TEN IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER CONCERNING THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT NATURE HAS GENETICALLY PROGRAMMED INTO HORSES WHICH GOVERN THEIR BEHAVIOR

  1. HORSES ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE ALERT FOR REAL OR IMAGINED DANGER AND THEIR NATURAL INSTINCT IS TO ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO FLEE THAT DANGER IN AN INSTANT
  2. HORSES ARE, AT ALL TIMES, INCREDIBLY AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO DETECT SENSORY STIMULI THAT IS BEYOND THE HUMAN’S ABILITY TO COMPREHEND
  3. THE HORSE’S RESPONSE TIME IS, AT LEAST, 90 % FASTER THAN THE MOST HIGHLY CONDITIONED HUMAN ATHLETE AND IS THE FASTEST OF ANY DOMESTIC ANIMAL
  4. HORSES ARE MORE QUICKLY DESENSITIZED TO FRIGHTENING STIMULI THAN ANY OTHER ANIMAL
  5. HORSES LEARN QUICKLY AND CATEGORIZE ALL EXPERIENCES AS EITHER BEING TRAUMATIC (FEARFUL) OR PLEASURABLE (NON-THREATENING)
  6. HORSES HAVE AN ALMOST INFALLIBLE MEMORY AND NEVER FORGET ANYTHING
  7. HORSES ARE HERD ANIMALS AND ARE THE MOST EASILY DOMINATED OF ALL COMMON DOMESTIC ANIMALS. THEY LOOK FOR GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION
  8. HORSES ARE THE ONLY COMMON DOMESTIC ANIMAL THAT EXERT DOMINANCE AND DETERMINE HIERARCHY WITHIN THE HERD BY CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF OTHER HORSES. POSITIONAL CONTROL IS THE WAY IN WHICH LEADERSHIP IS ESTABLISHED
  9. HORSES USE BODY LANGUAGE AND SUBTLE SIGNALS TO CONVEY DOMINANCE, SUBORDINATION, OR SUBMISSION. HUMANS MUST LEARN THIS LANGUAGE TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH HORSES
  10. HORSES ARE NEUROLOGICALLY MATURE AND PHYSICALLY FULLY ACTIVE SHORTLY AFTER THEY ARE BORN.