Program "A Horse is a Horse, of Course" - 2nd International Symposium for Equine Welfare and Wellness - Minds-n-Motion Symposium
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Program ”A Horse is a Horse, of Course”
2nd International Symposium for Equine Welfare and Wellness
23-24 August, in Torna Hällestad, Sweden
DAY 1: EQUINE SCIENCE AND WELFARE
Introduction and case examples – from the horses’ point of view
– Ilka Parent
Ilka Parent will present the opening questions for this year’s “A Horse is a Horse, of
course” with case examples taking from her years of experience – from the horses’
point of view, raising questions about the impact of equine assisted traumawork on
the horses’ welfare and well-being.
Learning about horses: time for a paradigm change in equine education?
– Rhys Evans
From the turn of the decade, there have been multiple discussions within
the communities of equine researchers that we are witnessing a fundamental
change in the role horses play in human lives. This change, from “work horse
to hobby horse” (Evans, Franklin 2009); from “production to consumption”
(Evans, Vial 2015); and increasingly towards becoming more of a companion
animal (Shuurman, Franklin 2017) or therapy assistant (Hallberg 2008) has
been accompanied by changes in standards in horse keeping, horse training, and indeed, in the ways that horses
themselves are being seen.
The majority of equine education, however, is rooted in traditional streams in which a practitioner travels from
embodied learning (riding school lessons, etc.) to equine practice (the skills to keep horses and run equine busi-
nesses), and, for a few, to university – although there are very few places, even within the veterinary sciences, and
the paths to these positions often follow a science-oriented path.
This presentation focuses on Equine Veterinary Education and the need for welfare to involve not only the physi-
cal biology of a horse, but also its cognitive and affective components. It is clear that mainstream veterinary edu-
cation has not seen a similar change in teaching about horses that those who deal with horses are experiencing
and promoting. This emerging change, increasingly detailed in the work of human-horse relations researchers,
amounts to a paradigm change in what horses do, what humans do with them, and in all the wider implications
this brings.
Horse biology – how can we measure welfare?
– Maja Tarka
How can we tell if an individual is stressed? What is stress and can we determine the
stressors? Is stress always negative? What are the signs and symptoms in behaviour and
physiology? In what ways can we alleviate negative stress in our horses?
I will give a brief review over research done on stress physiology in horses and other
animals and give a few examples of methods used to measure stress responses. We will
discuss which of these methods can be applied to investigating stress levels in horses.
Equine welfare and wellbeing – The role of the equine specialist in EAA
– Katarina Felicia Lundgren
How can we, in Equine Assisted Activities, change our focus from avoiding and tre-
ating symptoms of negative equine welfare? To take preventive measures, to promote
and ensure equine physical, mental and social health? To see how EAA can contribute
to positive equine welfare?
One way is to look at the role of the Equine Specialist, what kind of knowledge the
ES needs and brings into EAA teamwork, how this knowledge improves the quality of
life for equines, as well as the quality of services in EAA. What is a study curriculum
for an ES to include? I suggest more and deepened knowledge about equine cognition
and behavior (e.g. emotions, learning, communication, play, relating/bonding/attaching, problem solving, stress
reactions). But also knowledge about equine-human interaction, how to improve observational skills, how to see
(and understand) the equine’s perspective in sessions of EAA, as well as outside sessions.
Another way is to look at the ethics of letting equines work with clients. How does it impact them? What pro-
blems do we see? How do we formulate our ethics? In our teams? In the field of EAA?
An equine is an equine, but also an individual, a subject, have a personality, is an agent, with a unique life history
and experiences. This means not all equines are the same. How do we consider the individual equine in equine
welfare and wellbeing? When we formulate our ethics? In discussing these and other related questions we will see
that knowledge about equines and equine-human interaction is as important in EAA as knowledge about hu-
mans. It will clarify the role and function of the ES in the team, as well as his/her responsibilities.
Applying knowledge about feral horses on all horses
– Lucy Rees
Horses, of course, evolved as prey animals, although their defence behavio-
ur has hitherto not been studied. Observations on feral horses predated by
puma and jaguar lead to a new, adaptive interpretation of their social rela-
tions based on the self-organising algorithm of coherence, synchrony and
non-collision, the formula that allows safe massed flight. Their natural lives
do not include competition, resource control or power relations and there are no dominance hierarchies or fixed
leaders. Horses do not share our concept of authority but cooperate in collective defence.
