Being a bit of wordsmith wannabe, several online dictionaries send me daily definitions. Call me odd, I’m ok with that, but I enjoy reading the definitions and pondering thoughts they inspire.
So, the word “aggression” came to me via email a week or so ago and I started pondering aggression and well that definition really applies to different species.
From Websters:
Aggression
1: a forceful action or procedure (as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master
2: the practice of making attacks or encroachments; especially : unprovoked violation by one country of the territorial integrity of another
3: hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior or outlook especially when caused by frustration
Definition 1 only makes sense when applied to predators. I can apply it to humans and to other predators that dominate in order to supply themselves with food. Definition 2 is apparently the world view of aggression as it relates to territory (also probably applies to religion, but that’s another blog). Again, doesn’t seem to apply to prey animals. Definition 3 appears to have the closest application to animal aggression, but it doesn’t fit entirely because there seems to be a missing component: FEAR.
I Googled “fear aggression” and found a plethora of information on fear aggression in dogs but nothing very useful about horses, which of course is where I was going with this blog. I googled aggression in horses and didn’t find much of use, well, unless you consider using a stun gun on a horse as useful, which I do not.
Fear aggression in dogs is defined as “Aggression produced as a result of fear.” Ok, that is simple & obvious enough. So, why do some animals react to fear with aggression and some do not? It is clearly an opposite reaction, one is to flee and the other is to stand and fight back, both based on the same emotion, but with opposite reactions.
In search of why some dogs become aggressive lead me to this comment from Dr. Nicholas B. Carter in an article on a Border Collie Rescue site: “What produces fear aggression is a mixture of things - socialization, temperament, abuse, genetics, training, or just rotten luck. Like all behaviors, this is not a nature vs. nurture issue - it's a nature AND nurture issue. What is inevitably true however is that untreated, fear aggression only gets worse.”
Ok, I’m confident that statement can also apply to horses who experience fear aggression.
Horses are prey animals and although they may at times be aggressive with each other they not normally aggressive with predators (humans) Here is Webester’s definition that applies to horses: Prey: an animal taken by a predator as food.
In this big world we are either predator or prey, basically. The horse is prey and it's standard reaction in the face of a predator is to flee in order to avoid becoming someone’s lunch. But in the end, prey animals will fight back when they feel they have no other choice.
Continuing to poke around on the internet, I found this on www.paw-rescue.org/
Helping A Fear-Aggressive Dog:
* Use positive reinforcement to train the dog. Reward appropriate behavior with treats, praise and petting. Earn and build the dog's trust.
* Don't punish a dog for bad behavior. Instead, use humane, properly executed corrections.
* Don't reward a dog for aggressive behavior (this includes cooing, cuddling and petting in an attempt to soothe).
* Avoid reinforcing dog's fear with your own anxiety.
* Remember: fearful dogs don't like surprises. Establish rules and order to help the dog adjust, and make sure everyone in the house follows the rules.
* As with dominance aggression, the person needs to become leader of the pack.
Dr. Nicholas B. Carter’s opinion is that “more dogs are put down by their owners in this country for fear aggression than old age.” So, why do some humans find these things so hard to do in order to deal with the problem?
Ok, time for MY opinion (after all, this is my blog!) it’s hard for us because humans are not good at controlling our emotions. We think we are but we aren’t. We think putting on a happy face tells the world we are happy even if we are seething inside. The problem is that the only creatures that fall for that ploy are other humans. Dogs and horses KNOW what is going on inside of us. They know when we are sad, hurt, angry, happy, irritable, and they react to how we are really feeling, not how we pretend to feel.
Simple as that. Frightened humans tend to lash out. When humans expect the target of their aggression (the horse) to be submissive and it doesn’t behave as expected, that increases the human level of anxiety and fear, hence, the human tends to become more aggressive. Suddenly the bad vibes bouncing back and forth between horse and human are like the spin cycle on a washing machine going around and around and around. Only the spin cycle never stops, and the easy answer is to never handle the horse, or get “rid” of it. Often the latter seems to be the answer.
If I were going to write an instruction manual for horses about how to handle aggressive humans, here are the guidelines I would offer:
Helping A Fear-Aggressive Human
* Use positive reinforcement to train the human. Reward appropriate behavior with polite behavior, soft eyes and affection. Earn and build the human’s trust.
* Don't punish a human for bad behavior. Instead, use kind but clear (dare I say humane?) corrections.
