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Why Do Horses Do That? - The Full Bucket Theory
The other day I was talking with a student about her horse’s behavior, which she found mystifying. The horses had been in the barn for
several days, due to cold rainy weather, and today she had come to get her horse out for exercise. “I took Isadora out to the round pen and
longed her for a little while and she was very laid back” she said. “you know, she just kind of trotted around la-de-da, so after a few
minutes I went ahead and took her to the covered arena and rode. She was ok until she saw a horse out in one of the round pens. Then she
began to act like she wanted to buck and act crazy. I tried to ride her through it, but she just kept on acting like rodeo was on her mind, so
I finally got off, took her back to the round pen and longed her.” She went on “Well, she just exploded and bucked and bucked and cantered
around. What do you think made her do that after she was so laid back when I gave her an opportunity to play in the beginning.?”
It’s a good question isn’t it? Why do horses DO that? I think it is an accumulation of factors.
Horses, as you know, are herd animals and prey animals. They have survived as a species by responding to stimulants and reacting according
to their anxiety level, after checking in with the herd to see if every body else thinks it’s dangerous too.
Horses have a physical and psychological need for movement. Lack of movement builds this need to an explosion point.These factors and how
they create the horses’ need for movement can be compared to a bucket that can overflow, causing a flood, when too much stimulus
accumulates in the bucket. I define stimulants as things which cause the horse to feel agitated, (not necessarily afraid) and therefore push
it towards acting from instinct or emotion rather than thought.
Factors that may increase the level of stimulants in the bucket are the horse’s character and breed type, weather, the horse’s happiness in
its work, poor fitting tack…. I’m sure there are more, and if you think about it you can think of a few which affect your horse and increase
the level in the bucket.
For instance, every horse’s bucket has some level of stimulants in it all the time. A horse with a nervous character has a higher level of
stimulants in his bucket to begin with, so it doesn’t take as many added stimulants to “send him over the top”. A hot-blooded breed of horse
has a higher level of stimulants in her bucket than a cold-blooded breed. Horses stalled regularly have a higher level of “need to move”
stimulant than horses turned out all the time. Horses fed high protein or high concentrated carbohydrate diets have a higher level of
stimulants in their bucket all the time.
Add to this the environmental stimulants. The horse that is not happy in it’s work has a higher level of agitation. Cold weather can cause
agitation in the form of “need to move”. Poor fitting tack can definitely be a stimulant, causing the horse to want to buck or “run out from
under it”. Remember, to your horse, on an instinctual level, a saddle that stabs him in the back with a predator (you) perched on it is not all
that different than a big cat. This is not to say that horses can’t tell the difference. They are incredibly more intelligent than most of us
imagine. But agitation can short circuit thought, and then your horse acts from instinct.
So back to Isadora, the perplexing horsey Queen in question. Lets see if we can add up the stimulants in her bucket to understand the
“overflow” and why such a small thing as seeing another horse in the round pen might send her “over the edge”.
Isadora is a wamblood of the generally laid back type, so she doesn’t have as much in her bucket of stimulants all the time as say, a typical
Arabian. She is still a horse, a hunted animal in instinctual terms, so her bucket has a certain level of “high awareness” type of stimulation
in it all the time. In this case she had been stalled for several days with minimal exercise. Add a half-bucket. She is fed a diet with a
moderate amount of concentrates. These were not eliminated during stall confinement. Add another quarter of a bucket. The weather had
been cold for several days. Add another big dollop. She originally went out to the round pen and the arena alone. Add a some more for leaving
the sameness of the stall, getting circulation and movement going, and stimulation of sights and sounds of the area. Poor fitting tack? Don’
t know—could be a stimulation factor. We are getting close to the top of the bucket now. So here comes a herd member moving around
freely in the round pen. On another day, or even this day with fewer stimulants filling the bucket, shouldn’t be an issue. But this day, the
bucket of stimulation is already full and this last bit causes the overflow. Once Isadora erupts, she needs to move in order to lower the
level of stimulation back to the level where she can think, rather than react.
