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Chelsey Philbeck
Mr. Copeland
Senior Project
Spring 2014
Understanding Horses
Horses have been on this earth for ore than 4! illion years no". #f co$rse% they evolved
fro the sall% $lti&toed creat$re% the Hyracotheri$% into the $ch larger one&toed anial everyone
kno"s today. 'enchantedlearning(. H$ans have $sed horses for any things over the years% fro
transportation to general labor% fro doesticated pets to a"ard&"inning speciens. People can also
train horses for a fe" different reasons. )hey can train horses to race or copete in dressage classes or
they can j$st basic train the for tricks or lead training. *t is iportant for one to kno" the history and
the behavior of horses if they are "illing to train the horse properly. +lso% if soeone is interested to
ake horseanship a career% there are any job fields to go into% s$ch as horses copeting in dressage
or opening a horse boarding facility. Ho"ever% it,s iportant to start off "ith the history to kno" the
backgro$nd of the ajestic creat$re.
)he earliest people to take horses to "ar "ere the Sa$rai. -.or ro$ghly a tho$sand years% fro
abo$t the /00s to the late 1/00s% "arfare in 0apan "as doinated by an elite class of "arriors kno"n as
the Sa$rai. Horses "ere their special "eapons1 only the Sa$rai "ere allo"ed to ride horses into
battle.2 'anh(. 3e4t cae the Spanish% "ho "ere fighting "ith the *nca,s in the early 1!00s. 5y the
tie the Spanish had evaded the +ericas% the horse had been e4tinct for abo$t a tho$sand years in
those lands% so the *nca,s "ere terrified of these ne" beasts. +nother passage on the +erican M$se$
of 3at$ral History has said1
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-*n 1!62% 17/ Spanish soldiers% incl$ding 72 on horseback% faced off against the h$ge
*nca epire at Cajaarca% in "estern So$th +erica. +ltho$gh vastly o$tn$bered% the
Spaniards la$nched a s$rprise attack on the *nca eperor% +tah$allpa% "ho "as
s$rro$nded by at least /0%000 *nca soldiers. )he Spanish charged into the cro"d on
horseback% their steel "eapons easily c$tting thro$gh the *ncas, 8$ilted aror. )he
assacre "ent on for ho$rs $ntil soe 9%000 *ncas lay dead. :et thro$gh it all% the
Spaniards co$ld not reach +tah$allpa. He "as held aloft on a litter by his s$bjects% and
as they "ere killed% ore r$shed in to replace the. .inally the Spaniards toppled
+tah$allpa,s litter "ith their horses% and the one&sided battle "as over.2
)he *ncas "ere not allo"ed to ride horses for cent$ries after the Spanish occ$pation began. )he
;reek soldiers had a different story "ith the horses% b$t like the Spaniards% they feared "hoever "as on
horseback beca$se they had never seen anyone on horseback before. <$ring this tie% aro$nd 400 5C%
the ;reeks "ere in battle "ith a gro$p of noadic +sians% called the Scythians. *n the 1!00s% =ngland
"anted larger and stronger horses% so the horses co$ld carry the heavy knights in shining aror.
->nights in shining aror "ere too heavy for ost 5ritish horses% so large horses had to be iported
fro other =$ropean co$ntries $ntil at least the 1!00s. <eterined to increase the si?e of 5ritish
horses% >ing Henry @*** decreed in 1!6! that ajor lando"ners $st keep at least t"o large ares% and
in 1!41 he banned stallions fro gra?ing on p$blic lands $nless they et certain height re8$ireents.
)he king ay have had a vested interest in breeding strong horses% since his o"n "aistline ballooned
after an inj$ry that the once&athletic onarch s$ffered "hile jo$sting.2 'anh( +s the years "ent by%
the iportance in horses in the "ar began to decrease at the coing of ne" deadly "eapons. )he last
"ar "ith horses by the soldiers, sides% cae "ith the Calvary in Aorld Aar *. -)he last h$rrah cae
"ith Aorld Aar *. +t the beginning of that "ar% in 1B14% Calvary charges% in "hich tho$sands of
soldiers on horseback rode into battle together% "ere still seen as a ajor defense tactic. 5$t trench
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"arfare% barbed "ire% achine g$ns% and other odern developents effectively bro$ght s$ch charges
to a dead halt. 5y the "ar,s end% horses "ere still $sed behind the lines to transport g$ns and s$pplies%
b$t their role in leading the attack had becoe a thing of the past.2 'anh( 5eca$se of the poison gases
$sed in the "ar% horses also had to $se gas asks that only covered their noses and not their eyes
beca$se they "ere less v$lnerable to it than people. 5$t% that "as not the very last Calvary charge into
"ar. )he last recorded one "as in 1B42% "hen the C.S. fo$ght the 0apanese in the Philippines% b$t after
that% the horses "ere replaced "ith tanks and all that. 'anh( +lso% there are still ties "hen horses
see to be better than tr$cks in soe terrains. Dike% in +fghanistan% the +erican troops "o$ld still
ride horses "here their tr$cks "o$ld str$ggle to drive on. #ther than "ar% there is a great history on
"ork of the horses.