Applying these principles in training, handling, riding and therapy opens the way to human-horse relations that
horses naturally understand and the development of interactions and games that invite voluntary synchrony and
cooperation.
An alternative perspective on equine-human interaction and equine welfare
– Arieahn Matamonasa-Bennett
In 2013 the author, (an EAT practitioner and researcher) completed research which
addressed the need for discourse and dialogue on ethics in the fields of animal-assisted
therapy (AAT) in general and equine-assisted therapy (EAT) specifically. Utilizing
animals as partners in a therapeutic process requires major cultural paradigm shifts
regarding intelligence and emotion and consideration of the ethical implications for
the care and agency of these animals. There is a paucity of literature and very little is
known about the impact that therapy has on animals. The 2013 study suggests that
this blind spot may be the result of the legacy of underlying, post-Christian, Western
scientific beliefs about human-animal relation- ships. Practitioners in the field tend to
fall into the broad categories of ‘utilitarians’ or ‘stewards’. The author, an EAT practitioner from Native American
cultural healing tradition, offers suggestions on the ways in which Native American constructs about animals
may provide valuable alternatives to commonly-held Western view- points creating opportunities for deeper,
more authentic relationships, reciprocity and a greater understanding of horse-human relationships.
DAY 2: EQUINE WELFARE IN EQUINE INTERACTION PROGRAMS
Balancing body, mind and soul – Introduction to the world of TCM
(Traditional Chinese Medicine)
– Eva Balzer
In traditional Chinese medicine the Five Elements theory is used to interpret the
relationship between the physiology and pathology of the body and the natural
environment.
The Five Elements theory organizes all natural phenomena into five master
groups, or patterns in nature. Each of the five groups: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, includes categories
such as a season, a direction, climate, stage of growth and development, internal organ, body tissue, emotion,
aspect of the soul, taste, color, sound etc.
The Five Elements theory reflect a deep understanding of natural law, the Universal order underlying all things in
our world. These elements are in constant movement and change. Moreover, the complex connections between
material objects are explained through the relationship of interdependence and mutual restraint that governs
the five elements. If The Five Elements are balanced in an individual, we call it a healthy system – if they are not
balanced something appears that we call a disease in our western system. As a therapist – this is where you step in
and try to balance the system, meaning the animal or the human patient.
This presentation will discuss The Five Elements and different uses of it, applied to equine assisted therapy and
how it can be used to enhance equine welfare and well-being.
Hidden in Plain Sight
– Michelle Whitham Jones
There is a wealth of research claiming the ‘benefits’ of Equid Assisted In-
teractions (EAI’s), but these are often anthropocentric and describe ‘im-
provement’ to the human’s disability as the measurable benefit. This study
concentrates on the dyadic relationship between pre or nonverbal autistic
children and their donkey partners during interaction sessions.Prior to clarifying potential ‘benefits’ of EAI, I propose that it is essential to first measure the quality of engage-
ment between heterospecific participants. This provides contextual evidence about the nature of each individual’s
behavioural responses relative to the other. Knowing the quality of engagement between participants, creates an
opportunity to disentangle variables and interpret the potentially confounding causality of perceived benefits.
By designing and utilising a unique Quality of Engagement Tool (QET) to measure engagement of both donkeys
and children, I was able to capture the emerging relationship between human and equid participants. I observed
how heterogeneity of character and personal preference, irrespective of species, affected levels of engagement. The
tool identified differences in engagement seeking or avoiding that varied, with different partners. The QET was
designed to avoid the possibility that one member of the dyad would gain a larger share of observer’s attention,
rendering the other partners’ subtle behaviours unintentionally missed by casual observation. This observational
bias, possibly quite common in other EAI sessions, meant that concern signals could be unintentionally, hidden
in plain sight. Donkeys are generally more stoic than horses and may only display subtle behaviour changes when
in pain or fearful (cf. Hart 2008:78). My findings showed that QET enabled subtle nuances to be detected in
real-time and decisions made about the suitability, well-being and consent of either participant.
Through the Eyes of the Horse... Are You Listening?