If you learn to notice all of the stimulation or agitation factors filling your horse’s bucket, you will be more able to predict when they will
have an “overflow” situation brewing. Give them a chance to move and dispel some of that agitation and stimulation. If , like Isadora, you
have reason to believe that they are “on the verge” you may want to add stimulation to push them into movement mode, or you may want to
do some anxiety lowering movement exercises like TTEAM groundwork which will help them think and not react. Either of these strategies
may help them be better able to think and respond to your partnership requests in a cooperative manner. Which one you choose depends on
your horse’s character and your knowledge level.
The other day I was talking with a student about her horse’s behavior, which she found mystifying. The horses had been in the barn for
several days, due to cold rainy weather, and today she had come to get her horse out for exercise. “I took Isadora out to the round pen and
longed her for a little while and she was very laid back” she said. “you know, she just kind of trotted around la-de-da, so after a few
minutes I went ahead and took her to the covered arena and rode. She was ok until she saw a horse out in one of the round pens. Then she
began to act like she wanted to buck and act crazy. I tried to ride her through it, but she just kept on acting like rodeo was on her mind, so
I finally got off, took her back to the round pen and longed her.” She went on “Well, she just exploded and bucked and bucked and cantered
around. What do you think made her do that after she was so laid back when I gave her an opportunity to play in the beginning.?”
It’s a good question isn’t it? Why do horses DO that? I think it is an accumulation of factors.
Horses, as you know, are herd animals and prey animals. They have survived as a species by responding to stimulants and reacting according
to their anxiety level, after checking in with the herd to see if every body else thinks it’s dangerous too.
Horses have a physical and psychological need for movement. Lack of movement builds this need to an explosion point.These factors and how
they create the horses’ need for movement can be compared to a bucket that can overflow, causing a flood, when too much stimulus
accumulates in the bucket. I define stimulants as things which cause the horse to feel agitated, (not necessarily afraid) and therefore push
it towards acting from instinct or emotion rather than thought.
Factors that may increase the level of stimulants in the bucket are the horse’s character and breed type, weather, the horse’s happiness in
its work, poor fitting tack…. I’m sure there are more, and if you think about it you can think of a few which affect your horse and increase
the level in the bucket.
For instance, every horse’s bucket has some level of stimulants in it all the time. A horse with a nervous character has a higher level of
stimulants in his bucket to begin with, so it doesn’t take as many added stimulants to “send him over the top”. A hot-blooded breed of horse
has a higher level of stimulants in her bucket than a cold-blooded breed. Horses stalled regularly have a higher level of “need to move”
stimulant than horses turned out all the time. Horses fed high protein or high concentrated carbohydrate diets have a higher level of
stimulants in their bucket all the time.
Add to this the environmental stimulants. The horse that is not happy in it’s work has a higher level of agitation. Cold weather can cause
agitation in the form of “need to move”. Poor fitting tack can definitely be a stimulant, causing the horse to want to buck or “run out from
under it”. Remember, to your horse, on an instinctual level, a saddle that stabs him in the back with a predator (you) perched on it is not all
that different than a big cat. This is not to say that horses can’t tell the difference. They are incredibly more intelligent than most of us
imagine. But agitation can short circuit thought, and then your horse acts from instinct.
So back to Isadora, the perplexing horsey Queen in question. Lets see if we can add up the stimulants in her bucket to understand the
“overflow” and why such a small thing as seeing another horse in the round pen might send her “over the edge”.
