How do you become a voice for equine behaviour?
The saddest thing I experience as a behaviourist is meeting an equid with a long-term behavioural challenge that has never been resolved because their human never asked for help. The next saddest thing is when I meet an equid with unwanted behaviour that has deteriorated, and the owner has asked for help, but they asked in the wrong place and received bad advice.
It is easy to forget that one of the most challenging things as a horse owner is knowing when to ask for help and whom to believe when you do receive advice. Once upon a time, advice only came from people you were in direct contact with, such as trusted friends, the vet, books, or perhaps an equine professional writing a magazine. But unfortunately, with the growth in social media and the ability to access content from all over the world, information levels have reached saturation point.
Understandably, with the pace of the modern world, we want quick, easy access to solutions because we care and are busy. The problem is the human tendency to suffer from a form of cognitive bias called confirmation bias. Our brain seeks information that agrees with our existing beliefs, values and experience while rejecting ideas that challenge our sense of who we are and what we know. For example, presented with multiple scientific studies on the harmful effects of smoking, a smoker will often try to find flaws with the studies or recall the story of an Aunt who smoked 20 a day from age 15, drank a flagon of cider daily too, and lived to 104 as evidence that the science might be wrong. To make things even harder, confirmation bias is not a conscious process, so we most likely don’t even know we are doing it. Confirmation bias means we might miss the right advice simply because our brain tries to make us comfortable.
So when we ask for advice, we are most likely to hear or notice advice that already fits our pre-existing ideas or at least our perception of horse behaviour and what they should be doing. Accepting advice that already agrees with ours makes us feel comfortable but means that we miss out on other possible solutions that are far more factual or evidence-based. The problem of confirmation bias can be further compounded if we add another bias, this time selective perception. This is a tendency not to notice or forget information quickly that causes emotional discomfort or contradicts an individual’s prior beliefs. When these two biases are combined, we are more likely to see information that matches our existing beliefs and forget that which does not match our current beliefs.
If someone believes their horse is naughty or “just being silly”, their brain seeks information supporting that view. So, when somebody suggests that pain rather than a character flaw might cause the animal’s behaviour, it is much harder for people to accept this different view, that’s if they even remember a different view exists. From experience, I see the possibility of eliminating pain first, most often dismissed with statements like, “he doesn't always do it” or “I don't think pain is the problem.”
So how can we ask for advice and ensure we are avoiding the problem of cognitive bias?
Many people have excellent knowledge and experience and want to help horses, donkeys and mules. Therefore, I'm certainly not saying that every piece of advice is wrong, only that the challenge is to know which advice might be right for you and your unique equid, with their unique history, living in their unique environment, with their unique medical conditions, unique companions and with their unique human (you) who has a particular set of unique values, knowledge and standards.
Unfortunately, the advice we receive often has a one size fits all nature based on one person’s experience in their equally unique situation. Abraham Maslow said, “ If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. ” This, of course, refers to the over-reliance on a favourite method or piece of equipment. It is a common problem seen in method-based practitioners. While a tool can be handy sometimes, always using the same tool can be unhelpful or destructive. This tenancy for the same method to be advocated for many different behaviour challenges can, unfortunately, seem like a magic built or quick fix to a time-starved, desperate-to-help equine handler. Please don’t think I am labelling or making anyone the villain; it is just how our brain works if we aren’t mindful of the tricks it uses to help us.
A common question I see is, “My horse has separation anxiety; what should I do?” The posted answers usually relate to how each person dealt with their unique but seemingly similar problem. There is often little mention of the perimeters of their animal’s behaviour, case history, what they tried that didn’t work, or other factors such as friends, environment enrichment, pain, etc. And what is lovely is that there is not a single negative intention; everyone giving advice wants to help you and your horse overcome their separation distress, so they offer what they can to help to ease your discomfort; plus, maybe we all like to feel a little bit knowledgeable.
How do you know who to listen to?
Listen to the person that asks more questions first. The person who tries to understand your unique situation before offering advice. After all, would you think it odd if a vet came to treat your sick horse, but when they arrived, they gave a treatment without you asking for more details? What about if you went to the hospital and the doctor did not question you about your unique symptoms? Instead, they said, “With my last patient who showed similar symptoms, I gave them electric shock therapy, so that’s what I plan for you.”
What happens if you are in a relationship, and your partner tells you a solution to a problem you discuss without you feeling they have fully understood your situation? Are you happy to accept and apply their answer, or are you somewhat frustrated that they haven’t fully listened to your explanation before offering advice?
Interestingly, when it comes to behaviour, knowing whom to ask is an additional challenge. I have long said one of the four problems of working with behaviour is that everyone is a behaviourist. We all deal with behaviour all day, our behaviour, the dog’s behaviour, children’s behaviour, and partners’ behaviour, and if you are an equine professional, you deal with equine behaviour. So, clients ask their nutritionist, the farrier, the riding instructor or the physio about their horse’s behaviour. Interestingly, professionals often give advice about behaviour without considering if they are qualified to do so. I am pretty sure if I started giving specific physio advice, nutritional advice or told people how to put shoes on their horses, those professionals would be up in arms. So, unless someone is qualified and experienced in the science of behaviour, the professional thing to do would be to suggest the client contacts a suitably qualified behaviourist. Everyone’s a behaviourist.
If you are a person, on social media, in forums or in groups who wants to help horses, donkeys, and mules when their humans raise questions, great, please do help, but first, ask lots of questions, encourage people to explore their unique situation and understand the possibilities. Ask what they feel is right for them and their equid; what advice do they want? What have they already tried, friends, activity, food, general behaviour and character etc. Don’t offer solutions until you know you fully understand their situation.
Asking questions first is part of how you can become a voice for mules, donkeys and horses.
Help people by asking questions and resisting the urge to solve the problem for them. Help other horse handlers find their answer, not yours. Direct people to professional sources of information, resources and learning that will set up a lifetime of learning. Encourage other handlers to get experienced, qualified help early; minor issues or cute foal behaviour often turn into unwanted severe behaviour. Behaviour is a complicated topic with many factors that can affect each animal differently. As we learn more, we all know that looking for a cause of a behaviour is the first step to creating a solution, but without asking questions, we can’t find the correct answer.
I love this saying, ‘The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.’ When we take or give free advice, we might think there is no cost, but I think there is. The cost is lost time, broken relationships, worsening behaviour, continuing painful undiagnosed painful conditions and, in some cases, serious injury.
So often, people reach out for professional help only when the behaviour is severe and well-established. Then, they are surprised that it might take months to resolve with consistent work and considerable effort. Finally, they are tired of trying because they have already tried so much “free” advice that they can’t face starting all over again. The issue could have been resolved if only they had been directed to seek professional support as soon as the problem was noticed.
In the vast world of cyberspace, our lone voice can seem small and insignificant. However, you can make a difference in the lives of horses, donkeys and mules. Becoming a voice for equids means when you see people asking for help on social media, encourage people to ask more questions by asking more yourself, explaining the importance of questions, and understanding each unique situation. Help people treat their animals as unique sentient beings. Encourage them to avoid the cost of wasted time and get professional help early. Please direct them to qualified, trustworthy, evidenced-based sources of information; that’s how you change a horse’s world with the simple power of asking more questions.
Ask your question
Have you ever felf bullied on Equine social media groups
Yes - many times
No - Never
Occasionally
Comments