– Marlene du Plessis
This presentation will draw from various equine assisted therapeutic intervention
sessions in an endeavour to illustrate the often subtle, yet powerful contributions
our equine partners make during sessions.
Being in the presence of horses during a session, deep-seated memories are often
triggered, which can be understood as almost primal and which is vital to our
human soul. It seems that horses are masters in setting the stage for the interplay
between the client’s raw experiences of reality, which places them in a space that
is often so terrifying that that will do most anything to hide it from their own awareness (unconscious), and
the their ability to express the pain and horror in audible language (conscious). It is in this process between the
conscious and unconscious that the therapy team need to become a sensitive conduit, noticing the unconscio-
us or inner messages that could belong to the client as the horse(s) link the client’s unconscious script with the
conscious and visual story experienced in the present moment. It is this process that one finds it difficult not to
be astonished by the powerful way horses guide and facilitate the journey of self-discovery and healing.
Choice
– Leanne Nieforth
Choice. We all know the word. We all think we know what it means, but do we
actually understand the weight it carries in maintaining the welfare and well-being of
our horses and clients? By combining research with her personal experiences, Leanne
will present a framework for incorporating “choice” into our EAP & EAL practices.
This framework suggests that providing broad choices for the horse in EAP session
is an essential component in maintaining his overall well-being. This freedom to
choose reduces stress and confusion allowing him to freely interact with the client.
For horses who have had few choices in their dealings with humans, the opportuni-
ty to explore the act of choosing is the path to balance and healing. Maintaining an
environment of freedom to choose, for both the horse and the client fosters thriving,
natural relationship building that directly correlates to both the client’s interactions in daily life and the horses’
interactions in their herd.
Equalia Actualization - Horse Consciousness, Human Evolution
– Esta Bernstein
Do we really know what a horse wants? Have we been open mined eno-
ugh to ask them? When a horse decides (or not) to become a participant
in our lives and partner in our disciplines, how do we know they are up to
the task? Just because a horse has displayed the traits of an ideal “therapy”horse” does not necessarily mean that they want to do that type of work. While some of them love what they do,
maybe some of their past training has taught them not to fully express themselves for fear of human retaliation
or punishment.
When taking the horse’s well-being into consideration, the responsibility falls on us, and unless we are fully
present and aware of each of their individuals needs, and know how to recognize what those varying needs are,
we can miss some great leaning opportunities, not only for ourselves but for our clients as well. Ensuring the
well-being of the equines we love will bring out their best traits so that they willingly become more interested in
any activities we present to them.
In this session we will present our Equalia Actualization Program outline and describe how to become more in
tune with our horses needs, through proper nutrition, equine body language and expression, and finally journey-
ing into their soul to discover their purpose (not ours) so that we can help them fulfill their destiny as our happy,
healthy partners. We will also discuss the benefit of having rescued horses as some of the best EFT horse partners
since they can more easily identify trauma in clients that they themselves have been through.
Horses as the Master Trainers for Developing Somatic Intelligence and
Embodying Leadership
– Lissa Pohl
One intention behind Equine Assisted Learning is to give humans an experien-
ce that allows them to better understand how to leverage sensory information
from stimuli in the environment, our somatic intelligence, and to act on it in
the present moment, much like a horse. In a leadership context, working with
horses can enlighten us about organizational system pressure, communication
breakdowns, and inauthentic intentions, because the horses directly reflect the
moment in which they show up. On the other hand, and just as plainly, congru-
ency of thought, feeling and action, a clear vision and intention, patience and connection are also mirrored back
to the two legged participants by the four legged teachers.
When facilitating Equine Assisted Activities, in both therapeutic and learning applications, there is a risk of
treating or viewing the horse as a tool in the process of learning, as a convenient and effective ‘means to an end’,
i.e. a human’s learning. This perspective can lead to a somatic disconnect and result in the unconscious disregard
for both their emotional and physical safety and wellbeing. Therefore, as practitioners we need to utilize the
notion of conscientia or “knowing with” - understanding that it is through relationship with others and one’s
environment that we come to know ourselves and evolve (de Quincey, 1998). This presentation will speak to the
importance of incorporating a somatic learning perspective when designing equine assisted activities and what
can happen when you don’t.
For more information about the speakers,
how to register and how to find your way to the symposium,
please visit:
www.mindsnmotionsymposium.orgYou can also read
