HolisticEquine.com : Cure for Domestication: Responsibility, Compensation, Compromise

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The Cure for Domestication
by Cheryl McNamee Sutor, MHG

In caring for horses, we place them into many unnatural conditions, and request them to do things that they either cannot naturally do or are not emotionally, mentally or physically ready to do.

The very act of a predator (human) domesticating a prey animal (horse) is not at all natural...

...Predators hunt, kill and eat prey animals. The practices of box stalling, nailing metal shoes onto feet, and feeding rich grains is not natural. Although these popular practices have made horse keeping more convenient for humans, they have caused our horses to have many unnatural problems and illnesses including colic, founder, bad habits, emotional damage, behavioral problems, training issues, respiratory infections, shortened lifespan, and overall inferior physical, mental and emotional health.

And so, every thing we do with our horses is not natural. There is no natural training or natural hoofcare or natural this or natural that. We can try to become as natural as we can with our horses, and still, there is nothing natural about it.

Does this make it wrong?

No! But, what is wrong is that, in most cases, we have not been able to adequately compensate for domestication to keep our horses living long, healthy lives. Humans have spent centuries trying to figure out solutions to these problems, and most of these conventional and/or traditional efforts have been unsuccessful. Locomotor (leg and hoof) lameness is the largest "killer" of domesticated horses. However, their wild counterparts very rarely experience lameness. Next on the list is colic, which is also nearly non-existant in wild horses.

When a horse is able to exist in the environment that it has evolved to survive in, most areas of it's health are naturally cared for. For example, the 20+ miles per day that a wild horse travels allows a sufficient amount of blood to pump in and out of their hooves with every step, constantly conditioning and aiding many of their bodily systems, including the circulatory, skeletal, muscular and soft tissue systems. These systems are exercised day and night. As a comparison, our domesticated horses spend a majority of their days fairly stationary, in box stalls, with minimal movement (they're lucky to get 1 mile per day). Their bodily systems do not receive the low-stress continual conditioning that a wild horse does.

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When a race horse bows a tendon, tears a ligament, or shatters a bone during a race, we can now understand what the source of the problem is. If a horse is standing in a stall 24/7, his bones, tendons, muscles, and heart become weak from lack of conditioning and a lack of proper blood flow to the systems in need of growth and strength. Then, he is taken from the stall and run hard, over-stressing the under-developed and immature bodily systems.

We have domesticated the horse and have caused it to live in conditions that are convenient for us, but we have not been able to figure out how to care for horses as well as they can for themselves in the wild. Horses have evolved over millions of years to not only withstand their natural environment, but to require it for health and longevity. And so, the solution should be quite simple...

Responsibility, Compromise, Compensation

When we purchase a horse, we are essentially making an invisible contract to care for that animal. This makes us fully responsible for the horse's health, safety, and well-being. In return, we are able to use the animal's grace, speed, and in many cases the invaluable relationship or companionship for our own pleasure, fulfillment and well-being.

When we are responsible for an animal, many times we need to make additional compromises to ensure the well-being of that animal. For example, we may have to compromise our time and effort by walking out into a cold, snowy pasture in the winter to catch our horse rather than leaving him in a stall 24/7 for our convenience of warmth and to avoid the effort of walking to catch him. This compromise alone may increase the longevity and health of the animal enough to extend it's useful life by many years.

Here's a comparison that should be considered quite seriously by horse owners... Would you confine a dolphin to a 12' diameter swimming pool, or a dog to a pet carrier in which it urinates and defecates in the same area that it eats and sleeps for a majority of it's life? These acts are not so common, because it would be considered by society to be inhumane and cruel. So, why do we confine such a large animal as the horse to a 12' x 12' (sometimes smaller) area for extended periods of time? The answer is clear... tradition, convenience, and urban sprawl.

By making compromises that will allow a horse to live a life that is more suited to support it's biology, we are able to compensate for and reduce the many negative side-effects our horses have been subjected to as domesticated animals.

If you are interested in reading more about the environmental factors and horse-keeping strategies that are more in harmony with the horse's biology, please refer to our Living Requirements For Horses article.

"I don't help people with horse problems,
I help horses with people problems."
~Nicholas Evans

The information on this site is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for you. This information is not intended to be used as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. Cheryl McNamee-Sutor is a certified mentor hoof groom, wholistic bare hoof specialist, horse trainer, reiki practitioner, and an educator and distributor of therapeutic-grade essential oils; NOT a licensed doctor or veterinarian. If you are sick, injured or otherwise unhealthy, please consult with a licensed doctor.
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