My journey of equine experience began in the summer of nineteen forty and six, over, under, around and on the back of one my grandfather’s huge draft horses. In retrospect, judging by what I know now of horses and her extraordinary compassionate gentleness, I am certain she must have been the equivalent to my ‘equine guardian angel.’ Occasionally swinging lightly on her tail, crawling between and hugging her front or back legs, tugging on her mane and forelock to bring her head within reach and the occasional crashing of my wiggly stack of chairs, boxes and other paraphernalia I used for a ‘mounting block’ were only a few of the suicidal antics she more than graciously tolerated. But those visits were forbidden interludes of joyous ecstacy mixed with unequal proportions of reality and fantasy. Yet if a small child can feel a deep sense of reverence and belonging with an animal, I did with Jewel.

 Admittedly, although each time I was caught, I received what I felt was overzealous corporeal punishment that escalated proportionately from the last ‘whuppin,’ it never seemed to completely deter my insatiable need to be near or on a horse.

 In stark contrast, my father couldn’t replace his work team fast enough with one of those ‘new-fangled tractors’ (a John Deere Model AR.) It had no starter, (hand-pull on the flywheel) no rubber tires (steel wheels) and was started on gasoline after opening the ‘petcocks’ (compression release) and then was switched over to fuel oil after it had ‘warmed up.’ But it was his ‘pride and joy.’ Many years later, I found this difference of values between us a probable vexation that escalated our all too many confrontations.

 Of course her ‘brakes’ were wherever she decided to stop and graze in the pasture, get a drink of water at the creek or hang out with the rest of the herd. To remedy this, I had tried to rig a rather ineffective halter/bridle out of an old piece of binder twine by wrapping and knotting a loose loop around her nose trailing two long pieces onto her back for reins. My final ‘bridle prototype evaluation’ came about when she innocently swished her nose at a fly biting just above one of her front hooves. Of course I wasn’t paying close attention at the time and had wrapped the binder twine around my hands several times so I wouldn’t ‘drop the reins.’ Her rather swift reaction to the fly biting her leg unintentionally jerked me to flip head over heels and plop down right in front of her. She graciously ignored me and continued nonchalantly grazing around me as if a small child acrobatically somersaulting off her back in front of her was an everyday occurrence. Consequently, (while looking up at the sky filled with tiny, sparkling bright dots and desperately trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of me) I determined this particular method of bovine manipulation to be flawed beyond my reconciliation. As I trudged achingly back to the barn for yet another handful of feed for remounting, I decided to give up the ‘reins and bridle’ tack altogether and instead settled on a fairly simple arrangement.

 That ‘fairly simple arrangement’ was using a dried corn stalk that I would manage to drag along up on her back with me when I ‘mounted up.’ With it, I could turn her one way or another by leaning forward, reaching out and gently tapping it under her chin on the opposite side of the direction I chose to go. Occasionally when she would graze in one spot or hang around the rest of the herd too long, I would gently tap on her rear so we could ‘mosey on down the trail.’

 *The corn stalk proved doubly advantageous serving a secondary purpose as my trusty rifle.

 Of course, given the frailty of the old dried corn stalk, it did not always provide enough incentive to elicit satisfactory ‘forward motion.’ When that happened, I would turn around facing her rear and swish her tail back and forth to thump her back legs and sides with it. More often than not, a ‘ragged-corn-stalk-flapping/tail swishing combination’ got us moving again. Unfortunately, given the size of her huge barreled body and my tiny legs, I was often forced to ride backwards desperately clutching her hip bones (in what could only be viewed by an onlooker as some weird bovine bear hug) until she decided to stop. As the months went by, I developed better balance and grip, and would often stand on her back vaulting, somersaulting and trick riding’ as she would compliantly mosey along, completely oblivious to my daring feats of horsemanship. (?cowmanship?)

 And yes, there were numerous times in the beginning when my attempted feats of daring horsemanship/cowmanship would cause bruised and aching trips back to the barn for another handful of feed to once again painfully ‘remount.’ But I learned balance, ‘centered riding’ and riding WITH the horse to a level that the privileged peers in my age group (or those much older) could only dream about. 

 In my early adolescence, I had studied Jung and Freud as well as various Far Eastern religions. While my personal preference and beliefs were more along the lines of Abraham Maslow, I became disenchanted with the psychiatric world as a whole due to the fact that for every model and theorem, there seemed to be an opposing one of equal validity. Even though I later studied Skinner, Thorndike and a multitude of others, I never completely forgot the monk who paused to pick up the beetle in his path and place it on the side of the road.

