Research
in equine-assisted mental health has explored how people develop trust by
working with horses, but is trust the same for horses as it is for humans?
Social
psychologists agree that trust involves giving up some control and accepting
vulnerability, with the expectation of being protected from harm.
Dr Robin
Foster, Researcher and equine behaviour specialist says
“The balance of power in a relationship affects the
balance of control.... the employer-employee and parent-child relationships
have an unequal balance of power, with a leader and follower. ...Some
leaders control through intimidation, and aggression…
... most interactions involve an imbalance of power
with the human as leader and the horse as follower. Consider, for example, jumping
serves the rider’s interests—recognition and a ribbon! The horse, however,
takes a risk by jumping, and given a choice most horses would probably take the
safe route and go around. An important question is, why does the horse
cooperate and jump? Does past experience [ indicate] that the rider will ensure
his safety? Or does he jump to avoid pain that might result by not cooperating?”
She
continues “Trust is fragile, and repeated trust violations can damage both
present and future relationships.”
So,
researchers agree that horsemen can earn a horse’s “trust” by:
·
using
consistent and skilled handling techniques (cues, movements)
·
be tuned
in to the to the horse’s emotional state (tension/relaxation)
·
provide
frequent, positive experiences
So let’s
go out and be trustworthy riders!