It’s impossible not to be enchanted by their bright, beautiful curiosity.

3. The Lightweight

This horse is a sensitive flower who has mixed feelings about this whole therapy business.

Their responses come super quickly, for good or for bad. Then they’ll take a huge amount from very little, and that goes both ways, for better or worse.

They can flinch at the unfamiliar nature of touch. If all’s well after that, they’ll often zone out at the first opportunity.

If you touch a spot with even a tiny problem, be prepared for flattened ears, a swinging head, tail swishing and a raised foot – sometimes all at once.

This horse is often a mare, affectionately known as ‘princess’ by her owner. But some geldings get complimentary membership too.

Once you get it right, don’t expect thanks, but do take heart watching the softness that unfolds before you.

Next time, you’ll be back to the beginning, but not quite, for now you’ll know very well that less is more.

4. The Superior Being

This trouper of a horse is a great competitor. They brush minor issues aside. They’ll often look down on you from a great height, as if at a mildly irritating fly. They don’t care to do anything as weak as going with the flow – yawning, licking and chewing is for losers.

‘Oh, are you still down there?’ … goes on to win 1st LWT. (c) J Clothier

They occasionally forget themselves and the eyes start to close. It doesn’t last though: they’ll catch themselves and return to consciousness, with a ripple of irritation.

This doesn’t mean they’re not feeling it. They’ll remain tight-lipped until the pesky human is out of sight, then do all of their letting go in private.

Stallions and lead mares often march to this drum too.

5. The Survivor

This horse shows you very little at all.

They’ve often been through a previous episode of pain that lasted too long. Or, they may have become used to locking down a source of pain, as they still have a chronic issue today.

At the slightest recurrence of pain, they revert to the lock down posture or attitude they had before. It’s what got them through it last time – they’ve survived by gritting their teeth and ploughing on.

A recent hoof abscess sent this mare back into her old laminitis responses. (c) J Clothier

You can almost hear this horse ignoring you and your hands. When you first work with them, they don’t yield and go with the flow. Instead, they stand with firm lips and a fixed stare.

But unlike the Superior Being, their vibe isn’t a light one.

Any effects happen in their own time, when the halter is off. They may stand in a corner or seek the presence of their closest friend… You’ll only know how well it went on the next visit, when the horse suddenly starts to respond.

6. The Anxious

This is the horse that can’t switch off.

They stand with their head up, always on the lookout, with a giraffe like posture that’s not great for their body and especially not for their neck.

They don’t feel safe and their attention flits around. Their breathing is shallow and/or fast.

Some of them can’t let go. They’ve a nervous system in overdrive and its buzzing signals won’t allow the horse to relax.

This is your challenge: to help this horse rediscover a deactivated state.

Pain may well be an issue, particularly in its shoulders and neck (and a headache). Nutrition and environment, too. Oh, and humans.

Initially settle for a horizontal neck, with a slightly closed eye being a bonus.

7. The Controller

This horse prefers not to let go, even if they show early signs of doing so. They step and move around frequently. Displacement activities include chewing the rope, rubbing their head on the handler, a fence, anything. They can be mouthy.

Although there’s no real hostility, there’s a constant ‘push back’ as you work – and you’ll be aware of it. Don’t expect to feel quickly accepted. Better get used to life outside their bubble – and their tough-guy efforts to keep you there, outside their safety zone.

Controlling their space and tuning you out: there’s usually a reason. (c) J Clothier

However, it can all change when you successfully relieve an issue that they never, ever expected to go. Suddenly you’re allowed in and find yourself looking into their huge, deep eyes.

This can be because they’ve been resolutely ignoring an uncomfortable body issue. If so, their fidgeting may have been because you were drawing their focus to exactly that.

8. The Watcher

This horse may stand in a quiet manner that’s initially encouraging. They may show early signs of relaxation, yet there’s still the feeling that they’re holding something back.