 As a child, I’d always seemed to have an intrinsic understanding of sorts working with animals of different species, whether it was a dog, cat, sheep, pigeon, pig or cow. Yet something seemed to be ‘missing’ with the horse. That ‘missing something’ (coupled with my disillusionment of present day ‘training formats’) only served to aggravate Nikki’s constant reminders that I was ‘doing something wrong.’

 Thus my journey began of rather intense studies that included not only conspecific ethological sciences, but conditioning, physiology, hoof care and nutrition as well (often referred to as Total Environmental Enrichment).

 Waring, McDonnell, Beck, McGreevey, Kiley-Worthington, MacLean,  and many others soon led me to Budiansky, MacFadden, Simpson, Griffen, Rollin, Wallace, Pinker, Radner, and Povinelli (amongst many others). Which in turn brought me full circle back to Darwin, Romannes, Morgan, Thorndike, Pavlov, Kohler, Lorenz and Skinner.

 This left me going in several directions at the same time. One direction was the ODGs starting with Xenophon.

 I found it interesting that the writings of a mercenary were so highly regarded by some in e the horse world as many of his beliefs displayed an ignorance and lack of understanding that was completely counterproductive to the level of horsemanship I had come to respect. But then given the training practices of his day, I would suppose he should be given due credit for ‘being ahead of his time.’ Ironic that (in both Welebny and Marchant’s translations) it is noted that had this relatively poor soldier of fortune not plundered the estate of the wealthy Asidates in his escapades, he would not have had the time and luxury he did, and the world would never have heard of “the Art of Horsemanship,” Annabasis, Hellenica, (or any of his other writings).  

 This led me into delving deeply into the 6,000 year-old history of the horse/human relationship (major food source, pack animal, (milk, meat, skins) then the advancement of the wheel and various pulled vehicles and finally mounted interactive activity. Of course that included all the reading material I could lay my hands on or read by de Pluvinel, (my ODG hero as he claimed that the use of the spur or the whip was a confession of failure) Grisone, Pagnatelli, Gueriniere and even the ruthless, maniacal Fiaschi. That in turn led to De Kunffy and Podhajsky and others as well as Mary Wanless and Sally Swift who, upon learning of my quest, graciously gifted me an autographed copy of her “Centered Riding II.”

 The other direction of study was mental/emotional aspects of the Horse (which also split into two groups; Neurological/Psychological and Epistemological and Ontological).

 *Anecdotally, it was interesting to note the mutual incomprehension and disdain the two groups (literary intellectuals and scientists) share for each other.

 Thus I found myself bouncing back and forth between the ethologists and the neuroscience/neuropsychology of Allen, McDonnell, Bekoff, Kiley-Worthington, McLean, Griffin, Ledoux, Waring, McGreevy, Grandin,

Dennett, Morgan, Nagel, Block, Davidson and others. Through the years, those I found especially insightful were by Andy Beck, “The Secret Life of the Horse,” Sue McDonnell’s “Equid Ethogram,” and Jaak Panksepp’s, “Affective Neuroscience.”

As nonverbal communication and ‘personal space’ are integral components of equine culture, I was also led to the study of kinesics and proxemics (which included the works of Hall, Sommer, Tubbs, Moss, Birdwhistell, Ekman, Freisen, Bateson, Mead and others).

 At that point, several things became obviously paramount.

 #1. After six thousand years of ‘practice,’ the horse world was still filled with a plethora of recurring ‘horse problems’ each generation. Although true (as evidenced in any equine related email list or magazine) it seemed highly illogical that a species as aggressively dominant and supposedly intelligent as Homo Sapiens (combined with our technical advances) would still have such difficulty and inability perfecting a singular successful model of interaction for that length of time (especially so with a species that had remained virtually unchanged during that same time period).

 #2. The terms affiliated pairing, nonsexual bonding, peer attachment, mutually beneficial coalitions and preferred associates were the desperate attempts of ethologists to avoid any taint of anthropomorphism. Though the word ‘friendship’ has a commonality of understanding and acceptance in any culture worldwide, it seemed they regarded it as trivial. In short, it was recognized, duly registered and then passed over by not only equine ethologists and research scientists, but the world of horse owners and ‘trainers’ as well.

 #3. The conclusive empirical acceptance of animal emotions/awareness and self-consciousness is still debatable amongst those avid members of academia (though recently, the majority are more than grudgingly acknowledging both animal emotions and self-awareness). Until they resolve those issues of Cartesian dualism and others, I was forced to content myself with my own and other personal observations and associative experiences.

 I have had a ‘true friend’ in life. In fact, I have been blessed with several. I have felt anger, humiliation, grief, envy and the hollow, empty depression of absolute submission (learned helplessness). If I see comparable conspecific identifiable traits in the Horse, I reach the conclusion (without 'humanizing') that horses DO have feelings and emotions. If one firmly believes horses do not have emotions, that they do not 'suffer,' I would wish them well and strongly suggest taking into account numerous empirical articles and documentation confirming the opposite (including grief response).