* Don't reward a human for aggressive behavior
* Avoid reinforcing human’s fear with your own anxiety.
* Remember: fearful humans don't like surprises.
* As with dominance aggression, the person needs to become leader of the pack.
I’m seeing a pattern here… (-;
The flaw I see in how most humans deal with equine aggression is to meet aggression with aggression. They respond with that idea that the challenge has to be met “head on” and defeated, as if this is a battle of wills. The problem is this: the lesson the horse learns is humans can’t be trusted and can’t be bothered to listen to the horse’s side of the issue.
Back to the rules I listed above, although I was writing somewhat tongue-in-cheek, there is a lot of truth to those words. The problem is that the horse isn’t going to read my “instruction manual for how to deal with an aggressive human” and they need the human to extend the olive branch to them, so they know they have no reason to continue the fight. And with some horses, those that have been fighting with humans on some level for a prolonged period, it may take a while to actually build their trust and belief that the rules of engagement have changed. Remember, the rules as this aggressive horse understands them, are that humans are aggressive and the only tactic to get the human to leave the horse alone is to match aggression with aggression.
Some theorize that it’s all about dominance, but the problem with that theory is that we aren’t horses so herd dynamics don’t really apply to human interaction. Also, I’ve seen during the process of rehabbing these horses that they are much more relaxed when they aren’t on the defensive. Who wants to be seething and churning emotionally inside? Not humans, not horses either.
So, back to how humans can change their behavior in order to help the horse change HIS behavior:
Helping A Fear-Agressive Horse
* Use positive reinforcement to train the horse. Reward appropriate behavior with treats, praise and petting. Earn and build the horse’s trust that you will behave rationally and fairly.
* Don't punish a horse for bad behavior. Instead, use humane, properly executed corrections. It is more effective to reward desirable behavior than punish undesirable behavior.
* Don't reward or reinforce aggressive behavior (this includes fighting back which communicates he was in fact threatened and his aggression was necessary to protect himself).
* Avoid reinforcing horse’s fear with your own anxiety.
* Remember: fearful horses don't like surprises or confusion. Establish rules and order to help the horse adjust, and make sure everyone in the barn follows the rules.
* As with dominance aggression, the person needs to become leader of the herd. This means being a good leader that is fair & consistent.
I would add one more:
* Make your expectations clear. Clear communication is the key to consistent behavior from a horse. Frustration gives birth to anxiety which for some horses is only a step or two away from aggression.
These rules sound all too simple, but they aren’t. They are difficult for humans for two reasons: One is that as much as we humans want the animals around us to control their emotions, we have a hard time controlling our own. We need to get a grip on our own anxiety so that we don’t let our own fear drive us to aggression. We also need to avoid feeding the horse’s anxiety with our own. That can be a tall order.
Punishment is the most common human reaction to aggression in horses, without significant thought or planning. The problem is that brings out the worst in an aggressive horse and validates his need to fight back.
In theory, the rest of the guidelines aren’t all that hard to follow, except the human has to go through a paradigm shift away from a couple of generally accepted training tactics:
1. If the horse doesn’t react appropriately or promptly enough, up the pressure.
2. If the horse behaves badly, punishment it.
These two standard operating procedures in horse training tend to bring out the worst in a horse with aggressive tendencies. I imagine that this statement leaves some folks wondering what a person is to do if they shouldn’t increase pressure or punish aggression. The answer is to change the human’s behavior and the horse’s behavior will follow suit. I know that’s not the message most folks want to hear, but it’s the truth. And it isn't an immediate fix, in our culture of instant gratification, it's probalby bad news for some people. But it takes time for a horse to conclude that the rules have changed. Learning to deal with an aggressive horse can be a life changing experience that impacts every aspect of a human’s life, it requires a lot of soul searching to get a grip on the human emotions that lead us to lash out first and ask questions later.
Horses are not aggressive without provocation. Only it’s not always obvious to humans why the horse felt provoked. We have to put ourselves in the horse’s skin for a while to see that. That’s my suggestion, borrow that horse suit and ponder how it feels to be trained with punishment and given unclear instructions with increased pressure every time you guess wrong. Consider having no control over your environment. Consider feeling helpless and afraid in the presence of the very predator you depend upon for food and water. Consider what it would be like to be hit with a stun gun for expressing your opinion. EEEK!
