A Wolf in Human Clothing

Before I began studying Parelli Natural Horsemanship™, I never really though of my self as a predator. After all, when the term ‘predator’ is applied to a person, it is seldom meant as a compliment. And predatory behavior, behavior that is exploitive, excessive or rapacious, is generally viewed in our society with disapproval. So it took me a while to get over the negative connotations associated with those words and begin to think about my relationship with horses in the natural context of predator and prey. Once I did, I was amazed at how often the most insignificant of my day to day behaviors could cause me to become in a horse’s mind, a wolf in human clothing.
Recently, I moved my horse Sonny to a new barn and he is now turned out with three other big red horses. I call them the four amigos. From a distance it is difficult to tell Sonny from the others and I haven’t really gotten to know his pasture mates very well yet. So in an attempt to appear less ‘predator-like’, when entering their pasture, I haven’t been walking in a straight line directly up to the group. Rather I have been meandering around the pasture until the horses come over to see what I am up to. They are a social, friendly group and had shown no fear of me, until one day recently when I changed my routine and set off a classic prey animal reaction.
It was a warm, sunny morning and the horses were at the far end of their pasture. I know they had seen me enter the pasture because as I unlatched the gate, the noise had caused all four horses to interrupt their grazing long enough to lift their heads and look in my direction. Seeing that it was only a human entering the field, they quickly resumed grazing. I walked about halfway up the pasture along the fence and then sat down, with my back against a fence post, to wait for the horses to approach.
I had only been sitting a few minutes when I noticed that one of the horses had come to attention. Head up, body tense, he was looking down the field with some alarm, when he broke into an animated trot. His gait was so elevated, his tail flying like a flag behind that he looked like some cartoon horse. As he passed me, I thought he was bothered by the lawn tractor, which had just motored into view from around the house, until he stopped abruptly and swung around to face me, snorting and blowing for all he was worth
This was classic case of prey animal behavior. To maintain their safety, horses need to be perceptive to changes in their environment. . Apparently a human waking in his field wasn’t an issue for him but when I had unexpectedly sat down by the fence I had become a wolf in human clothing.
I was fascinated by this turn of events, so I sat still and watched. After snorting and staring briefly, the horse headed back toward his pasture mates, still at his animated trot. Reaching them, he swung around to face me before setting off again down the field. Back and forth he went, snorting and blowing for all he was worth. With each pass down the field, he came a little closer but his high headed stance and tense body language just screamed, “I’m not too sure about this!”
In the meantime, his antics had roused the interest of the other horses which had paused their grazing and were now trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. Once Sonny spotted me sitting by the fence, he began to amble in my direction and this apparently lent courage to his agitated pasture mate, who angled ever closer.
Worried about being stepped on the excited horse, I finally got to my feet as the two animals approached. Sonny walked right up to me and pushed his nose toward my pocket looking for a treat. His red twin stopped a few feet away, eying me with uncertainty and breathing in short, forceful puffs. Being careful to maintain a relaxed posture, I reached out and offered him the back of my hand. He took two steps toward me and then tentatively stretched out his neck until his muzzle touched my hand. As I slowly reached up and rubbed his face and neck, I could almost feel the tension drain out of him. His head lowered, his eyes softened and he let out a big sigh. If he could have talked at that point he probably would have said, “Oh, it’s only you. You’re Sonny’s human. You gave me quite a scare!”
Parelli Natural Horsemanship™ is based on the idea that horsemanship is natural but to become a true horseman, your first have to understand that the horse is a prey animal and the human is a predator. Horse behavior is driven by its natural prey animal instincts and biologically, humans are a natural enemy. Horses are also naturally much more perceptive than humans to danger and changes in their environment. If we want our horses to be better partners, then we need to learn to act less like the biological predators that we are and to think about things more from the horse’s point of view.
The lesson I learned from the episode was not to assume that a behavior my own horse wouldn’t view as predatory, would be viewed in the same innocuous way by other horses. Because I have been working on strengthening my relationship with Sonny over the years, I often come into his pasture, sit down and wait for him to come over to me. But since he has been turned out with the three amigos, I had always remained standing while waiting for the horses to approach. My change in behavior, as insignificant as it might have seemed to me, had been viewed as a threat. In the future, I will need to remain conscious of changes in my behavior if I hope to gain and retain the trust of Sonny’s pasture mates.