The Lasting Effects of Horse Abuse

Today I taught a lesson with a skilled rider and her seasoned horse that she’s owned for about five years. When we decided to buy him for her, we were aware that he came from an abusive situation. It wasn’t severe neglect-more along the lines of abusive training, which doesn’t equate to abuse in a lot of people’s minds. When people think abuse, they think of a horse half-starved and dying, or a horse that was whipped bloody, or some other horrifying scene. The type of abuse that is more subtle, and thus harder to recognize, is mental and emotional abuse, with or without the physical side (although this type of abuse ALWAYS equates to physical symptoms, as horses process any type of trauma through their bodies).

While she was riding and we were working on dressage, the horse became visibly tense and tight in the trot. You could see where his neck “cracked” and he was holding his head into his chest instead of stretching forward into the bridle. His steps became shorter and he started grinding his teeth. He had wide, panicked eyes and his breathing became rapid. This was completely out of the blue, as he had previously been working quite well and was using energy through his body in a relaxed way and correctly engaging his back and hind legs.

I had them walk and we did a deep-stretch exercise both directions. We then resumed the trot and he went right back to correct work: swinging his back, relaxing his head and neck forward and down, keeping a steady tempo in the trot with long steps.

I had seen horses from abuse have flashbacks before, and I told his rider that I believed that was what was happening. When this horse came to us, he had a bunch of neurotic tics. He would pace his stall with his head in the air until he sweat, bite the lead rope incessantly when tied, and bob his head up and down rapidly. We basically ignored all of this, and with constant turnout, consistent work in a calm environment, and his beginning to trust humans again, the tics all but went away. Today, after her lesson, I saw him display all three of his tics, even the ones he hadn’t shown in years.

I don’t know what triggered the flashback but I know from my experience (and the experience of those more experienced than me) that they are very real for horses and very similar to PTSD in humans. I had a mare who was abused in a rodeo arena. Every time we would go to shows in an arena that had cow chutes, she would go from complete dead-head quarter horse brain, trotting with her eyes closed at a snail’s pace over the tiny crossbars, to full-blown panic, bolting around like her tail was on fire. She was 22 years old!

So what do we do about these awful flashbacks?

Tip number one: If your horse has a flashback, do something to take them out of the moment. Stop and do a deep stretch, get them out of the arena if possible and go on a short trail ride, or get off and just breathe for a few minutes. Change gears and do something you do with them frequently so they can be calmed by the routine. I’ve found that when my own gelding gets nervous (as he used to a lot with his previous owner), I scratch him on his forehead like I do every time we interact and this helps remind him who I am. Find a spot your horse loves, or a different type of treat that he likes. I’m obviously not saying to reward bad behavior, but find a way to remind your horse that it’s you and that you can be trusted, in whatever way that is.

Tip number two: The best way to avoid bad flashbacks is to NEVER CREATE THEM in the first place! When you lose your temper with your horse, when you get emotional and take it out on them, it will have LASTING EFFECTS that could be for their ENTIRE LIFETIME. One other example was an adorable pony I had known for his whole life. I personally saw him get whipped on his face and head by an angry trainer. I acquired him later in his life and was so happy I could give him a loving, peaceful, abuse-free home to retire to. Until his very last day on earth, if you approached him with your hand up toward his face he would snap his head up and usually fly backwards. I witnessed the abuse when he was around 7 or 8, and he lived to be 24 years old.

Please be kind to your horses. Please be patient and non-emotional. I am not saying I am perfect at this. I am trying to get better control of my emotions myself every day. But I have learned through sad experience that these beautiful, intelligent animals NEVER. FORGET. The only thing I can hope is that they also remember the love we give them, and that somehow it will outweigh the bad stuff.