One of the things we humans value most in life is the ability to choose: to go where we want, to sleep when we feel like it (assuming we don't have to work the next day đ), to select our friends âŚ. We hold the ability to exercise our free will in high regard, considering it a fundamental human right. This is why the restriction of freedom, such as serving time in prison, is one of the most common punishments for crimes.
For most animals under our care, freedom is a luxury they do not have. The ability to choose is largely reserved for humans. While much can be said about the exploitation of animals, particularly in the food industry, this blog is dedicated to horses. Therefore, I will focus on our four-legged equine friends and their lives with us humans.
In general, there are two main contexts that I believe are relevant when discussing choices: horse husbandry and horse training. In this first blog post on the topic of choices, I will focus on horse husbandry. Rest assured, at least one more post on the role of choices in training is on the way. đ
Interestingly, as far back as 1965, the Brambell Report defined the basic needs of animals as the "Five Freedoms." These include: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom to express normal behaviors, and finally, freedom from fear and distress. You can read more about the Brambell Report here: (https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/an_animal_welfare_history_lesson_on_the_five_freedoms).
In recent years, the Five Domains Model of animal welfare has evolved beyond just addressing physical care, emphasizing the importance of providing animals with a life worth living. This contemporary perspective includes interactions with humans (see, for example, Mellor et al., 2020). Figure 1 summarizes the current version of the Five Domains Model for horses:
Figure 1: The five domains of animal welfare regarding horses. Adopted from McLean 2022. Modern Horse Training. Equitation Science Principles & Practice. Volume 1: First Principles. Eds: Stuart N. & Wyllie S. Equitation Science International. Tuarong, Australia.
This new model includes an additional domain: the mental domain. Beyond addressing basic needs, the mental domain encompasses foraging, the freedom to move, communicate, explore, and socially interact. Upon reflection, this model is fundamentally about choicesâit's about granting our four-legged friends the freedom to choose: to go where they want, eat when they're hungry, sleep when they feel like it, and select the friends they want to spend time with.
There is excellent scientific evidence supporting the importance of freedom and choice for mental health, not only for humans but also for our four-legged companions. Choice and freedom stand in stark contrast to helplessnessâa state where the individual has "forgotten" how to choose (see McLean, 2022; KrĂźger & Marr, 2022). This detrimental mental condition arises when an individual, whether human or non-human, learns that no action can alleviate their physical or mental pain. The situation becomes inescapable.
A person or animal experiencing helplessness loses the ability to choose, even when circumstances change and they find themselves in situations where choices are possible and free will could be expressed. The condition of "learned helplessness" is akin to human depression and trauma. While we may be cautious about applying these diagnoses / conditions to animals, trauma and learned helplessness are indeed real in the horse world as well.
Yet, there is hope, at least to some extent. In less severe conditions, both humans and animals can relearn that they indeed have choices and that their actions can lead to success. Choices can make the world more controllable and predictable for individuals who have lost confidence in their own actions. The incredibly good news is that the best inoculation against stress and helplessness is to provide choices!
Picture credits Agnete E. Kristoffersen
Perhaps this is the right moment for a little anecdotal diversion: the adventures of FrĂ r and Jarpi in the northern Norwegian outback. Due to the climate and geography, horses in this region tend to live very restricted lives for most of the year. As breathtakingly beautiful as it is up here in the North, there is usually only a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the sea that can be used agriculturally. Moreover, our Arctic winters are cold and long, and the time when farm animals can actually be out in the fields is mostly limited to July, August, and September, possibly starting from mid-June. Life is hard up here, and as a result, livestock is even hardier. The âgoodâ land is primarily used for harvesting roughage for the long winters, so pasture is quite restricted. Therefore, it is common practice to send animals to the outback for the summer. While it is mostly sheep and lambs that spend the summer in the mountains, some people also send their horses.
My horse FrĂ r had the advantage of growing up in the mountains. At the farm he was born, mares take their foals to the outback once the bond between them is secure and the foals are strong enough. Young horses (males when they are gelded), also spend their summers in the outback until they are tamed and trained. What struck me most about FrĂ r is that he is such a very calm and confident horse. There is little that he fears, except perhaps fire.
When Jarpi came into our lives, he was the most playful, cute, and emotionally attached horse you could imagine. However, it became apparent that he had serious anxiety issues. Although training improved his condition, he was never fully reliable and remained quite barn- and buddy-sour.
Jarpi's youth was quite different from FrĂ r's upbringing. He had never been out in the mountains, and being a bit spoiled, he probably would have objected to the idea of such a boy scout adventure far from home and safety. đ Nonetheless, one summer, I wanted to give FrĂ r a well-deserved break in the mountains where he grew up, and naturally, his companion Jarpi was to accompany him.