Then whoah! You’re met with a sudden tail swish, a swing of the hindquarters, or a snap of the teeth. You’ve touched a trauma spot and they’re telling you: ‘It’s right there! Watch yourself!’

The horse has some pain and you’ve just committed the cardinal sin of touching it.

Some may be alert throughout the session as they wait for you to find that spot. Little do you know that you’re being subject to a test. Better tune up your psychic abilities…

No matter what you do, the horse holds on and won’t let go until that breakthrough moment when you find the problem that’s highest in their awareness.

The painful spot may be an old or newer issue, but one thing is sure: there’s a lot of emotion wrapped around it.

Stay safe.

9. The Over-Trained

This horse stands with resolute obedience, as they know they should. They’ve been taught to wait with statuesque stillness, no matter what happens around them.

Whatever happens, they’re just waiting until it’s over, doing their best not to get in the way. They’ve learned that if they do, there’ll be a reprimand or sometimes heavy correction.

Receiving bodywork, these horses are often in their new home, where more self-expression is allowed.

To the therapist, this horse feels mentally and emotionally absent from their own party.

Some horses have been taught that they must remain completely still until asked to move. I find it’s very common with working station horses. (c) J. Clothier

Watch out for this horse’s return to their body, as their responses may be elevated.

They may love you to pieces, or they may shout about a problem that’s been long overlooked. Finally permitted to say what they think, they’ve lost the volume control.

It’s up to you to find a way through this, along with their people.

10. The Depressed

This horse knows it’s not worth even trying to connect or respond, probably because last time they did, it got them nowhere.

Their vibe is a dull one, and their eye contact is minimal or non-existent. They’re not into engaging with you.

They may stare off into the middle distance, as if disocciating. There’s very little response until the relaxing sensations completely take over – then you may receive a single look, or a tentative touch on the hand.

It’s a start. That has to be enough for now.

This horse will hopefully learn from the beneficial after-effects of the work. They will slowly start to feel that life can feel better and that humans have something to give.

With these horses, working with their mind and emotions is even more important. If they’ve had physical stresses forced on them in the past (and they usually have, leading to pain issues), the last thing we want to do is pressure them again.

Negotation is always the best way when we need to move forward, with lots of acceptance and thinking time.

Now I said there’d be ten, but there’s one more to come. I don’t meet too many of these extreme cases, and for that I’m grateful.

11. The Broken

This horse is so badly damaged that there seems to be no way back.

Very often, they’ve had multiple negatives in their lives, on multiple levels. Pain is a huge factor, with the horse having a condition that’s been ignored and frequently overridden (literally… it’s often back pain).

Some are both desperate and furious, having been forced beyond their limits. They can be highly dangerous to work with.

This horse has probably given enough for one lifetime – or had it taken from them.

I met this chestnut mare in a UK horse sanctuary. (c) J Clothier

Bodywork is our fleeting gift as we try to help these horses feel better.

By helping to ease their stress, we may to a tiny extent counter the less positive experiences they’ve had at the hands of other humans.

In return, they take us into a silent place, with depths unknown. Go gently while you’re there.

“Scientists Are So Dumb” – Hey, It’s Not Them, Could Be You

August 18, 2019 by Jane @ THB 2 Comments

“DUH!!! Scientists are SOOOOO behind the rest of us!”

I read this today and for once, couldn’t just scroll past and forget. Perhaps it’s because it came from an equine professional and, you know, I’d really be hoping for better from someone who partially depends on scientific knowledge for their business.

You all know how it goes. Every so often, a scientific study is published that confirms new findings – this time, about horses’ emotions – and inevitably, the great wise ones on social media drum out the usual statements about how obvious it’s always been to them, blah-di-dah. For the record, if anyone cares, such comments usually make me have two thoughts:

Someone’s climbing high on Mount Stupid (see Dunning Kruger effect, below).
It’s time to unfollow Someone.

