SCIENCE-BASED HORSEMANSHIP
I am confused. For the last few years, I have read about the neuroendocrinology and physiological mechanisms of horse training and behaviour. In a previous career, I was a medical researcher in fetal endocrinology and its role in the timing of birth. So I have an interest in such things as hormones. But I am confused about why horse people with little or no interest in physiology care.
I am not going to go into the validity of the science that is being used to explain or justify certain training principles. That’s another subject for another day. But I am confused as to why ordinary horse people are being told they should care.
In my view, the study of physiology to explain horse behaviour and methods of training is purely of academic interest. That’s fine if (like me) you have an interest in physiology I encourage you to research the studies. But for most horse people these studies have no practical use.
Let me explain.
Suzi Scientist is doing a study for publication describing a change in the levels of circulating hormone X when a horse is asked to walk through a puddle. But to know this Suzi must take a blood sample, run to the laboratory, spin the blood down to remove the plasma, then process a small amount of plasma through a radioimmunoassay (or some other test for assaying the hormone), compare the results to other studies, and do a statistical analysis. All this will take days at a minimum. When the results come back Suzi Scientist will know if her horse was stressed or relaxed or somewhere in the middle because the hormone results will tell her.
At the same time, Trudy Trainer asked the same horse to walk through the same puddle and determine if the horse was stressed or not by observing the resistance to walk through the puddle, the straightness to walk through the puddle, the breathing, the blink reflex, the posture, the flare of the nostrils, the direction it is looking, etc. And it will all take a second or two to observe and then help the horse if it needs help.
My point is that while I applaud the fact that there are laboratories around the world looking into the physiological mechanisms of horse behaviour, I am confused why some professionals are teaching the neuroendocrinology of horse behaviour and training to their non-academic students as if it is the magic that will answer all their training questions? What relevance does it have for those of us who don’t have a fully equipped laboratory beside our arena and a team of trained lab staff?
It doesn’t bother me if people want to attend clinics with trainers who talk more about the parasympathetic nervous system than they do about what to look for when observing changes in body language. If that interests you (as it does me) I encourage you to dive into the subject. But be aware it will not make an iota of difference to your horsemanship and relations with your horse. I am not being critical of people who want to know more about the physiology - since I am one of them. I am just confused by the notion that somehow it will make me a better horse person.
