To Treat or Not to Treat

"The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach."  We’ve all heard that saying. I would love to concur but unfortunately I don’t cook, so where does that leave me?  Happily married exploring other ways to express my affection; I’m pleased to say.

As human beings it’s only natural for us to want to nurture the ones we love especially our animal companions. All too often though, in the case of our horses, we humanize their needs and sometimes can do more harm than good without even realizing it. What most people don’t realize is that horses are not trophy animals. You cannot bribe a horse into liking you or doing what you want it to do.

They don’t see food as that kind of reward.  As herbivores grass is always freely available and it never tries to run away from them.  In a horse’s mind, for example, if you have food in your pocket and you hand feed it to him, he is expecting that food to be there all the time! 

So you can see how hand feeding can cause some serious problems.  Who hasn’t had a horse search (a.k.a. "mug") them for food only to have the horse look more firmly when it come up empty.  And fun can quickly turn dangerous when he starts biting your clothing or even worse, you!  If you are not careful, your horse will begin to see you as a food dispenser and when the dispenser is empty it can leave you with one angry horse. 

By not hand feeding on the other hand, you also avoid the issue of boundary breaking and disrespect when your horse enters your personal space and thereby exposes you to possible injuries caused by head-butting, striking or running over the top of you.  Instead you create a mutual relationship whereby you both respect one another’s personal space and enter only upon invitation.

These same treats are not only given as a sign of our affection but also as a reward for your horse’s performance.  Many "owners" give their horses carrots, mints or cookies as a sign of appreciation for gaining a "clear round" show-jumping, appreciation for winning a competition or merely appreciation for "behaving" well during a trail ride.   What could possibly be wrong with that right?  Well if you take a moment to view the world through your horse’s eyes you’ll see that your horse may not quite think of that treat the same way you do. 

You are chomping away at your hay, relaxing as you enjoy the sun rise out of your window.  Your person arrives in her best attire; her hair pulled back and placed in a bun with a net to keep it tidy.  You notice her beautifully clean jodhpurs and see your image reflected in her black shiny boots. You read her energy and feel the excitement in her movements as your memory bank is jogged.  The last time she arrived in your stall looking like this, you left your stable and went on an outing!  You now realize why you were groomed particularly well earlier this morning and all the time you had thought it was "massage day".  Your mane has been braided to show off your magnificent neck and your whole body smells like spring blossom.   Ahhhh, yes, now the excitement builds in you.  It’s show time!

A short time later you arrive at the show-ring. Looking around everything is new to you; the grand-stands, the noise coming over the microphone, children running around, dogs barking, strange colors everywhere and a whole range of horses who begin to fill your mind with their own personal stories.  In fact some horses are being lunged in circles to calm them down while others are bucking out of pure delight.  You are not sure how you feel exactly, but you try to take in the whole environment as your person mounts and promptly gives you cues to follow.  There is no time to get acclimatized to this new place.

You feel somewhat overwhelmed and yet you want to do your best.  You feel the desire to please your person and now you try to focus.  You are familiar with the warm-up ring and instantly know that it’s nearing your time to perform.  Your name is called and proudly you enter the show-ring.  You are at one with your person, you feel their every movement and their every request and you don’t hesitate to oblige.  Diligently you pace yourself feeling for all cues and deciphering them every step of the way.  You feel as though you are on top form, working every muscle efficiently and truly giving your all.

You know the course is over as you feel a pat on the neck and then you leave the show ring to be cooled down, untacked, watered and taken home.  You ask yourself: "Where are the carrots, the apples and all the wonderful tasty treats I usually get?"  You don’t understand that this time just wasn’t good enough, this time you knocked down a pole.

Most of us know what it feels like to be reprimanded for not accomplishing our best.  There have been times in our lives when we have been punished or scolded for not getting the results or marks that had been expected and yet we have given our all.  Maybe no one knew how much effort went on behind the scenes, but it’s often these scenes that we remember and form part of who we are today.  We all respond in different ways; maybe you withdrew, maybe you lashed out, maybe you played hooky or maybe it created the drive that you needed! 

Every horse will have their individual response too.  They don’t understand why the food didn’t appear on this occasion.  Some horses will become extraordinarily aggressive or impatient and paw at the ground in anticipation, while others will sulk or withdraw.  If you are lucky your horse will forgive you.  To them it doesn’t make sense that the treats didn’t appear, they associate the experience with the usual treat.

Now is the time to make a change.  Reward your horse every time they try!  You will encourage them to want to perform; they will become motivated and engage in the activity.  You both deserve it! 

We all enjoy the odd sugar rush! So if you follow these simple tips you’ll be able to safely give your horse the treats they love and so well deserve.

• Always give the treats from a container such as a bucket or in your horse’s feed bin never out of hand. 
• Don’t be afraid to show your horse how much you appreciate him.  Just make sure you give the appreciation in the "right" way.  
• Timing is crucial when giving treats as a reward.  Optimum timing is 3-8/10th seconds from the behavior. Anything more than that and your horse may not make the connection between the behavior and the treat. 
• Treats can calm horses and create a place of safety and comfort. 

Knowing how to use food as a reward and when to replace it or intermingle it with praise, release of pressure or rest is the key.  Learn how to properly use the treats and you’ll be able to treat your horse in a way that makes you the leader of the herd of 2 and not the pushover treat dispenser.

by Anna Twinney