by Kathryn Kincannon
Dear Alpha Mare,
Can you help me find a way to stop my horse from screaming at other horses? Marquis is a Westphalian/Anglo-Trakehner gelding and lives alone at my place. I trailer him a few times a week to ride at two different stables where he is exposed to other horses. He used to scream at all the horses but, over time, he has improved and now only screams at some of them, one in particular, a Thoroughbred mare that my friend owns.
If I turn him loose in a paddock, he screams and runs like a wild horse, but if I call him he comes right away and will follow me without hesitation away from the other horses or towards the other horses, whichever I choose.
He is very well-behaved and respects me, although there was a time last winter when the screaming was especially bad. He did throw a fit and bucked me off, definitely not by accident. Although he may have a big mouth at times, he has a heart of gold. I thank you for your advice and encouragement.
Dear Sandra,
Thanks so much for writing and asking about this very common, and easily misread, problem. My answer will touch on many aspects of how horses communicate to us and to each other, what they are really “saying,” and what it all means.
A very important distinction needs to be addressed right off the bat. Namely, your horse is not screaming “at” the other horses, he is screaming “for” them. His verbalization is, quite literally, a cry for help – help from another horse, any horse. At least another horse can relate to his sense of vulnerability. Humans on the other hand, too often make matters worse.
Added to that is the fact that Marquis is living alone. This is very “un-horselike” as it requires Marquis to totally look out for himself, a tall order for a “get-me-out-of-here” prey mind.
Horses live in herds for a good reason: to find “better” horses capable of protecting them from all the salivating, predator boogey-men they just know are lurking out there, ready to pounce.
Awareness is the cornerstone of their survival, and their elected leaders are those who don’t miss a beat, call every horse on every gesture they make, appropriately, and accurately discern a real threat from an innocuous blip on the radar screen.
Some horses are born to lead, others to follow. In a herd, they work out these distinctions and quickly find an order that works for everyone to ensure that, other than an alpha stallion (or, more likely a mare, in today’s domestic herd), every horse has another horse they know that has a heightened sensory acuity on which they count on for safety.
Once this is all sorted out, they can all just exhale and eat, their state of braced readiness – that vulnerable feeling of potential attack every waking moment of their lives – effectively lessened.
In such a hierarchy, “strength in numbers” makes perfect sense, while “separation anxiety” takes on a whole new dastardly meaning, and “herd-bound” can be seen with compassion rather than frustration.
To put matters simply, Marquis is desperate for company. Since he doesn’t have any herd mates at home, he goes to great lengths to establish some kind of herd dynamic at the stables you take him to, and find some friends.
He’s not looking for bullies or intense alpha mares, both of which would spend all their time lording over him and letting him know, in no uncertain terms, that they are boss. What he is looking for is a horse that’s just a “little bit better” to take care of him, and, then, for balance, another horse that is a “little bit less aware” that he can push around and develop confidence with.
It is thus, not surprising that he has taken to calling for your friend’s mare. Since you ride together, it affords him the most opportunity for “talk” and, more importantly, a relationship.
Here’s a common scenario I’m sure everyone can relate to. Two bonded horses, and one goes out for a trail ride. The one left behind, especially if it is the lower-on-the-totem-pole horse, will scream, race the fence line, and get all worked up as it is now left to fend for itself.
Local wisdom might tell you to just ignore such screaming, that it will resolve itself. From my experience, the horse may stop screaming, but it doesn’t address the stress. It may instead start weaving or cribbing or just shut down. The only good reason for it not to feel panicked about being left behind would be if another user-friendly “leader” appeared on the scene to save the day.
And that, Sandra, can be you. Remember, though, that just being physically present and hanging out with your horse won’t be good enough. Marquis needs to see that, even with no equine friends to live with, that you can do what is needed to make him feel safe.
For this to happen, you need to know how to move him into shapes that make him feel good. That is, turn off the high-headed adrenaline and turn on the low-headed endorphins by encouraging lots of bending movement with a relaxed top-line.
The fact that Marquis will follow you wherever you go – to the horses or away from him – when you are in the paddock is a tribute to you that how you move him works for him.
Now, all you need is conscious understanding of why it is working, and to learn to be consistent with him. He needs to see that he can always count on you for your ability to facilitate “feel good” shapes that tone him down rather than allow high-anxiety braced postures that jack him up.
This consistency of a positive pattern of behaviour that he can count on will allow Marquis to develop more self-confidence about his place in the world.
He needs a level-headed sensibility to override his previous hyper-reactivity that had him feeling, at least, neurotic (screaming), and at worst, explosive (bucking fit).
To a horse, frame of body equals frame of mind. When Marquis feels calm and relaxed and you are there, he attributes that feeling to you, and he will visibly show relief every time you are with him.
When he gets “bent out of shape” or stressed, and, again, you are there, he will attribute that feeling to you too.
Only when he truly feels you are there for him – to be what he needs rather than to give you what you want – will Marquis’ Grinch-like tendencies finally give way to a Santa-Claus saintliness that showers you with the gift of willingness every day of the year.
Kathryn travels extensively with her husband, Chris Irwin, as a trainer and coach conducting clinics and “Train the Trainer” sessions throughout North America. They are currently developing Riversong Ranch Equestrian Retreat on the shores of the McLeod River just west of Edmonton. If you have a question that you’d like Kathryn to answer in a future column, please email her at alphamare@telus.net.