The sorry truth is that people who respond in this way are simply putting their own ignorance on display. It’s happening everywhere, of course, but here’s what we see in the equine sector. I’m going to use the May 2018 equine science study on horses reading human facial expressions that’s currently being recirculated (read the journal article here) as illustration.

If you run into an equine science basher, remember:

They may well not have read the information they’re sharing. Often they’re not even sharing the study, but someone else’s post and interpretation of the study findings, which may be misworded. They’ve not read that, either.

They’ve missed the key points. Yes, they are an expert on their own horse (they believe). Did they happen to notice that this study reported that horses could remember their emotions from photographs? Hmm… it’s unlikely.

Plenty of people misinterpret what they’re seeing anyway. In my own area of bodywork, in which I mostly get to meet owners who care and try their best, signs of pain that are obvious to me are frequently missed. I’ll bet every trainer or clinician has an equivalent version.

Many people aren’t self aware enough to understand the effect their own presence is having on their horse. Again, not if what I’ve seen in bodywork sessions is anything to go by (my current clients are lovely, though!).

Like great food, good equine science is rarely fast.

Here are two major points about equine science.

1. Acquiring scientific evidence is NOT the same thing as having an opinion about your own horse.

2. Science is NOT slow in catching up with your own ‘findings’. Even when you are understanding horses correctly, good science with solid evidence takes time.

Good science can’t be rushed.

There are so many things to slow it down.

Just take Animal Ethics Committees (most developed countries have their own versions of these). All animal studies have to go through a vigorous assessment as to any stress the procedure might cause the horses, how the stress will be recognized, how stress can be minimized, etc, etc. This takes a time and I imagine most horse owners wouldn’t want studies happening without it.

Then there’s setting the study up, locating the horses, lining up the facilities, analyzing results, writing it up, and getting it published (it can take over a year before a submitted article actually appears in a journal).

The quality is in the detail

Then there are the variables. Horses are subject to so many different experiences acquired through every possible variation of management practice, handling, training, riding and tack, not to mention associated injury or illness. All these things can influence results and compromise findings, which makes setting up equine studies rather more complicated on the animal side than, say, those involving sheep.

There are a huge number of factors to consider. So for example when setting up a ‘horse recognizing human emotions’ study, it must be absolutely clear that:

The horse isn’t responding to an expectation of feed, rather than the person.
The horse hasn’t had previous experiences that are making it respond in a particular way (such as pain, bad handling, etc).
How are the researchers identifying the process of recognition in the horse? Which expressions, facial and otherwise, are the scientists recording?

This is to vastly over-simplify things, but I hope you get the point.

Big studies, small findings

Invariably, it’s often the case that a study can only provide evidence for a couple of apparently simple points.

Equine science studies aren’t “SOOOOO behind”! The researchers are simply taking time to do it properly.

Science costs money and good science costs more money

Research is expensive. Given how complicated studies can be to plan, set up and complete, finding funding can be a hurdle. It’s not simply of behavioral scientists sitting around wondering what to spend their money on next.

Finding money takes more time and that’s if funders want to support the research in the first place.

Why do people ignore the positives?

The bashing comes, I’m sure, from a place of insecurity. People feel that something they’re holding onto is threatened. There’s also the nature of the equine sector: so many people only feel accomplished when they’re pointing to the lack of knowledge of others – we all know it’s endemic. Unfortunately, their critical (but not analytical) eye takes in all comers, including those whose contribution will help them.

It’s also connected with an anti-science view that often comes from those who feel an empathy with horses. It goes along with a whole load of anti-this and anti-that. It gets tiresome after a while and it’s a shame, because it gets in the way of a lot of good information that’s contributing to our collective knowledge.

Now I do understand that certain scientists can be dismissive of many of the subjective experiences we have with our horses. Not everything can be evidenced, not that that means it doesn’t happen – and some things haven’t been evidenced yet. (The best scientists I’ve met acknowledge this and will say, “we don’t know – yet”.)