Isadora is a wamblood of the generally laid back type, so she doesn’t have as much in her bucket of stimulants all the time as say, a typical
Arabian. She is still a horse, a hunted animal in instinctual terms, so her bucket has a certain level of “high awareness” type of stimulation
in it all the time. In this case she had been stalled for several days with minimal exercise. Add a half-bucket. She is fed a diet with a
moderate amount of concentrates. These were not eliminated during stall confinement. Add another quarter of a bucket. The weather had
been cold for several days. Add another big dollop. She originally went out to the round pen and the arena alone. Add a some more for leaving
the sameness of the stall, getting circulation and movement going, and stimulation of sights and sounds of the area. Poor fitting tack? Don’
t know—could be a stimulation factor. We are getting close to the top of the bucket now. So here comes a herd member moving around
freely in the round pen. On another day, or even this day with fewer stimulants filling the bucket, shouldn’t be an issue. But this day, the
bucket of stimulation is already full and this last bit causes the overflow. Once Isadora erupts, she needs to move in order to lower the
level of stimulation back to the level where she can think, rather than react.
If you learn to notice all of the stimulation or agitation factors filling your horse’s bucket, you will be more able to predict when they will
have an “overflow” situation brewing. Give them a chance to move and dispel some of that agitation and stimulation. If , like Isadora, you
have reason to believe that they are “on the verge” you may want to add stimulation to push them into movement mode, or you may want to
do some anxiety lowering movement exercises like TTEAM groundwork which will help them think and not react. Either of these strategies
may help them be better able to think and respond to your partnership requests in a cooperative manner. Which one you choose depends on
your horse’s character and your knowledge level.
| I want your questions! Email Penny at penny@wholehorsepower.com |
| You can get Penny's expertise direct! To schedule a hands-on workshop for your farm or horse club call 512-847-996 8, or email wholehhorse woman@ yahoo.com |
Hello,
I have a question concerning my horse. She has had an injury that we are not sure when or how it happened. It started with her left hip
with a small bump on it and progressed to the right side which now has a torn ligament near her knee. She is only 13 years old I have had
three different vet's look at her and the last vet is the one that has made the most improvement with her and we still have a ways to go. I
have had the Sound Wave Therapy done on her twice no difference. She is still stiff first thing in the morning and at night. I have had her
stalled for 3 months and have been giving her the bute twice a day DMSO and the Aniflex twice daily. We have recently started given
injections to help stop the Arthritis from being so bad. My
question is is there any other suggestions that you might have. The vet has asked another vet and they could only think maybe she hurt
her back at some point.
Thanks for any suggestions you may have,
Dell Shiver
Hi Dell,
Without seeing her, it is hard to say so I'll just go on what you are telling me now.
Are any of the vets you have been seeing holistically oriented? You don't say where you are located, so I can't make a referral on that.
Sometimes arthritis is a systemic inflammation. Diet and nutrition can help in these cases. Being sure that the horse is getting adequate
magnesium is key. It may be that the bump was just a trigger, but without seeing how bad it is and how it progressed, hard to tell.
With the torn ligament going on I can see the need for stall rest, but I can tell you from first hand experience that light exercise daily will
go a long way towards easing arthritis pain and inflammation. She should be at least hand walked every day. Preferably for a short time in
the AM and then again in the PM.
For easing pain and inflammation, Laser Therapy is amazing. With what you are telling me, I would think it would be worth your while to
purchase a Low Level Laser to treat her at home. Laser works best if used regularly. It can be used daily to speed healing and reduce
inflammation, with no side effects. A good one is made by Lasers Inc. and is called the Q laser. You should use it on the site of the torn
ligament and on any spots where you know there is pain or inflammation. It will take you about 10 minutes per site per day- and after about
two weeks you can cut back to every other day. If the condition proves to be chronic, the laser will reduce pain and make it easier for the
horse to move. It has been proven in numerous studies to speed healing time and reduce scarring, and can even cause old scarring to begin
healing again.
TTouch can also go a long way in speeding healing and reducing pain. Depending on where you are located, I can do this work on her, or can
teach you techniques to do yourself. Or if you are far from me, you can find a TTouch Practitioner near you by searching on www.ttouch.com.
TTouch is safe to use directly on injuries, has no negative side effects and does not requiere to giver to learn anatomy.
Penny Stone
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