 How many of us have witnessed the expression of a foal tripping on one of its maiden gallops in the mud, then slide coming to stop only to get up with what can only be a look of bewildered, puzzled (if not indignant) humiliation as they trot away? How many of us have witnessed the look of angry resentment and bitter hatred on the face of a horse that has been severely abused to ‘man-killer’ status as they charge at any human that attempts to approach them? How many of us have witnessed (as documented by Dr. Kenneth Marcella and others) the grief response and ‘stress of loss’ reactions exhibited by the surviving horse of a peer attachment relationship when his equine friend has died? How many of us have witnessed the exasperated frustration on the face of a horse being ridden by an abusive unknowledgeable rider explode into the violent extrication of said rider? How many of us have witnessed the apprehensive dubious skepticism on the face of a horse that has been asked to do something directly against his survival instincts? How many of us have witnessed the extremes of separation anxiety when one of a pair of bonded horses leaves the other? How many of us have witnessed the happy, joyful play of horses on a cool crisp morning? How many of us have witnessed two horses bonded in an exclusive relationship who do not share that level of co-dependent intimacy with any other horses in the herd? How many of us witnessed the quizzical ‘one cocked ear’ curious look of a horse investigating a new object in his environment?

 The answer to all would be far too many witnesses to expect anyone with even a modicum of intelligence to continue wearing the blinders of anthropomorphic-induced fear and/or being accused of ‘seeing something that is not there.’

 *The results of PET scan evaluations of mental states based on brain activity and neurochemical changes noted in response to specific stimuli are irrefutable. Dr. Crowell-Davis states, “When animals are recorded showing the same patterns of brain activity and the same brain chemical changes that correspond to a particular human emotion or mood state, it would not be logical of us to assume that they are not experiencing similar feelings."

If horses DO have emotions, if they DO have very sequential steps to form a very intimate relationship specifically with just one other horse in the herd/band, and if this particular relationship is one of peaceful, harmonious, inter-reliant fellowship that has no use or need of the trials and tribulations of the intra-herd dynamics that use intimidation, pressure, comfort/discomfort or physical punishment to assert herd rank, then it would certainly behoove those of us who wish to avoid the very ‘problems’ that current training formats actually cause and investigate its full potential in regards to the human/equine relationship.

Yes. I believe a horse should be allowed to associate and grow mentally and emotionally with other horses. Yes, I believe that the horse must be physically mature as well as mentally and emotionally mature before we ‘ask too much of him’ (although formats to increase bone mass and bone density may be of interest). And yes sadly, I believe in the abolishment of solitary confinement (stalling) with the exception of injury/illness or severe inclement weather.

 But that does not mean a horse cannot learn all his basic cue/request responses from the time he is a weaned without diminishing one iota his spirit. And that does not mean that he cannot share the same levels of intimacy, trust, communication, acceptance and understanding with a human that he would with that one other special (to him) horse in the herd.

 I looked to Classical Dressage to teach me how to position my body in a way that will allow my horse to carry me as efficiently and effortlessly as possible. I also want to be able to condition him physically to be able to carry me as efficiently and effortlessly as possible. (In spite of the fact that the pitfalls of human endeavor and tradition seem to have crept into the Dressage world as well with stalling, shoeing and Rollkur being only a few of the deleterious practices still utilized and commonly accepted.) For one of the greatest deadfalls of mounted activity (other than ignoring instinctual equine limitations) is establishing the associative negative imprint of

off-balance discomfort and rider induced lameness.       

But most importantly, while my horse and I learn these things together as one inter-reliant, co-dependent (not codependent) entity, I want to do as little harm as possible to his mind, his body, his heart and his spirit (Primum non Nocere).

Many years ago my obsession and the answers to the seemingly endless questions of ‘why,’ were still not completely satisfied. I needed ‘more.’ More time to study and learn unobserved, more time to confirm my findings as well as more time to simply interact and spend time with what I felt was the most honest, caring, logical, noble creature on the face of the earth (despite the fact that my peers seemed to regard them as a contrary, problematic frustrating beast of burden.) To gain more time for both observation and interaction, I relocated my horses’ pasture so that they completely surrounded my house.

 #1. Having to put on boots to trudge out to the car several hundred feet away each time I leave and return (especially during inclement/severe weather) is an irritating, time-consuming daily inconvenience.

 #2. It is a pleasant ‘pain in the neck’ when trying to plant, install, repair or do ANYTHING outdoors because of all the sincerely appreciated but uninvited ‘equine interest, support and supervision’ that I seem to immediately attract.

