The Nature of Natural Point of view
Why the horse has a flight response! Survival



If conflict without resolution persists to long for the horse, hard-wired anti-predator behaviors may appear such as shying, bolting, bucking or rearing.
Hot tip: Some trainers push the horse through these responses with hope that the horse becomes used to the stimulus that is causing the behavior. Often this does not work because the response has already occurred and actually reinforces the flight response as opposed to discouraging it. At this point the flight response becomes a regular feature because it’s now been practiced.


The biggest problems you will probably have with your horse are perception problems. He perceives something to be threatening (novel) and reacts to it with the good old fashion flight response.
Hot tip: This reaction can happen in the blink of an eye so teaching your horse about lots of different stuff and how to deal with it is in your best interest!







Ginny is currently working on a long-term project that overlays applied behavioral science and Classical horsemanship. She is researching how applied behavioral science relates to classical methodology and how principles that have stood the test of time are as current now as in the golden days of the great masters.