I’m a complementary therapist with a recent science qualification, so I certainly have a foot on both sides of this particular line. But I really can’t handle this ‘anti’ response from people who should know better, as it totally throws out the baby with the bathwater.

Shouldn’t we be focusing our critical eye on the horse people who don’t acknowledge the significance of horses’ emotions, rather than those who are providing evidence for them?

Shouldn’t we be saying ‘how wonderful that evidence been found for what I believed all along’? Why bash the scientists? Instead of being contemptuous, shouldn’t we be saying ‘thank goodness, life may gradually improve for all horses as evidence is provided for their sentience?’

Because here’s the thing: equine scientists are horse people. They are horse owners, riders and lovers. They’re not remote observers – they ride amongst us! And they care about horses at least as much as you do.

Not all equine science is good science, I’ll agree, yet I’d say it takes a whole lot more analytical engagement to criticize it than “Duh” (that bugged me, can you tell?).

What do you think?

Proops, L., Grounds, K., Smith, A.V., McComb, K., 2018, Animals Remember Previous Facial Expressions that Specific Humans Have Exhibited, Current Biology, 28 (9), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.035

The Crazy Logic of Saddle Fitting That You Probably Haven’t Thought About

August 12, 2019 by Jane @ THB 8 Comments

There’s a basic premise of saddle fitting that hasn’t occurred to a lot of people. It can’t have done, not if the tack they’re riding in is anything to go by.

To start, let’s remind ourselves that the horse’s back wasn’t designed to be sat on and it certainly wasn’t designed for saddles. This isn’t to pursue an argument about what is natural for horses or not. Yes we ride them and it’s not natural, ta-de-da.

The reason for this statement is simply to highlight the fact that inserting a relatively static piece of equipment between two living organisms in motion is, at best, always going to be fraught with complexity.

We have to acknowledge that when it doesn’t work, it’s usually to the horse’s detriment. Yes, sometimes also the rider, but if the rider’s copping it, the horse is usually getting it too.

One of my favourite statements about saddle fitting

It’s possibly a bit odd to have a fave sentence on this subject, but here’s one that leapt out at me a few years back and is still hanging around.

Ken Lyndon-Dykes, Master Saddler expressed this particular concept so succinctly in his book, Practical Saddle Fitting. Enjoy this – it’s a biggie:

“The best designed, most beautifully crafted saddle made specifically to fit an individual horse will not improve the horse’s ability to perform, benefit his welfare or increase his comfort.”

Say what? Do you feel the impact of that? Maybe you knew it already, but it never hurts to have certain truths reflected back at us as a reminder.

Certainly, having used this quote on a presentation slide in my Saddle Fit Essentials for Horse Owners clinics, I’ve found that these words often pull people up short. There’s usually a moment or two when you can almost hear the implications sinking in.

Let’s take that sentence apart a bit.

“The best saddle will not improve the horse’s ability to perform …”

Let’s be clear, this is when compared to how the horse performs when free of its saddle and rider. The horse is always going to move better with no restriction or load on its back.

“…benefit his welfare… “

Again, nope, we’re not improving the horse’s welfare, but minimizing and ideally eliminating the negative impact on the horse’s welfare that comes with restriction or pain due to poor saddle fit.

“… or increase his comfort.”

Same. When did you ever see a horse look more comfortable after you put the saddle on? What we are aiming for is simply neutral, in that the horse is as comfortable with the saddle (and rider) as it is without.

The fact is that saddles are there to assist the rider and beyond that are an exercise in damage limitation to minimize the effect of their own presence.

And that’s it. There’s the crazy logic, right there.

It’s a paradox, the definition of a parodox being “a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.”

Saddles may not make a horse go better, but the well-fitted saddle definitely minimizes the negative effect that a saddle and rider may have in preventing normal action and, at worse, causing discomfort and pain.

Interesting, isn’t it? Yet once we recognize this fundamental truth, the more likely it is that we’re on the road to making wise and sensible choices that increase comfort for our horses and improve performance as a result.