 #3. Reaching out from your bed through a bedroom window and being able to touch and talk to your horses at night is a very unique experience (as well as offering additional observation for nocturnal equine patterns and habits. But if I forget to close the window by falling asleep watching them, it can be rather startling to be woken up in the wee hours of the morning by a hard push from an equine nose accompanied with a loud snort that could very well be interpreted as a ‘horse laugh.’

 #4. I learned that being accepted as ‘one of the herd’ (albeit the one who smells weird and changes his scent, walks on his back legs and talks strangely) gives one a unique sense of achievement and fulfillment. Sadly (because of the frailty of the human body) my membership into this elite group was limited by my not being able to ‘play’ with the other members to the degree they desired.

#5. Having a 1,300 pound Standardbred beating on your door as a reminder that you are a ‘few minutes late with supper’ while one of his equine cohorts is turning the door knob at a personally inopportune time while on an international phone call or entertaining guests can be a bit wearisome if not exasperating (not counting the repairs to the door itself).

 #6. No door can ever be left open unguarded for even a moment. Upon returning from a quick trip to the tool shed once, I found Able in the kitchen whinnying for help as he had accidentally knocked over a kitchen chair behind him and literally ‘trapped himself.’ Amazingly, he did not elicit the ‘bull in a china shop syndrome.’

 #7. No window (especially my bedroom window) can ever be left open unguarded. I returned from repairing a fence in the stallion’s pasture one day to find Sundance had removed an expensive comforter from my bed and was proudly prancing around with the largest piece of what was left of it in a manner not unlike a puppy with a new bone.

 #7. No tool, construction material or outside project can be left unattended for a second. While installing brick pavers in back patio, I had walked inside to answer a phone call as I had forgotten to bring the portable phone out with me. I returned just minutes later only to find that Sundance had proudly tipped over the wheelbarrow full of freshly mixed mortar, ‘relocated’ a number of the as yet not mortared but set brick pavers and was deeply engaged in conducting a seminar for the rest of the herd in the proper (or perhaps  improper) use of a shovel some 50 feet away from the patio.

 #8. All doors must be kept locked at all times as Boss (an elderly registered Quarter Horse rescue) taught Sundance how to turn the knob and his young understudy succeeded once in gaining access to the entry hallway. (Luckily, I was home at the time and caught the mischievous rascal red-handed before he could ‘get into things.’)

 *This then, is our Achilles Heel, our ‘blind spot’ that sustains the generational continuance of all ‘problems’ that we encounter with ANY level of equine manipulation.

We have been so indoctrinated with tradition, (and traditional training perceptions and practices) that we have completely lost sight of the fact that the Horse is NOT a problematic, contrary, frustrating creature put on the face of the earth to confound and aggravate us. On the contrary, he is the most honest, caring, logical, noble creature on the face of the earth.

In truth, it is our perceptions, lack of understanding and methods of interaction that are the cause of every ‘horse problem’ ever known. Only if we acknowledge that possibility, and accept personal responsibility for our own lack of understanding can we ever devise a method of interaction that PREVENTS all those ‘problems’ from ever occurring in the first place.

 This leaves us with a ‘catch 22' effect of first CAUSING the problems and difficulties, placing the blame on the Horse, and then devising methods of ‘training’ to counteract the very problems we caused in the first place.

Whether the human ego can ever acknowledge this oversight or not to any appreciable degree remains to be seen. But there is obvious hope in that each day more and more horse owners are becoming aware of the fact that ‘tradition’ has been the greatest destructive force to the human/equine relationship ever known.

 This then is where I find myself after accumulating nearly 25,000 hours of research and study of the Horse and the human/equine relationship in the last 65 years, albeit with many ‘side trips’ (in lieu of studying archaic ‘training methods’).

 At present, I am deeply involved in hopefully opening yet another ‘Pandora’s box.’ This one being the transient change in certain electrical properties of the skin associated with the sweat gland activity that is elicited by a stimulus that evokes an arousal or orienting response. Contrary to our present day scientific beliefs, I am given to think that horses CAN detect our intent and emotional responses due to our pheromones and scent (as the horse’s sensory olfactory system has been completely underrated). This excursion also entails exploring the 'extended nose - investigative approach' when two strange horses meet for exact identification and 'determination of intent.'

Whether I am successful in proving this or not only time will tell. But whatever the final conclusion, I will at least know not only ‘what’ to my own satisfaction but more importantly, ‘why.’

Sincerely,
Chuck Mintzlaff & Kids
Lady, Able, Sundance, Boss, Rebel & Combustion
(And Nikki)
http://www.thenaturalhorse.org/