Like the elephant in the living room, an ever-present but unspoken subject affects every horse-person: where is the boundary between right and wrong in our relationship with horses?
About five thousand years ago, mankind embarked upon a journey that continues to the present: the domestication of horses. By domestication, I mean a contract between two different species whereby one species agrees to give up its freedom and work for, and participate in, another species’ selective breeding program in exchange for food and protection.
The word “domestication” is so commonplace that we often fail to realize the significant role it plays in every aspect of our relationship with horses. You might find it interesting to know that some gray wolves gave up their freedom and entered into a domestication contract with humans at least 14,000 years ago and became dogs; cattle were domesticated about 10,500 years ago; and cats have been domesticated for about 9,000 years.
It is this contract between humans and horses that lies at the core of our relationship with them to this day. In all probability, without this contract, horses would be extinct. This is evidenced by the fact that there are only 1,500 Przewalski’s horses alive today. They are the sole remnants of truly wild horses and the closest cousins to the ancestors of domesticated horses. A strict conservation effort brought them back from only 13 surviving animals.
When one describes the original ancestors of our modern horses, one might think of the Przewalski’s horse or the 17,000-year-old cave paintings of horses in Lascaux, France. Dun-colored, sometimes spotted, dorsal-striped, with a short bristly mane, large head, and short legs under a stout body, they bore little resemblance to the graceful, statuesque creatures that have resulted from our selective breeding programs.
The lives of early humans changed dramatically once horses became a part of our culture. At first, they were bred for docility so that they could easily be kept in herds for milking and meat. It appears that their keepers quickly discovered that horses could be ridden, and they were tasked with herding, hauling, and hunting. Later, as resources became scarce, horses became weapons of war. Genghis Khan became the ruler of the largest kingdom in history when his Mongolian warriors conquered huge portions of Europe and Central Asia on horseback.
As they became an integral part of commerce, agriculture, transportation, sports, and warfare, the selective breeding of horses to optimally perform specific activities has developed into a science. As well as docility, we have bred them to be ridden, to pull, to be strong, intelligent, fast, and agile. In return, they have given their lives to us at home and on the battlefield. Because of their amazing adaptability to a variety of environmental conditions and a myriad of uses, horses have become permanent players in human history, even though they are no longer needed as modes of transportation.
The contract between humans and horses is sacred. By breeding for docility, we have removed much of horses’ ability to break their contract with us, leaving them at our mercy. From time to time, horses will react to harsh handling, but instead of giving them the respect they deserve, we have created bits and other gadgets to suppress their ability to object. We have also over-bred and abandoned them. The used-up horses, the surplus horses, the feral horses, our mustangs and brumbies, the homeless children of domestic horses, are rounded up, caged, and slaughtered. In many ways, we have broken our promise to protect them from ourselves.
Where is the line between right and wrong in the realm of horse-keeping? The pendulum swings to extremes. Some folks view horses as disposable machines that can be destroyed once they outlive their usefulness. Others question the morality of asking horses to do anything at all and want to return them to the wild. The riding of horses has come under debate, as has taking horses over fences or rugged terrain. Recently, it was suggested that horses should only be ridden in straight lines, and circles should be strictly avoided. It is for this entire panorama of people that I have written this paper. The ancestors of our present-day horses became extinct because they were unable to defend themselves against predators, and today’s horses are even more vulnerable. As equestrians, we must individually consider the terms of a domestication contract we can make with our own horses and horses in general.
My personal contract with my horses is this:
- I will feed and protect them;
- I will empathize with, encourage, and support them;
- I will treat them with the same courtesy, kindness, and respect I extend to other family members;
- I will endeavor to always make them feel comfortable and happy, even when I, or my students, are mounted on them;
- I will not use fear, force, or punishment as teaching tools;
- If they are injured, sore, tired, or resistant to spending time with me, I will acknowledge the situation and correct the problem.
The contract you have with your horses is private and based on your own sense of morality; however, it’s important to think about it. Where do you draw your line?
By Chris Forte
For more information regarding our responsibility to our horses, see: EQUINE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS.
References:
- The Earliest Horse Harnessing and Milking, Alan K. Outram et al., Science 06 Mar 2009: Vol. 323, Issue 5919, pp. 1332-1335. DOI: 10.1126/science.1168594
- Ancient DNA provides new insights into the origin of the Chinese domestic horse, Dawei Cai et al., Journal of Archaeological Science 36 (2009) 835-842. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2008.11.00
- Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse, Thomas Jansen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Aug 6; 99(16): 10905–10910. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.152330099
- Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography, Greger Larson et al., PNAS June 5, 2012 109 (23) 8878-8883. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1203005109
- Study Traces Cat’s Ancestry to Middle East, Nicholas Wade, The New York Times, June 29, 2007
- Equus ferus ssp. Przewalskii, King, S.R.B., Boyd, L., Zimmermann, W. & Kendall, B.E., The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T7961A97205530. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T7961A45172099.en
- Prehistoric genomes reveal the genetic foundation and cost of horse domestication, Mikkel Schubert et al., PNAS December 30, 2014 111 (52) E5661-E5669. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1416991111
- Lascaux Cave, Emma Groeneveld, September 2016, Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Lascaux_Cave/
- All the Khan’s Horses, Morris Rossabi, Natural History, October 1994, Asian Topics in World History | Columbia University, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols
- How did we domesticate horses? Genetic study yields new evidence, Sharon Begley, Reuters, Christian Science Monitor, December 16, 2014, https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/1216/How-did-we-domesticate-horses-Genetic-study-yields-new-evidence
- The American Quarter Horse: Population Structure and Relationship to the Thoroughbred, Jessica L. Petersen et al., Journal of Heredity, Volume 105, Issue 2, 1 March 2014, Pages 148–162. DOI: 10.1093/jhered/est079
- Evaluating the roles of directed breeding and gene flow in animal domestication, Fiona B. Marshall et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Apr 29; 111(17): 6153–6158. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1312984110
- The Unwanted Horse in the U.S., By Tom Lenz, DVM, MS, Jul 29th, 08, Presented during the AAEP Summer Healthy Horses Workshop in Austin, Texas. American Association of Equine Practitioners, https://aaep.org/horsehealth/unwanted-horse-us