Our guest columnist of this week is Norwegian FEI rider Per Waaler. The 54-year old Waaler is a 10-time Norwegian Grand Prix dressage champion who has represented Norway at numerous international championships and has been training dressage horses and riders from novice to Grand Prix for the past thirty years. He lives with his wife Helene in Asarum, Sweden, where he runs a private dressage yard.
Why Does Violence Arise and What Can We Do About It?
What is it that leads to the violent treatment of horses in the training process?
If we look at the best trainers in the world, the acknowledged masters of their field, then we almost never see or hear of violence in their training methods. This is not because they happen to be kinder than all the other less accomplished trainers, but because their knowledge and experience have given them many more tools to choose from, instead of having to resort to force, in the difficult task of trying to communicate with an individual of a different species, which doesn't understand our language. Violence is always a worse alternative than the "correct" alternative, but it is sometimes difficult to find the "correct" alternative when not having the knowledge and experience required.
I can remember earlier in my professional career feeling both physical and psychological discomfort in situations where I was earning money to find a solution to a problem and then not finding it. This can be an uncomfortable situation that leads down the road that takes us further and further away from our original intention: to help people and horses to understand one another and, thereby, begin a relationship that is mutually beneficiary.
Reversed empathy
Another reason for violence towards horses is what my friend Emelie Cajsdotter calls “Reversed empathy.”
Reversed empathy means to inflict pain upon the horse equal to the discomfort you experience because of its (re)action or lack of performance. In situations where we hope and expect certain results, that do not happen, frustration can steer the rider to the feeling that they have earned the right to inflict similar or more pain they have endured onto the horse.
This punishment is not understandable for the horse and only leads to other, bigger problems that the inexperienced trainer or rider has yet to discover because of their lack of knowledge. Otherwise they would never have done it in the first place.
Best at surviving
A horse reacts instinctively and these reactions must not be misunderstood as bad or stupid decisions, since a thought process is not involved in instinctive behavior. The horse has no choice whether to react or not. The horse, as a flight animal, has evolved to be the best at the most important thing: to stay alive. They do not have the luxury of reasoning before acting and, if they ever had this ability, they would have died out long ago.
I have read research that states that the difference for us to see, consider, and act, and for the horse to see, and act, is about half the time. (24 milliseconds for humans, 12 ms for horses). In many cases horses are accused of being stupid, or cheeky, when in fact it is only their ability to survive that is causing the behavior. When you punish someone for an natural instinct that is not enacted by choice, than this will be experienced as a double punishment, which is directly harmful to their self confidence.
Even if the result has been achieved, in the long term the self confidence has been negatively affected. This explains why many horses jump in training, but later on refuse in the competition arena. This lack of confidence only gets more obvious under pressure, and the result will be a less than ideal performance. Performance anxiety is a direct result of low performance based confidence of both horses and riders.
Make it easy for your trainer
As parents or horse owners, what can we do in a situation where communication between horse and rider breaks down, understanding disappears, and violence starts?
You can see a trainers failed attempt to remedy a situation, to be something they are not yet able to do, because of their lack of knowledge and experience. This is also the reason why the trainer is not yet at the top of their profession and why you are paying a lesser price for this knowledge.
A solution to the problem could be if you approach the trainer and state that you are quite content not to continue towards getting a certain result, but instead try to finish in an ethical and positive way, while awaiting another way to solve the problem. If this is presented in a way where the trainer does not feel accused, then it might be greatly appreciated, as no animal-loving human wants to inflict pain and punishment.
Punishment or corrections?
What are corrections and what is violence and punishment? Violence is a direct result of frustration, because of ignorance and lack of knowledge of better methods. With corrections the intent is to obtain focus on the question asked. If the correction is too hard, it leads to fear and tension, which is destructive to the learning process. If it is to weak, it only leads to further inattention.
Horses are as different as we are. Some jump when you clear your throat, while others react only when you clap your hands by their ears! This should never go to the point of causing fear and tension. Many times, we understand why the horse doesn't “listen”. A horse that is nervous about its mouth (because of the pain that has been caused by the bit/rider) will have its focus on this at the expense of not reacting to the leg, no matter how insistent the rider is. This puts the trainer in an ethical dilemma, as we have to shift this focus back to what is most important -- impulsion, the readiness for forward movement -- and away from the negative focus on the bit and the possible consequence of pain that awaits when the horse moves forwards. It makes a priority of moving forwards one time too few, as opposed to one time too often! The horse is put in a situation of “damned if I do, and damned if I don't!.
It is notable that most training tools that are sold in tack shops cause discomfort to the horse and lead to a negative state of mind. Have we become so used to this that we do not react any longer? Has it become a cultural phenomenon?
Knowledge about good training methods and training tools is power. Either you are lucky enough to be guided by a mentor who is a master (Ingrid Klimke is the one who comes first to mind), or you maintain your principles and remember why you started with horses in the first place. Let your shortcomings be a challenge to further your knowledge! Don't let them become a frustration that makes you resort to violence.
Before It is Too Late
Today, there is more and more focus on welfare in horse sport. However, whistle blowers are sometimes frowned upon as trying to ruin the sport instead of saving the horse. This is unfair, as all disciplines in horse sport are governed by the same rule: The welfare of the horse is paramount and not the welfare of the horse is paramount after I get it to do what I want.
I have seen extreme examples of trainers who have tried to made horses piaffe to the point where the horse finally stops and urinates. Can you imagine how much fear is required before you pee on yourself? Can the trainer not be addressed about the bad training and horse care standards he is applying? It is your moral duty to do so.
As a professional we all know that faults are rider-induced. Buck Brannaman said it perfectly in his film:"I don't help people with horse problems, I help horses with people problems." The problem is simply that few people want to be told they are doing it wrong. Trainers fear to loose a client and the money when they tell off the inexperienced rider not to vent their frustration on a horse. But the other way round also goes. Students/horse owners are afraid to present a mirror to their coach and show where they get too physically over-powering on a horse just to obtain quick training results.
Make it easy on your trainer by saying, "I know we have problems, but we have a common responsibility to our horse's welfare. Don't let short-sighted ambition distroy the goal. When we admit to our mistakes, it is often too late.
by Per Waaler