*n the 1/00s% people "o$ld ainly $se horses to p$ll their o"n "eight% like% carts% "agons%
barges on canals% b$ses% etc. People "o$ld also $se horses to dra" fire engines. -.ire horses had
deanding jobs. )hey had to gallop $phill on hot s$er days and do"n icy streets in the "inter. )hey
needed to be 8$ick% ready to r$sh to the harness at the so$nd of a bell E and to be cal% "illing to stand
and "ait patiently "hile engines p$ped% firefighters sho$ted% and flaes roared.2 'anh(. 5efore
b$ses and ta4is cae to be% horses "ere the so$rce of ass transit. Horse&dra"n street cars "ere the
b$ses and ta4is of their tie. 5eca$se of all these city jobs% ore horses "ere bro$ght into the city and
their lives seeed to be bitter and short. -.or soe horses% city life "as bitter and short. <rivers
soeties beat their horses% neglected the% or forced the to p$ll ore than they co$ld bear. *n tie%
horse ab$se cae to be seen as a ajor p$blic proble. Ahen the +erican Society for the Prevention
of Cr$elty to +nials '+SPC+( fored in 3e" :ork City in 1/77% protecting horses "as one of its
ost $rgent goals.2 'anh(. Since then% people have been breeding stronger% heftier horses for
ind$strial "ork and to dra" larger and heavier loads% s$ch as the draft horse. 5eca$se of the draft
horse,s str$ct$re% even the heaviest horse can reain standing for ho$rs "itho$t getting tired. -+ro$nd
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!00 years ago% =$ropean horse breeders began bringing the largest% strongest anials together for
breeding% often crossing local ares "ith stallions iported fro abroad. #ver any generations% their
descendants becae larger than any horses kno"n before.2 'anh( #ther than "ork% any people $sed
horses as a sign of "ealth and stat$s.
.or the 3ative +ericans% the ore horses people had% the richer they "ere. 5$t% that,s not all it
eant. -Horses once played a role in alost every aspect of 3ative life on the Plains% incl$ding
co$rtship. + an "ho "anted to arry ight give handsoe to his s"eetheart,s faily% or present a
horse to the girl herself and ask her to elope. Ahen co$rting% en and "oen often rode do$ble...2
'anh(. Ahile the horses "ere signs of "ealth and stat$s to the 3ative +ericans% in *ndia% the horses
"ere offerings to a $ch higher fig$re.
-*n the state of )ail 3ad$ in so$thern *ndia% village potters create horse fig$res as offerings to
+iyanar and other local gods% "ho are said to patrol village borders and protect people fro har.
Many village shrines contain h$ndreds of these votive horses% soe standing ore than 17 feet '!
eters( tall...2 'anh(. Since the horse "as rarely seen in *ndia% riding one "o$ld ean great "ealth%
$ch like the 3ative +ericans. *ndia "asn,t the only co$ntry giving horses as offerings to the gods% it
"as a tradition of the 0apanese also. -*n the Shinto religion of 0apan% "orshipers "rite prayers on
"ooden tables kno"n as ea% eaning ,horse pict$re., )his c$sto ay have roots in ancient ties%
"hen horses "ere presented to Shinto shrines as living offerings to the gods.2 'anh(. )here "as a
specific horse% ho"ever% that striked as a large price. -)he +rabian horse "as pri?ed for its bea$ty. )his
bea$tif$l ancient breed is tho$ght to go as far back as 60005C and has strongly infl$enced any of
today,s ore odern breeds of horse.2 'Dangrish F S"inney% 47( #ther than offerings% horses ade
great transportation% "hich helped "ith trade across co$ntries.