When my friend led them beyond the fence to where unlimited freedom awaited them (theoretically, they could walk all the way to Finland if they wanted to), FrĂ r immediately recognized the place and understood what was about to happen. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off. Poor Jarpi didn't have much choice but to follow him.
From what I gather, these two had an absolute blast! Many people in this region send their horses to the mountains for the summer, and the horses find each other, forming small bands of several horses. These groups aren't too large; I like to think of them as "interest groups." đ
Admittedly, it wasn't the easiest decision for me. I was constantly worrying about how they were doing. Occasionally, the tracking system would fail, a technical glitch, yet as a concerned horse mom at home, I would immediately imagine scenarios of broken legs and worse...
When the weather turned nasty in October, they returned to the farm, ready for regular meals and cozy shelters. Both had "grown" physically and mentally. FrĂ r was his happy-go-lucky self again, but the greatest change occurred in Jarpi. He had matured mentally; he was much less "bossy" and seemed far more content with himself. I was very fond of him from the moment we met, though to him, I was probably the awful person who had kidnapped him and taken him away from his four-legged family. So, I understood why he might not fully trust me. However, after the summer in the mountains, things changed; our relationship seemed different and began to develop. It was as if a glass wall had suddenly disappeared. It's hard to put into words on what happened, but he just seemed more "grown-up," more "adult," and more self-confident. As a result, I started to trust him more, and our relationship transformed to a different level. Jarpi died in 2023, and I still grieve for him. FrĂ r and I miss him terribly.
I am fully aware that most of us horse lovers may not be able to offer our horses this type of freedom, and I'm also not sure that all horses could cope with it. Moreover, I'm not convinced that total freedom, such as roaming wild in the outback, is what's needed. In fact, I don't believe so. I think it's most important to provide the opportunity to choose, regardless of the environment. Like humans, all animals, including horses, are born with the ability to choose. However, restricted environments can potentially strip them of this ability, leading to detrimental consequences for their mental health.
Therefore, if we want to prevent our four-legged friends from becoming helpless due to a lack of opportunities to influence their physical and social environments, we should offer them choices whenever possible. I believe that our ability to choose is likely influenced by the number of choices we can make throughout the day, throughout our lives in general. Choices can involve seemingly "small" measures, such as providing free access to roughage (you might think this is a given, but it often isn't). This way, the horse can choose whether to eat or not. Modern, horse-friendly stables allow for social contact between neighboring horses by having lowered side walls or open spaces, enabling horses to choose whether to touch or groom each other. Open stable arrangements provide the choice to stay outside or go inside. There are many "little" things that can be done to provide opportunities for choice.
Picture credits Ola Røe
There is a "secret" hidden in having a choice. Choices provide the opportunity to actively change a situation and cope with it, which can make all the difference in terms of emotion regulation. This allows the horse to take action to ease a situation rather than passively endure itâenduring is exactly the kind of situation that leads to helplessness. Choice is that a hungry horse can go and eat; he doesn't have to wait for the next meal. This is even more crucial for a horse with stomach pain (as almost the majority of horses suffer from gastric ulcers, often unbeknownst to their owners). Such a horse can alleviate pain by chewing and eating, rather than enduring pain at its worst. A horse can regulate fear while stabled by initiating contact with its neighbor. A horse feeling cold can go inside the run-in shed, while an older horse with a bit of arthritis may choose to move outside instead of standing inside. Little things can make a big difference. We should never give up trying, because even small measures can mean the world to our equine companions!
Thus, whenever possible, we should give our four-legged companions the freedom to choose in their everyday lives, as it significantly impacts the other 22 hours per day when they are not interacting with us. Whatever we can do for them will not only enhance their physical well-being and mental health, but we, as riders and equestrians, will also benefit from husbandry conditions that make our horses physically and mentally strong. I believe all of us dream of having a four-legged friend, a partner "in crime," whom we can trust and who will carry us to the ends of the world through fire and storm. Providing them with a life that allows them to make choices and, if possible, explore the adventures of the world on their own is a crucial first step towards achieving this goal!
References:
KrĂźger, Konstanze & Isabell Marr 2022. Forschung trifft Pferd. Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart. Page 174 â 175.
McGreevy, Paul; Janne Winther Kristensen, Uta KĂśnig von Borstel, and Andrew McLean 2018. Equitation Science 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Hoboken, United States. Chapter Associative Learning (aversive stimuli), pages 115-119.
McLean, Andrew M. 2022. Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 1. Eds. Nicki Stuart & Sophie Wyllie, Equitation Science International, Tuerong, Australia. Page 36, Chapter: Regard for the nature of horses.
Mellor DJ, Beausoleil NJ, Littlewood KE, McLean AN, McGreevy PD, Jones B, Wilkins C. The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human-Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare. Animals (Basel). 2020 Oct 14;10(10):1870. doi: 10.3390/ani10101870. PMID: 33066335; PMCID: PMC7602120
