Choices: Why Horses Need Them and How to Make Them Safe

Bronzz gets a pre-ride drink

This article is a companion to the Facebook Live event "Choices" (March 3, 2022) in which Jec Aristotle Ballou and I discussed how to offer our horses safe, effective choices. You can watch the video here.

Lack of control over one’s life is a known stressor in any species, and horses have very little control over theirs. This can result in horses being stressed, resistant, or shut down. Giving them choices, a say in their own lives, can have many advantages:
1. Stress and anxiety are reduced.
2. Resistance is reduced because horses feel we are listening to them.
3. Horses who were shut down discover that it is safe to think and to express themselves.
4. Relationships improve because the better we listen, the more they trust us.
5. Choices help develop good judgement as horses learn which choices are acceptable or rewarded and which are redirected. Many people worry that if horses are given choices they will take advantage and their behavior will escalate out of control. I have observed just the opposite. When horses are given appropriate choices, they become more cooperative because they are less stressed, more engaged, and more trusting. The key point is appropriate choices. People often ask should they allow a horse the choice to say no? "No" is communication, and the best response depends on the reason for it. Is he physically or emotionally uncomfortable? Confused? Off-balance? Bored? Distracted? This is a separate, problem-solving issue (described in detail in my book, Chapter 18: Problem-Solving Strategies). I like to proactively offer choices where both options are acceptable to me, so we can both be happy. The more of those choices horses get, the less likely they are to say "no" without a good reason.

Choices must be in the context of reliably safe behavior Too many choices or the wrong kinds of choices can indeed escalate dangerously out of control. For everyone’s safety, horses must understand that some things are not up for discussion so don’t ask, such as, “Yes, you must stand still for the vet.” Or “No, you cannot gallop back to the barn.” Or “Yes, you do need to pick up your feet when asked.” We also want to pursue our own plans, not go out and eat grass all day, which might be our horse’s first choice. The solution is choices within the bounds of safety and our own agenda. Horses don’t need a say in everything. They just need a say in some things they care about. Offering these choices rarely takes more than a couple minutes, a good investment of time. These are examples of simple, safe choices to start with:
- Get a drink before leaving his stall, or detour to the water tank before a ride.
- Stop when he needs to poop or pee.
- Investigate the grooming box left in the barn aisle, the dressage letters in the arena, the mounting block, new jumps, trail obstacles, etc..
- Wait a minute before doing something that makes the horse nervous, or something that he needs to think about.

Brandy inspects the new recycle bin

Freedom to investigate is valuable because Investigative Behavior is prompted by the positive emotion of curiosity (technically called SEEKING). It is a self-rewarding learning process that creates a positive association with time spent in your company. “Wait a minute” is also powerful because no one wants to be rushed into something that makes them anxious. Brandy has good reason to be nervous about trailers, and always pauses before loading. Pressure would escalate her fear. Instead, I speak quietly to her, and in a minute or 2 she walks on the trailer. Giving a horse time to think is valuable when confronted with a new situation or cue they need to process. You also give horses choices when you watch their body language and honor the preferences you discover. For example:
- For grooming does he prefer being cross-tied, single tied, or loose in his stall? What curry and brush does he like? Where and how does he like them used?
- Does he want a blanket or fly sheet on or off? A Norwegian study demonstrated that horses are able to indicate blanket preferences by touching different symbols. (See references.) Most people develop their own informal communication, such as holding the blanket up and watching whether the horse walks away or waits for it to be put on.
- Try different bits and bitless bridles. His choice is the one that makes him most relaxed and responsive.
- Notice favorite exercises, activities, or agility equipment, and incorporate those into your agenda. As a break from agility, Brandy sometimes likes a big gallop around the arena. Haunches-in is Bronzz’s favorite lateral move, a reward for doing something else well. Shiloh likes doing turns on the forehand. My sister had a talented dressage horse whose favorite reward was jumping. Bronzz has favorite trails in our state forest, and I often let him choose which one to take.
All choices should start small, and can expand with experience and good judgement. When Bronzz was young, I guided him over, around, and through obstacles on trails. Then I started letting him figure out how to negotiate obstacles, redirecting him if his choice didn’t look safe. Thus he learned the goal of getting safely to the other side. Now, he often finds a better solution than I do.

Getting the Mail

Choices that can escalate into trouble need clear structure and cues Given free choice Shiloh would spend most of every trail ride eating. Instead of letting her put her head down, I press my hand on her crest, a specific cue that I have taught her means, “You may now put your head down and eat.” She must wait for that cue. Once she understood she would be given that opportunity at least once a ride, she spent much less energy diving for grass. Bronzz often wants to speed up, especially on trails; I can tell from the extra bounce in his walk or trot. I do not let him speed up. I allow horses to slow down on their own if they might have a good reason, such as insecure footing, but I never allow a horse speed up at will. Instead, I remind him to wait, then I ask for the faster gait as soon as I am ready. This shows him I heard his request, but I expect him to wait for my cue. Begging for treats is another slippery slope. Nuzzles can escalate to nips. My horses request treat regularly by doing things that earn rewards: a stretch, a trick, or a pose and nicker. Not by touching. If you have a mugger, consider clicker training, a very effective way to teach good food manners.

Horses understand context and limits A horse can understand that something might be acceptable in one context and not in another. For instance, it is ok to stop for calls of nature at home, but not in a show ring. It’s ok to play with his own grooming tools, but not with the vet’s equipment. It’s ok to play a game of picking up the wrong hoof when you are doing his feet, but not when the farrier is working. Bronzz understands that he may stop to sniff manure any time we are riding alone, but not on a trail ride with someone else. He also understands that it is ok to detour to check the mail on the way home from a trail ride because it is something we have done before. Wrong choices don’t need punishment, just re-direction. As with any unwanted behavior, the sooner you catch and redirect, the better.

Bronzz sniffs manure left by a visiting horse

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Horses make choices all the time Horses are forced to make choices all the time. They frequently get mixed signals from conflicting cues, or body language at odds with the cues the person intends to give. Situations can happen where a horse has to choose between disobedience and possibly putting himself and his human partner in danger. Refusing a potentially dangerous command is called Intelligent Disobedience. School horses and other horses ridden by novices do this all the time when they determine, for instance, that a nervous rider’s clutching legs do not mean speed up. An experienced jumper might refuse a jump if it looked unsafe, or trail horse might refuse to cross a bridge that didn’t feel solid. The more experience a horse has making choices and receiving human feedback, the more likely he is to make good choices when the need arises.

More information on allowing your horse safe and appropriate choices appears in my book What Horses Really Want Chapter 17: Freedom and Liberty

References:
Study: Horses can Communicate Blanketing Preferences
Posted by Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA Oct 17, 2014
https://thehorse.com/149916/study-horses-can-communicate-blanketing-preferences/

WHY YOU SHOULD OFFER YOUR HORSE CHOICES
By Justine Harrison, Equine Behaviourist, 21 December 2019
https://www.equinebehaviourist.co.uk/blog/2020/4/21/the-importance-of-giving-your-horse-choices