This is the second article in a series looking at horse welfare from a broader perspective, including the scientific literature on animal welfare. I hope to introduce some of the concepts that underpin a more sophisticated discussion on welfare.
Last month we looked at some advanced ideas about welfare in training. Now I want to look at the place of training when thinking about welfare.
The world is becoming a more connected and more complicated place. In 1997, the term “social licence to operate” was applied to industry, especially mining, referring to the need for industry to meet changing societal values about the environment, sustainability and the relationships with communities affected by industry. This relatively new concept is being applied to all kinds of activities. Equestrian sports now need a social licence to operate.
“Good training provides
enrichment for horses…
what you are basically doing is
filling those neural pathways.”
Social licence to operate is hard to define but essentially I understand that, where the wider society has trust that an industry will operate according to appropriate standards, that industry will be able to operate. The key value in social licence in equestrian is welfare of the horse. Last month we reviewed the dimensions of welfare, which now include the idea of a life worth living. This includes an animal’s freedom to make choices.
Dr Andrew McLean says: “Good training provides enrichment for horses. The truth is that training is good for horses because they otherwise live in a very empty world compared with the natural evolved state. With good training (clear, predictable, light aids) then what you are basically doing is filling those neural pathways.” Many of us, including me, have had horses that hang over the gate when it’s work time, seeming to want to be caught and brought in to participate. We hope that we are that trainer whose horse wants to come and play riding games. Pzazz, the first horse I trained to Grand Prix, always gave the impression that he wanted to work, and that he liked horse shows, always seeming to be interested in what was going on.
ENRICHING THEIR LIVES
Eduardo Fernandez, the author of the paper I discussed last month, has done a comprehensive review of the literature which addresses the question of whether training is enriching animals’ lives. Animals living in zoos and animals in agricultural settings have been studied. The idea of systematic environmental enrichment for zoo animals started in the 1970s and included changes in feeding practices, allowing animals to work for their food, foraging, pressing levers etc. Fernandez looked at the literature and found that training can enrich animals’ lives in several ways. Firstly, training can help animals make more use of enrichment items. Animals will prefer to work for their food in many of the situations that have been studied.
Training can lead to better relationships and interaction between animal groups and with humans. Human/animal interactions have been studied. Otters, gorillas and elephants have all been shown to benefit from training; for example, otters become more active, elephants become more social and have less stereotypical (stress) behaviours when trained.
Variety of behaviour demonstrated spontaneously has been seen as an indicator of improved welfare of animals. Training dogs and cats has been shown to expand behaviour repertoires. Training has been shown to reduce stress-related behaviour such as self-injury scratching and stereotypes in marmosets, macaques, chimpanzees and African wild dogs.
Training dolphins for shows has been investigated and there are some findings suggesting that dolphins in captivity are interested to interact with trainers and will choose to participate in training voluntarily. I would note that dolphin trainers use positive reinforcement (rewards) and use clicker training (or similar marking of wanted behaviour) rather than the negative reinforcement we typically use with horses. This research does not address the question of whether dolphins should be captive, only how training can benefit captive dolphins.
EXPERIENCING PLEASURE
There is evidence that when animals complete a behaviour that they have been trained to do they experience pleasure. They have a little burst of dopamine in the so-called reward pathways of the brain. These are the pathways that are involved in pleasure and also addiction. This is true whether the behaviour is trained with positive reinforcement (reward) or with negative reinforcement (pressure release training). Dopamine release can be in response to successfully reacting to a light aid, where the animal is aware that by responding to a light aid, they are avoiding a stronger aid.
Of course, dopamine has complex roles in the brain and isn’t only about pleasure. Dopamine is also involved in movement, memory, mood, sleep and in humans is implicated in disease such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. But what is relevant for us as horse trainers is that horses will have a little burst of dopamine when they do something that they are trained to do. So, training enhances welfare.
People who are not involved in our sport have access to see how we interact with our horses. They do not always understand what they see, and can make judgments that we don’t agree with. I think that sometimes the public see things that we don’t see because of our own bias, such as the expression on a horse’s face when in pain.
