To horse lovers like yourselves it seems ridiculous that it has only recently been legally recognised that horses (and other animals) have feelings aka ‘sentient beings’ rather than ‘things or objects’ – NZ only changed the law in May this year.
We all want to do the best for our horses and this includes meeting their emotional and social needs. Next time your horse does something you’re not so keen on, I invite you to pause and think about it from the horses point of view. Ask yourself – what needs are not being met that makes harmony challenging right now?
Horses think ‘herd’ far more than humans – we are much more individualistic. A horse sees us as a member of their herd when we are with them and if something disrupts harmony they see a ‘herd’ problem rather than a ‘me’ problem.
It can be helpful for us think ‘herd’ when we are looking to restore harmony – it stops us from feeling victimised by our horses actions or victimise our horses with our actions.