A HERDSMAN'S HANDBOOK FOR THE MODERN HOMESTEADER

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First-time farmers usually do pretty well with gardens, chopping wood and building outhouses . . . but the birth of that first calf or litter of pigs generally sets 'em back a couple of notches. R.J. Holliday DVM, a veterinarian in Missouri and MOTHER contributor, intends to remedy the situation. His tool? A new handbook precisely designed to explain all the animal facts of life in language that new back-to-the-landers can understand.

MOTHER is serializing the manual as Dr. Holliday completes each chapter and here's installment No. 8:

N o other facet of good herdsmanship demands as much attention to detail as does the management of horses. It's always sad to see a good animal ruined or a promising young rider injured . . . just for lack of the little bits and pieces of information that ensure adequate care of the mount and safety for the handler.

This section will discuss briefly some of the things a new horse owner needs to know right now to avoid many of the dangers besetting him and his acquisition. Most of these topics will be dealt with in greater detail in upcoming chapters.

EQUINE PSYCHOLOGY

At best, most horses are nervous, flighty creatures. In the wild state this trait was necessary for survival, since the main equine defenses are the ability to see danger at a distance and the speed to escape it. Kicking and biting are occasionally used in close combat with a predator but are more often reserved for intraspecies competition: by the stallions in their struggle to maintain a band of mares, by the mares to establish the "pecking order" within the group and by the colts and fillies for exercise and recreation.

To really understand the psychology of horses we must remember that they fear sudden movements or noises. Their reaction to close-up danger is to kick or bite and their reaction to a distant hazard is to run.

Your actions as a horseman must conform to these laws so that the animal you manage will never feel threatened in your presence and, therefore, won't need to resort to defensive behavior. His environment must be so structured that he respects you as his master, yet isn't fearful of you. Any punishment he receives in the course of training must be associated with the wrong action on his part and not with the trainer or handler. Only then will your mount trust you and respond to your schooling.

The horse's idiosyncrasies of behavior are due mainly to his unique pattern of sight, which differs from the true binocular vision of humans. The placement of his eyes on the sides of the head gives a horse excellent side vision but leaves him blind to the front and to the rear.

Some horses do have their eyes placed well forward on the head and, thus, seem to have partial binocular vision. An old adage asserts that such animals with "forward eyes" are more intelligent. The truth is that these individuals enjoy better sight to the front and greater depth perception . . . which make for improved trainability and an apparent higher intelligence in working or pleasure animals.