)he Mongolians have al"ays been very obile% even the Mongol ary "as the ost obile
ilitary force in the "orld. +ltho$gh% they did $se their horses for ore than ilitary $ses% they $sed
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the for trade. -)he feared Mongol horseen not only con8$ered ost of +sia% they created a vast
net"ork that linked previo$sly isolated civili?ations. )he ancient Silk Goad trade ro$tes date back to
"ell before the Mongol epire. 5$t it "asn,t $ntil the Mongol ary ade the safe for bandits that
the Silk Goad blossoed% enabling caravans of caels and donkeys to carry goods% people% and ideas
bet"een +sia% =$rope% and the Middle =ast.2 'anh(. *n a different tie period% back in +erica%
everyone "as $sing horses for transport fro one coast to the other% "hich took entirely too long. So%
they created soething to ake it $ch faster. -*n 1/70% there "as no coast&to&coast railroad across
+erica. )he fastest "ay to get a letter across the co$ntry "as still by horse&dra"n stagecoach. )his
took 2! days or oreHfaster than sailing aro$nd So$th +erica% "hich took at least 4! days% b$t still
pretty slo". So in +pril 1/70% a ne" postal service called the Pony =4press "as born. Aith railroads
handling the eastern leg and horseen racing day and night fro Misso$ri to California% the Pony
=4press co$ld get a letter fro coast to coast in j$st ten days for five dollars% later red$ced to one
dollar.2 'anh(.
#ther than being bred for $scle% horses "ere also bred for speed later on. -Horses aren,t bred
to gallop in races% ho"ever% they are bred to race at a fast gallop. Dee +4"orthy% the first kno"n horse
to trot a ile in less than t"o in$tes% had a skeleton that sho"n the long% lo" lines of an +erican
standardbred% the fasted of all trotting breeds.2 'anh(. 5efore Dee +4"orthy% tho$gh% cae chariot
racing. )he ;reeks $sed this kno"n sport to celebrate a religio$s festival kno"n as the ;reat
Panathenaea. -Horse&dra"n chariot races "ere aong the ost spectac$lar contests held d$ring the
;reat Panathenaea. *n one for of chariot race% "arriors had to ove fro a oving chariot% r$n
beside it% and then leap back in. )he "inner of a fo$r&horse chariot race "as a"arded 140 ceraic pots
f$ll of olive oil% a partic$larly e4travagant pri?e.2 'anh(. Horses have s$ch a vast history% being $sed
for so any different things% fro being a firefighter to racing in a race. )his has proved horses aren,t
that $seless after all% as long as they,re trained correctly% b$t in order to be trained "ell% one ight need
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to st$dy the behavior of the horse.
Soe ight think in order to train a horse% soeone "o$ld have to be ro$gh% since they,re h$ge
anials% b$t they co$ldn,t be ore "rong. )hat,s "here breaking vers$s gentling coes in. -#ne "ay
to train horses is thro$gh br$te force and intiidation. 5$t soe trainers instead appeal to a horse,s
nat$ral instinct to follo" a leader. .or e4aple% instead of beating a horse $ntil it is afraid to disobey% a
trainer ight chase it a"ay. Horses don,t like being isolated fro the herd% so the anial ret$rns%
seeking perission to end its banishent. .ro then on it accepts the h$an trainer as herd leader and
follo"s instr$ctions.2 'anh(. +long "ith the behavior of these anials% they see to have soe
personality traits siilar to a h$an,s% s$ch as the b$ddy syste. Ahen they,re in a herd% horses like to
pair off "ith a select horse in that gro$p% and if they aren,t in a herd and can,t find a horse% they $s$ally
chose another anial like a goat or a ho$se cat% the sae applies for h$ans. Ahen soeone is training
a horse% they co$ld bring o$t that herd instinct% j$ping% for instance. -0$ping can be frightening and
dangero$s for horses% so ho" do yo$ get a yo$ng horse to j$p over a fence for the first tieI #ne "ay
is to e4ploit the herd instinct1 + yo$ng horse "ill follo" an older horse over a fence to avoid being left
behind.2 'anh(. #thers think having a horse at all is too hard beca$se the horse has doinance over
the. +ltho$gh% one thing a horse pays attention to is body lang$age. *f soeone presents theselves
as stronger or to$gher% the horse ight back off and give the the the role of doinance. Ho"ever%
this does not ean that person needs to try and p$sh aro$nd the horse or sack the hard. -.or
e4aple% soeone is t$rning o$t a yearling colt and j$st as they slip off the colt,s halter% he reaches over
and bites the. Aell% this eans he "as re"arded "ith freedo right after he bit the since they j$st
