b'Deprived of that dopamine, they loseCombined with a lack of contingency motivation, and they dont anticipate any(in this case, the absence of certainty) sense of reward, Waran says.between response and outcome, suchINSTILL horses may well be predisposed to giving How it Happens in Horsesup trying, she says.CONFIDENCE.Animal behavior scientists consider LHIts certainly an area in which we need to be an extreme state of negative welfare.a greater understanding of the behavioralNaturally reduce or Waran says we should be very concernedindicators we can use reliably to ensure if animals in our care have reached thiswe avoid putting our horses in this stateprevent equine stress.point; if its occurring in our own barns,of poor welfare, Waran says. it could be happening on a larger scale throughout the industry. Lazy? Depressed? Pessimistic?Traditional training techniques, es- The LH horse is essentially turned pecially as humans have found ways tooff, our sources say. He seems to be control animals much bigger and stron- uninterested in most things, unmotivated, ger than themselves, have historicallyand generally apathetic. Some people put horses at risk of learned helplessness,describe horses in a state of learned help-says Hayley Randle, PhD, of Charles Sturtlessness as lazy or stubborn. To others, Universitys School of Animal and Vet- they might seem depressed, hanging their erinary Science, in Wagga Wagga, Newheads and ears low and not responding South Wales, Australia.to sights, noises, voices, or approaching people or animals.They get this way because learned Learned helplessnesshelplessness is a passive coping strategyWhy choose is a passive copingin which they get into a lowered bloodConfidence EQ?pressure and lower heart rate, says An-strategy in which (indi- drew McLean, PhD, BSc, Dipl. Ed, of theConfidence EQ is an equine appeasing viduals) get into a low- Australian Equine Behaviour Centre, inpheromone 1% gel that has been clinically Victoria. Its a depressed state, and youproven to reduce stress in horses facing new ered blood pressurecan see that they just dont seek pleasureand challenging environments.and lower heart rate. anymore, and nothing interests them.Certain animal trainersincluding DR. ANDREW MCLEAN elephant trainersseek out this state in large animals because it makes them30 min 1.Apply 30 min beforeAcross generations of horse training,seem safer to work with, McLean says. stressful situation.humans have used methods that breakBut it can actually be dangerous because the horses will, Randle says. Thesethe animal can become untrainable. mainly include restraint systems thatAbove all, when humans purposefully 2.Open the gel packet.involve tying horses for long periods inwork toward LH in horses, its unethical ways they cant escape. While that mightand even borders on abuse, he says. seem extreme in most modern equita- Its a sad state to be in, says McLean. tion programs, many riders continue toWe see the same thing in people whove use restraint systems and devices thatbeen tortured. And thats what torture is,3.Put gel on fingers.dont allow the horse to find a way out.isnt it? Constant pain and unending pain Or, techniques such as the yank andthat has to be endured.crank methodholding the reins tight while spurring hard into the sidescanWhat Learned Helplessness Is Notbe conflicting and confusing. The horseFortunately, the extreme state of LH is4.Applyof packet tocant behave in a way that causes the painfairly rare in the modern world of equita-each nostrilto cease, Randle says. tion, says Hall. That doesnt mean we Unskilled riding can also create a statedont have horses dealing with bad riding of LH, she adds. Riding school mountsor constant pain; it just means horsesVisit ConfidenceEQ.com for deal with multiple riders who haventhavent reached the extent of being in a mastered negative reinforcementthetrue state of learned helplessness.more information.timely release of pressure acknowledgingSometimes people confuse signals orConfidence EQ is a registered trademark of IRSEA.the horses response to a cue. And eachaccidentally desensitize horses to cues student has a unique set of skills, alonglike leg pressure by not releasing it, says with mistakes they commonly make.Hall. The horse ends up not respondingGlobal Excellence in Animal HealthTheHorse.com | The HorseOctober 201919'