The lobby groups such as PETA have great political power. The equestrian sports and racing have, so far as I can tell, been very reactive to pressure from such groups. Rule changes that appear to represent the welfare interests of the horses have been introduced. Recently, the FEI has opened up the dressage warm-up to potential streaming ostensibly to show that there is nothing to hide.
MORE THAN SOFT BITS
Welfare is more than soft bits and loose nosebands. To ensure that we have social licence to operate I think that we should be taking a strong role in educating the public (who are involved in giving us social licence) about what good welfare is. Good training leads to better welfare. Good training is enrichment. There is evidence of this in other captive animals and perhaps we should support research on horses. Good training is enrichment because it leads to pleasure for horses via dopamine.
Of course, we have to have integrity in how we act so that training is good (consistent, least pressure using positive reinforcement when appropriate). We should be looking at our horse’s expression and look for signs of discomfort. We can’t be perfect, and life includes discomfort for all living beings, but we should be striving to be better.
I believe it is time to change the discussion and argue that training and sport are good for horses. We all know that our horses are much loved and well cared for. If they weren’t in the sport, if they had no purpose in our human world, they would not be cared for as they are.
Have fun.
Kerry EQ
Reference: Training as enrichment: A critical review. EJ Fernandez. Animal welfare 2022, 31:1-12
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ BY KERRY MACK:
What Does Welfare Really Mean? – Equestrian Life, March 2024
A Masterclass with Vanessa Way – Equestrian Life, January/February 2024
Play it Safe From the Ground Up – Equestrian Life, December 2023
The Joy of Raising Foals – Equestrian Life, November 2023
Perfecting the Short Side – Equestrian Life, October 2023
The Subtle Art of Suppleness – Equestrian Life, September 2023
Perfecting The Pirouettes – Equestrian Life, August 2023
Get In The Zone & Go With The Flow – Equestrian Life, July 2023
How to Resolve Common Problems – Equestrian Life, June 2023
A Smarter Way to Compete – Equestrian Life, May 2023
What Motivates Me – Equestrian Life, March 2023
More Than a Walk in the Park – Equestrian Life, February 2023
Scott Keach Makes His Own Luck – Equestrian Life, December 2022
No Room for Bullying in Our Sport – Equestrian Life, November 2022
Avoid the Mud (Play Indoors) – Equestrian Life, October 2022
Why We Love Our Sport – Equestrian Life, September 2022
Getting on the Bit – Equestrian Life, July 2022
Positive Training Really Clicks with Horses – Equestrian Life, June 2022
Learn From Your Mistakes – Equestrian Life, March 2022 issue
Young Horse Classes: A Fun Launching Pad – Equestrian Life, February 2022
Making Sense of all the Bits & Pieces – Equestrian Life, January 2022
The Secret to ‘Soft Hands‘ – Equestrian Life, December 2021
Ask Less, Reward More – Equestrian Life, October 2021
So You Want To Go To The Games? – Equestrian Life, September 2021
The Ins & Outs Of Bitless Bridles – Equestrian Life, July 2021
Taking The Plunge With The Lunge – Equestrian Life, June 2021
Dressage for Showjumpers – Equestrian Life, May 2021
23 Shoulder-In Exercises to Improve Your Horse – Equestrian Life, April 2021
Understanding Your Horse’s Inner Thoughts – Equestrian Life, March 2021
Make the Most of Your Seniority – Equestrian Life, February 2021
Building Better Relationships – Equestrian Life, January 2021
Whipping Up Controversy – Equestrian Life, December 2020
The Importance of a Trusting Relationship – Equestrian Life, November 2020
Welcome to Kindergarten for Foals – Equestrian Life, October 2020
The Carrot or the Liquorice? Positive Reinforcement – Equestrian Life, September 2020
Submission or Stress? Something to Chew On – Equestrian Life, August 2020
A Relaxed Horse is a Happy Horse – Equestrian Life, July 2020
The Literate Horse Rider – Equestrian Life, June 2020
Why Horses Love Ingrid Klimke – Equestrian Life, May 2020