p$lled the halter off. Ahen soeone reads the signs of biting and nipping% they sho$ld ask hi to lo"er
his head and back $p% or ret$rn hi to the barn% tie hi to the hitch rail% and then t$rn hi o$t a fe"
in$tes later.2 'Cherry Hill% 16!( Ahen p$nishing a horse for bad behavior% one $st be appropriate as
"ell. *t,s effective to $se an aid or c$e that is appropriate for "hat they,re trying to accoplish. -.or
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e4aple% "hen teaching a yo$ng horse to back $p "hen yo$ are opening a gate in&hand% it is
appropriate to $se to gate as a vis$al aid. :o$ can position the horse to face the gate so that "hen yo$
open it to"ard hi% it "ill be a nat$ral vis$al c$e for hi to start backing a"ay fro it. *t "o$ld not be
appropriate to sla the gate into the horse or b$p hi on the nose "ith it to get hi to ove.2 'Hill%
167(. People need to $se this "hen they,re trying to be the ,alpha horse, as "ell. =veryone needs to let
their horses kno" that they,re in charge. )he horse is a rather larger anial than the h$an and it ight
see scary to try to doinate over the. 5$t% in order to do this% everyone needs to establish tr$st "ith
their horses% since they don,t need their horses terrified of the. -+ yo$ng horse that has been
frightened% restrained% and h$rt by soeone ay decide never to go near that partic$lar person again.
*t,s the risk yo$ take "hen yo$ opt for violent% forcef$l ethods of dealing "ith horses.2 '0essica 0ahiel%
7(.
+ltho$gh head&r$bbing ay look and feel loving% a horse ight get o$t of control and becoe
doinated over soeone. -)he r$bbing sho"s that he feels confident "ith yo$. He has accepted yo$ as
a friend and herd eber and ay be trying to initiate a $t$al grooing session. 3onetheless% it,s a
good idea to disco$rage this practice in any horse. G$bbing against yo$ is an invasion of yo$r personal
space% and for horses% the right to invade another horse,s personal space eans that the invading horse
is ranked higher in the herd than the horse "hose space is being invaded... )each this horse to "ait for
yo$ to ove into his space to pet hi. *n the long r$n% yo$,ll be keeping hi o$t of tro$ble "ith other
people. Soe people "ill hit o$t of fear if a horse leans into the or r$bs against theJ others feel that
as a atter of principle% they $st slap or p$nch the horse. 5y teaching the horse that r$bbing is
$nacceptable% yo$,ll save hi fro a lot of angry reactions% incl$ding sacks and slaps that he "on,t
$nderstand.2 '0ahiel% 11(. G$bbing ay also start "ith the horse j$st trying to get rid of an itch% b$t it
co$ld also t$rn into soething ore doinant. People have to stand their gro$nd and p$sh on the
horse,s head% telling the horse to get o$t of their personal space. Soeone co$ld also keep this fro
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happening by reading its body lang$age and st$dy the horse itself.
)o stand in the eado"% staring at one,s horse as it j$st gra?es ight so$nd dreadf$lly boring%
b$t it eans ore than "hat soeone "o$ld think. Ahen soeone has a frightened and $ntrained
horse% the last thing they need to do is force the horse to do soething% beca$se the best bet is that the
horse "ill rear. -*f yo$,re trying to get a horse $sed to yo$r presence and gain tr$st in yo$% get her $sed
to yo$r presence. )ake a la"n chair% a book% and a ,boo bo4, o$t to the past$re% sit do"n% start playing
soe soft $sic% and settle in. <on,t chase her% don,t try to catch her% don,t even stare at herJ j$st sit. .or
the first fe" days% she ay stay as far fro yo$ as she can get. 5$t horses are sociable anials% and
"hen she becoes less afraid% she "ill becoe c$rio$s% and she,ll "ant to see "hat yo$ are doing.2
'0ahiel% 62(. +lso% the other thing soeone ight "ant to do is j$st "atch the horse and their body
lang$age. )he horse,s overall stance "ill give soeone a good starting point. -+ rela4ed horse is often
standing "ith one hind leg resting his head and neck in a soft% lo"ered position% his eyes soft or
partically closed% his ears rela4ed and aybe slightly tipped to the side% and his $scles rela4ed.2 'Hill%
10/(. +n $nfriendly horse% ho"ever% is soething one never "ants to see. -*t is hard to istake an
$nfriendly horse. He holds his head lo" and reaches aggressively "ith his $??le% perhaps "ith bared
teeth and ears back. His eyes are cold and glaring% his nostrils pinched and "rinklesJ perhaps his tail
s"itches and one of his hind legs is raised in "arning.2 'Hill% 10B(. Aith behavior coes training.
>athy% a local horse o"ner fro S"ananoa% takes her horses for end$rance races and certain
other races "here the horse has to go at a certain speed% and the f$rther they are a"ay fro the speed%
the f$rther they are behind in the race% even if they are in first placeJ b$t the end$rance races are a little
different. -+s the nae states% this type of e8$estrian copetition foc$ses on the long distance health of
yo$r horse. Stopping for periodical veterinary check&$ps d$ring the race% the horse is either deeed fit
or $nfit to contin$e the co$rse.2 'e4ainer(. #ther than carrying the a long "ay for their jo$rney% the
horse,s legs can also change pattern% oving the in different ,gaits., )he horse has been trained in
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different gaits for a sho" copetition called dressage. )hey can also change speeds faster than a
h$an. -Having fo$r legs% instead of t"o% akes it possible to ove yo$r feet in a variety of different
patterns% or gaits. H$ans can "alk% skip and r$nJ horses nat$rally "alk% trot% canter and gallop. *n
addition% horses can be trained to a do?en other distinct gaits. =ach gait is ost efficient at a partic$lar
speed. )he "alk is best at slo" speeds% b$t a"k"ard at higher speeds. )o ove faster% a horse ,s"itches
gears, to the trot% and at top speed it shifts to the gallop.2 'anh(. =veryone kno"s the "alk% trot% and
canter and gallop% b$t there are lots of gaits people still don,t kno"J the fo4 trot% for instance. -)his gait
is a slo"% short% broken% soe"hat $ncollected nodding trot. )he hind foot strikes the gro$nd an
instance before the diagonal front foot. *t is not as cofortable to ride as the r$nning "alk or the
stepping pace.2 'ysrf.org(. Soeone co$ld ake a career o$t of all this training and learning all their
behaviors.
)he first job to consider "ith horses has to be "rangling% it,s like the ,ini$ "age, job of
horses. Horse "ranglers probably ake fro abo$t KBLho$r to K10.!0Lho$r% b$t it $s$ally depends on
e4perience "ith horses. -<$de ranch "ranglers can be in a variety of different activities% s$ch as trail
rides% caping trips% and cattle "orking e4ercises.2 'anialcareers(. *n addition to j$st leading a gro$nd
aro$nd in a forest% they also have any other d$ties. -Aranglers are also involved "ith providing daily
care for the horses incl$ding grooing% saddling% feeding% providing fresh "ater% cleaning tack% and
aintaining the barn area. Aranglers treat inor inj$ries and are responsible for contacting the
veterinarian if ore skilled care if re8$ired.2 'anialcareers(. #ther than "rangling% soeone co$ld
also open their o"n b$siness of horse boarding.
Ahen opening a horse boarding facility% there,s several things to $ndergo% s$ch as% ins$rance
and liability releases. -3ot only do liability releases disco$rage people fro s$ing yo$% they also help
protect yo$ in the event that yo$ are act$ally s$ed... *n addition to yo$r property ins$rance% yo$ "ill
need coercial liability ins$rance and care% c$stody and control ins$rance for yo$r boarding facility.2
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'e8$inelegalso$ltions(. So% there "ill be 8$ite a bit of inforation soeone "ill need to kno" in order
to open their o"n boarding facility% even if it is j$st basically pet&sitting for horses. Soe boarding
facilities% ho"ever% "ill either higher vets to coe look at soe of the c$stoer,s horses% or they ight
do it theselves% "hich is the "hole reason the o"ner ight need ins$rance for everyone% as "ell as
contracts.
*n concl$sion% there are any job fields to go in that involve horses as soeone,s center of
"ork% s$ch as opening a horse boarding facility or copeting in dressage or other copetitions% b$t in
order to copete% one $st train a horse% and in order to train a horse it,s iportant to kno" the
behavior of the horse to kno" "hat ove to ake ne4t. )he overall history of horses is 8$ite
interesting% ho" they had their first enco$nters "ith h$ans to "orking hard in the city for the% to j$st
being their friends no"adays.
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